Sermon for February 9, 2020 Epiphany 5 A Matthew 5:13-20
House of Prayer Lutheran Church
Many of you can probably tell me about a person you consider to be a “salt of the earth” type person. We hear Jesus use this phrase in the portion of the Sermon on the Mount we heard in today’s gospel, and I don’t know if there is really a precise definition for what that is, other than “you know it when you see it.” So, I’d like to tell you about a couple I knew who were real “salt of the earth” people. They were named Ed and Mae Kruzik. Ed was the Scoutmaster of my Boy Scout troop, when I was growing up, back in my home church in Queens, New York. Mae was his wife, and she was on the troop committee. And one of the things Ed and Mae would always tell us boys in the troop was, “no shortcuts.”
And I mean, we were teenage boys--we were always looking for shortcuts, ways to get around things, looking for an easy way out. But Mr. and Mrs. K (as we called them) knew they had a responsibility to form “character” in us boys; to teach us to live by certain principles--maybe you know some of them, if you’ve ever been involved in scouts. Things like “trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind”, and things like that. And if you’re going to be formed by those values, there are no shortcuts. You have to take it step by step, one thing at a time.
Now, you might think that with an emphasis on “no shortcuts”, that very few boys from our troop would ever earn the highest rank, Eagle Scout. But during Mr. K’s tenure as scoutmaster, 24 of us boys went on to become Eagle Scouts. And I made one day before I turned 18 and aged out. I can guarantee you that without Mr. K and Mrs. K, I would not have made it. They were the salt of the earth! And we saw that in the way they lived, because they lived a life in service to others--that’s how they put their deep Christian faith into action.
I mentioned that the scout troop was in my home church--a Lutheran church--but Mr. K happened to be a devout Catholic. His wife Mae, she was a devout Lutheran. But between the two of them, they let the light of Christ shine. Because they buildt a bridge between those faiths at a time and place when that was uncommon or even frowned upon in some circles top do that. Every Sunday, Mr. K would go to Mass at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, then he’d walk over to Atonement Lutheran Church and have the coffee made before we were finished singing the last hymn! Once we even gave Ed Kruzik a certificate proclaiming him an “honorary Lutheran”. He was touched by it. And he really was an honorary Lutheran as a Catholic, because he was about bridge-building; about making connections between peoples’ differences.
As the neighborhood changed, lots of immigration and people from different places moving in and out, Mr. K kept building bridges as the Scoutmaster. He welcomed to the troop boys of any race, any nationality, any religion. He knew that there were “no shortcuts” if you want to build an inclusive community that forms “character” in people. It’s the kind of thing that happens “one person at a time.”
So, Ed and Mae Kruzik were “salt of the earth” type people. That’s because their lives were examples of what St. Paul might call living with “the mind of Christ.” St. Paul uses this phrase in various places in his letters, including what we heard today from 1 Corinthians, where he says “we have the mind of Christ.” We can interpret what exactly that means in various ways, but it has the sense of “emptying oneself in service to others”--and that’s really what Jesus did all the way to the cross--is that he emptied himself in service to others. Really, it’s what Jesus was doing all the time--it was always one person at a time; there were no short cuts in Jesus’ ministry--he would go out to seek out the hurting, the suffering, those in need of healing or hope, those who needed to be lifted up and made right and given new life. Jesus was always emptying himself for the sake of others--and he could keep emptying himself because (1) he knew who he was--a beloved child of God; and (2) he knew that through faith his Heavenly Father would keep refilling him through the Holy Spirit.
The example Jesus gave us still holds true today. He calls us to seek “the mind of Christ” as we live our lives by “emptying ourselves in service to others”. And he promises that if we go to the least; to those who are humble, or poor, or meek, or suffering; if we go to those who need help or healing or hope--that’s where we’re gonna find Jesus; and that’s where Jesus is gonna find us. That’s how he forms us through faith to be “the salt of the earth”.
Who do you know in your life who’se been a “salt of the earth” type of person? Who do you know that has dedicated themselves to “emptying themselves in service to others--and in being re-filled by God”? Take a moment to think of a person whose been like that who you’ve known. Pray about that person. Take a moment and do that; I’ll give you some time. … Then, if you’d like, turn to someone near you and tell them briefly about who you were thinking about or praying for. … Salt of the earth.
One of the things about salt--when it’s poured onto food, whether to season it, or preserve it, the salt becomes dissolved into the food. Once you put salt on, you can’t take it out. That’s the nature of salt; it leaves its mark. Usually you just need a little bit--a little bit is usually just the right amount. Maybe there’s a lesson in that--and that is that we should start small. Start with a little bit. Begin with what is just enough, with one little bit at a time.
Yes, it’s important to think big picture, to ask strategic questions, to have long-term goals. But to accomplish something big, you’ve got no choice but to go one little bit at a time. No shortcuts. You just need that one little bit of salt to get started. You focus on that one person at a time; on that one thing at a time. So as we follow Jesus in doing the work of God’s kingdom, we don’t have to get caught up in the question of “am I doing enough?” Instead, we can ask “What is God doing? How can I be part of that? What does love require here? How would Jesus want me to love this one person in front of me right now? How can I build connections to others; how can I be a bridge across peoples’ differences? What is just the right amount of salt for the situation I’m in?”
There’s no shortcuts, but little by little God’s big picture comes into focus. It’s one thing at a time, one person at a time, and God lifts us up--until our light shines before others, so they can see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. It’s not about us, it’s about God.
Even a church of many members can only grow at a rate of ONE PERSON at a time. I was blessed once to participate in a service where we baptized 11 people. Eleven people! You know how we did it? One person at a time!
How do you share bread with the hungry? One at a time. How do you give shelter to the homeless? One at a time. How do you clothe the naked? One at a time. How do you pray for someone who needs help, or even someone who has wronged you? One at a time. No shortcuts--only bit by bit the grace of God coming down into the real world and into our daily lives, through Christ crucified and risen, who builds God’s kingdom one little bit at a time. Amen.