Once, long ago, I lost my overcoat at a football game. A fellow I knew was insistent that I report it. He told me, “Nice guys finish last”. Do we? And does it matter?? (I got my coat back, by the way.) Texts for this Fifth Week of Epiphany remind us that ritual worship is meaningless unless it deals with the oppressed, the homeless and the stranger. They seem to offer Words for Godly Living, and would build our ethic in community with God and those whom God has created.
Some say that Third ISAIAH 1-12 is an indication of God’s anger. But I believe that the Prophet is speaking about the Good Life: “…If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, THEN your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.” A gap exists between those seeking God and the way they live. The more things change, the more they stay the same. “…as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness…” Fasting and other acts of worship are good…but they must involve us with the greater community of the world around us.
St. Paul was upset with the churches in Corinth, and it shows in I CORINTHIANS 2:1-13. If Christ Jesus is the Great Leveler, why have they stratified themselves into factions and polarities? Red states and Blue states? Didn’t Jesus himself say that we’re all in this together? The wisdom of Christ probably is the foolishness of the rest of the world. The good folks of Corinth were–alas!–seeking power; and Paul rightly knew that a person becomes tarnished when Power is an easy fix. I suppose that Nice Guys do run the risk of finishing last…
Which brings us to the Gospel, MATTHEW 5:13-20, which is a continuation of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. YOU are the Light of the World and the Salt of the Earth. How then shall I live? Each of us has to answer this question in a unique manner, for we’re all unique! This reminds me a lot of Jesus’ misunderstood sermon at Nazareth, where he read of the breaking of the yoke and the rod of oppression, and then identified himself with the Announcement of the Kingdom of Heaven. Is this the Light that Shines in the Darkness? In order to spread the light, the Believer has to go INTO that darkness…
Someone in our lectionary group suggested that perhaps pouring the Salt of the Earth on ICE would cause melting. After all, they did arrest a 5 year old immigrant terrorist. In the midst of the heartless headlines, I hope we can all sing “…this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”
In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King
If the powers of evil don’t get us first, we’ll all be back next Tuesday to explore the readings set before us by the Revised Common Lectionary; at horacebrownking.com
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