Message of Abbot Paul - Tuesday 13th June 2023

The Belmont Parish Summer Fete is only four days’ away now and we’re all looking forward to the great day. This year’s fete is going to be special in so many ways. I hope you are able to join us and have a wonderful afternoon. If you have anything you think you could contribute to the fete to be sold on one of the stalls or given away as a prize, there’s still time to make a move. We’re all looking forward to meeting up again on Saturday at the Fete.

 

​Our Gospel passage today continues our reading of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, (Mt 5: 13-16) and consists of two very well-known short sayings of Jesus, saying that are often quoted.

 

“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.

  ​‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.’”

 

​Following the Beatitudes, Jesus tells his disciples that If you are a follower of Jesus living the Beatitudes, you matter. You have an important role to play because you are the salt of the earth. Salt preserves and Christians help preserve what is good in the world. In the ancient world, salt was very valuable: the Greeks thought it contained something almost divine, and the Romans sometimes paid their soldiers with salt. A soldier who didn't carry out his duties “was not worth his salt.” You are a seasoning agent. In a sense, you can bring the distinctive flavour of God's values to all of life. Note that salt, to be effective, must be in contact with the meat or fish it is to preserve. To be effective, we must be involved where we work and where we live. This puts us in a tension because the dominant culture doesn’t necessarily like us. Most of the time, living according to the Beatitudes may make us more successful in work, but we need to be prepared for the times it doesn’t. What will we do if showing mercy, making peace, or working for justice jeopardizes our position at work or at home? Withdrawing from the world is no answer for Christians. But it is difficult to live in the world, ready to challenge. In the last Beatitude, Jesus acknowledged the reality of persecution, yet in our contacts with the world, we must retain our “saltiness,” our distinctiveness. It’s a balancing act we’re called upon to maintain.

 

​“You are the light of the world.” The job description of a Christian is not only to maintain personal holiness, but also to touch the lives of everyone around us. At work, we touch many people who do not encounter Christ in church. It may be our most effective place to witness to Christ, but we have to be careful about how we witness for Christ at work. But how can we be salt and light? Jesus said our light is not necessarily in the witness of our words, but in the witness of our deeds—our “good works.” “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” The Beatitudes have spelled out some of those good works. In humility and submission to God, we work for right relations, for merciful actions, and for peace. When we live as people of blessing, we are salt and light, in the workplace, in our homes, and wherever we may be.