Salt and light

J. Daryl Byler
Director, Washington Office, MCC US
Ohio regional peace gathering
Columbus, Ohio
October 30, 2004

Matthew 5:13-16

13 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. 14 You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 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. 16 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.

Ephesians 5:8-9

8 For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light -- 9 for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.

Introduction

After September 11, there was a considerable global outpouring of sympathy for the United States. But as the United States has launched a global war on terror and has overthrown the governments of Afghanistan and Iraq, public opinion has shifted. Indeed, today anti-American sentiment is at an all-time high.

In his book, Imperial Hubris, published a few months ago with the permission of the CIA, a senior CIA analyst writes anonymously that the United States is losing the war on terror because it has failed to listen to and understand what motivates those who are committing acts of terror.

"The way we see and interpret people and events outside North America is heavily clouded by arrogance and self-centeredness amounting to what I (call) 'imperial hubris,'" writes this 22-year CIA veteran, "Americans must understand the world as it is, not as we want - or worse yet, hope - it will be."

The author goes on to highlight six U.S. policies and practices that are motivating terrorists to act against the United States. He gleaned this list from reviewing Osama bin Laden's speeches over the years. Indeed, the news this morning reports a new video tape from bin Laden raising these same concerns about how U.S. policies are threatening the security and well-being of Muslim communities:

• Uncritical U.S. support for Israel that keeps Palestinians in the Israelis' thrall.
• U.S. and other Western troops on the Arabian Peninsula.
• U.S. occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
• U.S. support for Russia, India, and China against their Muslim militants.
• U.S. pressure on Arab energy producers to keep oil prices low.
• U.S. support for apostate, corrupt, and tyrannical Muslim governments like Saudi Arabia.

Without addressing these policies, the author warns, the United States at best is doing triage. The increasingly fierce U.S. military response to the forces marshaled by bin Laden may prolong America's survival, writes the CIA expert, "but at as yet undreamed of costs in blood, money and civil liberties."

My concern is not to prophesy doom and gloom--- for God is still sovereign over the nations. My concern is that we prepare ourselves and our congregations for what clearly seems to be rough waters ahead. And to do that, we must have a clear understanding of our identity and mission as the church:

We are God's temple -- a sanctuary where God dwells; a place where all who so choose can experience God's holy and healing presence; a sanctuary where all can find safety, welcome and embrace. We are a holy nation -- a body which transcends traditional national borders; a people formed from many peoples; a people whose primary allegiance is to Jesus Christ, not to Caesar.

And in the text for today, Jesus offers us two more images to help us grasp our identity -- salt of the earth and light of the world. Many of our national policies are driven by fear. But, in today's text, Jesus calls for the church to be salt and light -- not to be driven by fears.

Exegesis

The setting for the Sermon on the Mount was likely a hillside near Capernaum, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Jesus appears to have been speaking primarily to his immediate disciples (5:1-2). But it is clear that the crowds were listening in because, at the end of the sermon, Matthew notes that "the crowds were astounded at his teaching."

In the text for today, Jesus offers two vivid images of the church. He says that the church is the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world" (5:13-14). Jesus did not say that we should be salt and light. He said that we are salt and light. This is our inescapable identity, our very nature, as God's people. When we become Christians, God's powerful Spirit joins us to the body of Christ and we become salt and light.

The way that Jesus describes it, it requires more effort to deny our identity than it does to live it out. We have to lose our saltiness. We have to cover up our light. Another way of saying this is that our natural state is to be salt and light. Our unnatural state is to be tasteless and hidden.

So what does it mean for the church to be salt and light? Salt does many things. Once a year, the MCC Washington Office makes homemade ice cream for everyone in our building on Capitol Hill. As you might imagine, this has become quite a popular event. All of you who have made ice cream know that you add lots of salt to the ice to lower the freezing temperature -- which helps the ice cream harden more quickly. But I doubt that lowering the freezing temperature is the image that Jesus had in mind -- unless his point was that the church's role is to help make sure that cooler heads prevail in our violent world. In addition to lowering the freezing temperature, salt also preserves and purifies.

But the image that Jesus seems to have foremost in his mind is that salt seasons or adds taste -- because he seems concerned about salt losing its taste. "If salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?" Jesus asks (5:13a). My best guess is that Jesus used the metaphor of salt because salt changes or transforms. Salt transforms bland food into tasty food. Salt transforms good food into even better food. It brings out the full flavor. Salt without taste becomes useless and is thrown out. It has ceased to be what it was created to be. Jesus likely had in mind that the church, empowered by God's Spirit, would be a transforming body. [It would transform:]

• enemies into friends
• sinners into saints
• evil into good.

The second metaphor that Jesus uses to describe the church is one of light. This should come as no surprise. In the Old Testament, Israel was described as a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6). Jesus described himself as the light of the world (John 8:12). And now, Jesus says that the church is to be the light of the world. The smallest amount of light overcomes darkness. I remember being struck by this fact one year at summer camp. One evening during campfire, someone way across the lake lit the tiniest of candles. But this small light was visible across the expanse of the lake. Darkness cannot overcome light. Light always overcomes darkness.

In the same way, the church is to be a visible presence in the world. It is to bring hope into the darkness. It is to offer guidance in a world that seems stuck on sin and brokenness.

Application

So what might it look like for the church in our day to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world? These images of salt and light follow immediately after the Beatitudes. So the short answer would be that we put into practice, the Beatitudes and, indeed the full Sermon on the Mount. And furthermore, that we call on governing authorities to more to closer approximations of this grand vision.

But before we address governing authorities, we need to address the church -- which is deeply divided on public policy issues. The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective says that we start by being a "city on a hill." But the Confession goes on to say that "We also witness by being ambassadors for Christ, calling the nations (and all persons and institutions) to move toward justice, peace, and compassion for all people. In so doing we seek the welfare of the city to which God has sent us."

So what might we say to governing authorities, and how might we say it? A key role for the church will be truth-telling. We will do well to call our government to address the root causes of terror. We do so, not because Osama bin Laden says so, but because the Bible calls us to act justly, to love kindness and to walk humbly with God (Mic. 6: 8). And we will do well to offer governing authorities with creative alternatives for building human and global security.

There are a number of excellent summaries available on this topic:

• Sojourners campaign: "God is not a Republican . . . or a Democrat."
• The October newsletter of the Friends Committee on National Legislation focuses on an alternative vision for security.
• Leo Hartshorn has written "Ten Principles for Guiding Christian Civic Engagement" which can be found at the MC USA Peace and Justice website.

These alternatives are not "quick fixes" to terrorism, but the beginning of a practical, concrete reply to the question begged by slogans like "war is not the answer;" then what is? They are based on MCC's domestic and international work and the voices of MCC's partners,

This list is being tested in the church for consistency with biblical-Anabaptist thought, with the expectation that additional ideas will emerge from this conversation of discernment. Eventually, we hope to present these alternatives to policymakers in the Spring of 2005.

Finally, these approaches are offered in a confessional spirit, acknowledging our complicity as U.S. Christians in consuming a disproportionate share of the world's resources and recognizing that no alternative security approaches can succeed without a commitment to act justly. After all, our advocacy will not have integrity unless we, as a city on the hill, model true security in our life together.

1. Working nonviolently and with a spirit of mutuality. "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4). As the world's dominant military and economic power, the United States is positioned to violently press its will on others, ignore the counsel of other nations and apply double-standards. But true security will be found in U.S. policies and practices that emphasize diplomacy, mutuality and consistency. The United States and the world will be more secure if the United States: builds international consensus, works through the U.N., consistently applies international law and respects human rights, and seeks nonviolent transformation of conflict. This is a paradigm shift. Security will not be found in domination or double-standards, but in mutual relationships and mutual respect.

2. Building equitable economies. "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. . . . But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation" (Luke 6:20-25). Security for rich and poor is indivisible. Both for ourselves and for the impoverished peoples of the world, security involves sharing what we have now--while we have opportunity. Canceling the debts of poor countries, implementing just and equitable trade relationships and providing aid to eradicate the worst levels of poverty can bring true security to ordinary people everywhere -- to us who have too much and to one-half of the human community surviving on less than $2 a day.

3. Budgeting for justice. "They shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid" (Micah 4:4). In the wealthiest nation in the world, 37 million people live in poverty, 45 million are without health insurance and it takes triple the minimum wage to afford fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment. Meanwhile, military spending and tax cuts for the wealthy dominate the federal budget. To ensure a secure future for all U.S. children, taxpayer dollars should instead fund education, affordable housing and universal health care. A living wage mandated by the government is another important step toward the prophets' vision of a vine and fig tree for all.

Since Sept. 11, our nation has increased its annual military budget by $200 billion when including the ongoing costs of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. To put this amount into perspective, for the same amount, the United States could have instead:

Fully funded global anti hunger efforts for 7 years; or
Fully funded worldwide AIDS programs for 19 years; or
Insured that every child in the world is given basic immunizations for the next 65 years;
Or provided 5 million students with full four-year scholarships at public universities in the United States.

4. Preserving civil liberties. "And have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!" (Colossians 3:10-11). A secure society reflects a government's concern about the safety and security of its people while upholding the human rights and dignity of all through fair and just treatment. Due process and equality before the law are essential. Abuses of racial profiling, surveillance and detention break relationships. They diminish the trust and hospitality people offer each other. The Bible offers visions of strong, interrelated, diverse communities. At home and abroad, government and neighbor should foster respect, mutuality and accountability to one another--building welcoming and peaceable communities.

5. Reverse the spread of epidemic diseases. "No more shall there be an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime . . ." (Isa. 65:20). "Jesus went throughout Galilee . . . curing every disease and every sickness among the people" (Matt. 4:23). The biblical vision of security includes healing and health. Today, entire families, communities and whole societies are being devastated by massive deaths from HIV/AIDS. The United States can contribute to true human security by committing its fair share of funding to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other major diseases.

6. Welcoming the stranger. "I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Matt. 25:35). An exploited second-class of workers, a thriving trafficking industry and deaths on the U.S./Mexico border are the current results of U.S. immigration policy. A more sustainable approach would welcome rather than alienate strangers, as Jesus instructed, by providing legal channels for immigrants and refugees, guaranteeing workplace protections, allowing for family reunification and offering a path to citizenship for all newcomers to the U.S. In the long run, true security calls for revising foreign policy and trade agreements that undermine stability in migrants' home countries.

7. Developing renewable energy. "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it" (Psalm 24:1). The United States is the world's largest polluter and also the biggest consumer of global energy supplies. U.S. dependence on foreign oil has led to inconsistent and harmful policies, especially in the Middle East. True security will be found when the U.S. uses its advanced technology and creativity to develop a sustainable, renewable energy policy that will meet energy needs without compromising environmental protection, despoiling pristine lands and putting future generations at risk.

8. Addressing gun violence. "Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise" (Isaiah 60:18). A secure society must be circumspect about the massive proliferation of firearms. We seek a reduction of guns in exacerbating violence--particularly military-style assault weapons. Their primary purpose is to kill, delivering rapid fire in seconds. These weapons have been easily obtainable, part of public shootings and amplify the threats of terrorism. It is astonishing that a nation so pre-occupied with security would choose not to renew a ban on assault weapons.

9. Restructuring Middle East policy. "Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others" (Phil. 2:4). Biblical security is rooted in showing concern for others and pursuing mutual interests, not simply self-interest. In the past decade, the United States has given Israel nearly $21 billion in military aid. This aid, in part, is used to purchase of Apache helicopters, F-15s and other military equipment that is used against Palestinian civilians, thus generating deep resentment among Arabs/Muslims in the region and around the world. U.S. aid to the Middle East should be restructured to only support joint confidence and security-building measures by and for Israelis and Palestinians.

10. Rethinking the War on Drugs. "But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream" (Amos 5:24). The United States funnels billions of dollars into prisons and foreign military aid and regulates mandatory first-time offender sentencing as a part of the "war on drugs." Treating the root causes, providing drug treatment and education, and offering viable economic incentives to farmers in other countries who grow drug-producing plants would provide a long-term solution that is less costly and restores people to productive roles within their societies.

Just a few ideas about how we communicate our message to policymakers. It is important that we recapture the prophetic imagination and creativity. And so I think of the following examples from my years in Washington:

• The silent march on Washington -- with 40,000 pairs of shoes representing the victims of gun violence for one year.
• Art Gish's dumping stones on the desk of a U.S. State Department official, and telling the story of a demolished Palestinian home.
• Rich Myer's fast and creative engagement with the public over a display he created outside the White House.
• Marian Franz's pastoral/prophetic approach and dogged determination on the Peace Tax Fund bill over a long period of years.
• Susan Mark Landis helping to collect 17,000 signatures on a letter written by Jim Schrag prior to the Iraq war.

Closing

The war on terror will likely go on for many years. As Christians concerned with peacemaking, we are in for some major challenges. May we fully embrace our identity and our mission. We are God's temple. We are a holy nation that proclaims God's mighty acts. We are salt of the earth and light of the world.

"It helps, now and then, to step back
and take the long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of
the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete,
which is another way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for God's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders,
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own. Amen" - Archbishop Oscar Romero