Salt, Light, & Love

Isaiah 58:1-9a, [9b-12] | Psalm 112:1-9, (10) | 1 Corinthians 2:1-12, [13-16]| Matthew 5:13-20
By Rev. Heather J. Blais, Rector

In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus is telling those gathered for the Sermon on the Mount, who have just heard the beatitudes we heard last week, that our lives have a meaning and a purpose.  “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot” (Matthew 5:13). 

Jesus goes on to say: “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-15).

You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. 

What does it mean that we are salt and light? We rely on salt to preserve, enhance, and flavour food.  Likewise, we rely on light to make a path, showing us the way forward. By telling us we are salt and light, Jesus is telling us to lean into our call to be the unconditional love of God in the world. 

We may know that we are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). 
We may understand that God is Love (1 John 4:8).  Yet there can be a cognitive dissonance between those fundamental truths, and accepting that we - our very lives - are a living, breathing embodiment of God’s Love. The truth within the scriptures reveals again and again is that we are made in Love, that we are Beloved, and that we are meant to embody God’s Love. As followers of Christ, that is how we are called to live out our days. 

In the Torah, the Hebrew Scriptures that shaped and formed Jesus, were the laws Jesus referenced in today’s passage. Two of those laws become the great commandment. Yet these teachings reach much further back.  In Deuteronomy, those seeking to live in faithful relationship with God were called, “...to love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (6:5).  And in Leviticus, were instructed, you    “...shall love your neighbour as yourself” (19:8). 

We are called to embody God’s Love. 
You are the salt of the earth. 
You are the light of the world. 
In the eyes of our God, this is an unchangeable truth. 
And according to both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, if we want to live into our identities as salt and light, we must begin by first loving ourselves. Accepting that we are truly made in the image and likeness of God and called to love ourselves, so we might love God and neighbor. 

Last Sunday, we gathered after church for our teen baptism and confirmation class, led by Reynolds Whalen.  We have been spending time reflecting on the baptismal covenant, and at this gathering, we spent some time focusing on our promise to: “...seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself.”* 

Reynolds had each of us take an index card, and on one side he asked us all to write at least one thing we love about ourselves, and on the other side, to write at least one way we practice caring for ourselves. It’s a bit uncomfortable, and even more nerving to say those things aloud to one another.  Yet a poignant reminder that if we want to live into our calling and commandment to love God and love our neighbor, it begins with loving ourselves. Because if we are dismayed by the world around us right now - this act of building our capacity to love ourselves is the first step on the path to a better world. With that step, we are stepping further into our identities as salt, light, and love. 

Sometimes, the burdens of this life can make it rather difficult to be salt and light. 
How can we be salty when we are angry? When we harbor resentment? How can we be light, when our anxiety drives us?  When our depression or grief blocks us? What is getting in the way of loving ourselves, God, or our neighbor? What is preventing us from being salt and light? Sometimes it’s helpful to reflect on this with someone else - whether that be a friend, a partner,  or a minister. 

One rite of the church that is not often utilized but can help liberate us is the rite of reconciliation of the penitent. This sacramental rite is a chance to name before God and someone else the things for which we are sorry, or ashamed, or that burden our conscience. Then in return, we hear from God and from another person the truth that we are forgiven, loved, and reconciled. Our tradition’s approach to this rite is that: all can, some should, none must.  This form of confession is offered in addition to our weekly worship’s general confession, and subsequent absolution. Both confession and the rite of reconciliation are meant to help us as followers of Christ to recognize that we are always in need of God’s grace, love, and mercy. While this rite is always available upon request, in Lent we will hold extra space in the church calendar on Wednesdays for this rite upon request. If you are interested, please reach out to me. 

It can also be hard to live into our identity as  salt and light when we come up against movements that seem to be at odds with our work as the Church. We are in a season of heightened injustice, with some of those actions done in the name of Christian nationalism. We may hear the same Gospel, yet come to very different conclusions.  It can be tempting to make snarky comments about those neighbors, to question their knowledge of scripture, or doubt the authenticity of their faith. Yet in doing so, we forget their human dignity, and that they too, are made in the image and likeness of God.  They too, are called to be salt and light, to embody God’s Love. And it is especially hard to come to terms with the fact, some neighbors genuinely believe the policies born out of Christian Nationalism do embody God’s love. It is perplexing, angering, heartbreaking, and so much more. Yet we do a disservice when we look down on those neighbors instead of trying to better understand them. When we stop trying to authentically be salt, light, and love alongside them. 

I recently came across a previously unpublished interview of the late theologian Walter Brueggeman from back in 2020.* Brueggeman reflected on the complexities that have led some followers of Christ to support elected officials and public policies that seem to contradict our call to love our neighbor. He suggests that at the core of those complexities is resentment - towards progressives,  towards those with economic means and affluence, and towards the government. Brueggeman goes on to say: “We have to give thought to how we respond to people who are set deep in resentment. Our work in that regard has to do with generosity, with paying attention, with hearing the narrative of resentment and outflanking that narrative with generosity. We are called to…the hands-on work of generosity, hospitality, and forgiveness that treats people like neighbors, even though we have often not respected them or honored them as neighbors. That doesn’t mean we have to compromise any of our passion for justice, but I think we have to pay attention to who people are.” 

When we let judgment, fear, or scarcity guide us, we step back from being the salt and light. We stop embodying God’s love. The invitation for us, as we strive, with God’s help, to lean into being salt and light, as we seek to embody God’s love is to have an open mind and heart. Not to stop being passionate about justice issues, but to also better understand where our neighbours are coming from - the resentment, disappointments, and frustrations they may carry. When we do, we are better poised to be salt and light, loving God and our neighbor. Better poised to effectively resist injustice.

God loved us so much that God took on human flesh in the life of Jesus. Jesus gave his life and death to spreading the Good News of God’s reign of Love. As followers of Jesus, as believers in God’s reign of Love, we can lean into our calling when we better understand each and every person is a beloved child of God, worthy of dignity and respect. That is how we resist injustice and spread God’s love. 

We are the salt.
We are the light. 
We are God’s love. Amen. 



*(Book of Common Prayer, p. 305). 
**”Living by the Promises of God: An unpublished interview with Walter Brueggemann”, Sojourners, Sept/Oct 2025, pg. 35-36. 

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