We are counting the weeks after Epiphany and attempting to get a glimpse of what life as the people of God might be like. We are the evidence that our faith is true and our God is at work in the world. In other words, we are now the epiphany, the light shining forth for the world to see. Come, let us worship the God!
Scriptures: Psalm 112 and Matthew 5:13-20
Message; “Perspective”
Psalm 112
(1) Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. (2)His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
(3) Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
(4) Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. (5) Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.
(6) Surely, he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.
(7) He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord .
(8) His heart is secure; he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
(9) He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.
(10) The wicked man will see and be vexed; he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.
Matthew
5:13-20
Salt and Light
(13) “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
(14) “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. (15) Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. (16) In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
The Fulfillment of the Law
(17) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (18) I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (19) Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (20) For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
This is the word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
In our first reading, Psalm112 in verse 4 we read: “Even in darkness, light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.”
So let me begin by asking you this question. How does light dawn for the upright?
In Hebrew poetry, darkness often refers to calamity, light to well-being. God brings good to the upright person even during tragedy. Sometimes light dawns through positive new circumstances. And, at other times, God’s comfort becomes like bright rays in the middle of adversity. The upright person is someone who focuses on God, seeks to live for him, praises him and delights in his commands.
The Psalmist is writing to encourage us to evaluate, and if necessary, to change our “Perspective”. In his day, as it is today, so many believers are not focused on God. Seeking to live for Him. Praising Him and delighting in His commands. That’s why he finished this Psalm by writing: “The wicked man will see and be vexed; he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing” (Psalm112:10).
All to many believers today are like, the story that was told of a little girl who went to visit her grandparents. It seems as though they held Sunday as the Lord’s Day, and holy. They thought it should be a day of quietness, to walk, not run in it, and that the Bible was the only book that should be read. The granddaughter could not swing nor gather the flowers that grew in the pasture. While grandpa was taking his nap, she asked for permission to walk to the gate, and she received it. Along the fence she stopped to watch the old mule, standing with his head bowed and his eyes closed. Reaching through the fence, she said, “Poor old fellow, have you got religion, too?”
Unfortunately, that is how many view Christianity. Many in the world today are completely turned off by the religious legalism, portrayed by others. Worst of all, perhaps, is the fact that many Christians are guilty of thinking of it as a virtue, rather than a vice. They need to change their perspective. To be both “Salt and Light” as is the title of our gospel reading today.
In lite of that, let me ask you this, what’s your favorite color? Is it more 450? Or do you tend towards 600? Maybe even 700?
Just in case those numbers don’t immediately mean anything to you, on the visible spectrum scale for light, 450 nanometers mean “blue,” 600 is yellow, and at 700 nanometers you are seeing red.
But we don’t “see” numbers, do we? We see the beautiful, illuminating colors that light takes on as it is refracted and reflected before our eyes. We don’t experience nanometers. We bask under a blue sky. Or we bath in wonder at the beauty of a sunset that melts from orange to crimson red. So, whether we catalogue light as 550 nanometers or perceive it as “green” is all a matter of “Perspective”.
In Matthew’s account of the “Sermon on the Mount,” immediately after Jesus lays out his, “Rejoice and Be Glad”, “Beatitudes”, he lifts up two metaphors of how disciples of the kingdom will be known to this world. They will be the “salt of the earth,” they will be the “light of the world,” a light that will “shine before others.” Salt enhances flavors. Light sharpens both sight and insight. Jesus is calling would-be followers of the kingdom to enhance lives by living on the cutting edges, the places where new perspectives, new tastes, and new visions are embraced.
Look at it this way. Light does not just do away with darkness and illuminate corners and crevices. Light also works to provide a new “Perspective”. To put our experiences and perceptions into “a new light.” To be a disciple of Jesus, is not just to be a focused beam of light at some measurable nanometer with laser-like narrowness and intensity. To be the “light” that Jesus challenged his disciples to be also means to continually put a new light, a new perspective, on all the world, to willingly “change up” as football enthusiast would put it, the “game plans,” that we are used to living by every day.
Jesus’ description of the kingdom of God, where the “blessed” are the poor in spirit, the mournful, the meek, the peacemakers, the persecuted, the child-like, shifts our focus and redirects our “light.” The Beatitudes force us to stop looking at some life’s problems as a collective to be conquered, and instead to look at each person as singular and significant, an individual to be embraced.
Example. A business executive leaves his office late one night. He is tired, hungry, and thinks maybe he’ll just get some sleep on the train while in route to his home. Two stops into his journey, a father with two young children comes into his train car. The children proceed to run up and down the aisle, making a lot of noise and disturbing everyone. No sleep is possible.
The businessman at first fumes silently in his seat. Then the anger builds, and he becomes so irritated at the father for not controlling his children that he gets out of his seat and scolds him.
“You really should teach your children better manners. Besides, it is not just a matter of behaving badly, it’s not safe while the train is careening down the tracks to have them running up and down the aisles.” The father took the criticism in stride and replied sheepishly, “I’m sorry. You are right. I should be insisting they behave better, especially in public. But we’ve just come from the hospital, where their mother has died suddenly tonight. And the children are in a state of shock, and don’t know how to react. In fact, I don’t know how to react, so I’m not on top of things right now like I should be. I’m sorry, sir. Thanks for waking me up to my responsibility.”
So, in one minute, everything changed. The businessman shifted from being angry and annoyed to being sympathetic and helpful. He gained a whole new “perspective”. He saw his immediate reality in a “new light.”
That very weary commuter train-traveler was seeing someone the way Jesus saw everyone. As a whole person, the whole spectrum of good-to-bad that makes up all of our lives. The light Jesus calls his disciple to shine out into the world is a light that equally illuminates, sin and suffering. It is a light that knows judgment yet offers love. It is a light that sees deserved condemnation yet extends the commitment of divine comfort.
The “salt and light” that Jesus teaches us, is to see people as they really are.
Instead of spoiled kids running rampant through the commuter train, the weary traveler suddenly saw the truth — a family in pain, a family suffering a huge loss, a family trying to cope. That change in perspective changed everything. People who are hungry need to be fed. Kids who have no place to sleep need a safe place to bed down. Seeing the reality of what individuals are dealing with in their lives helps us focus the light of our faith on their immediate needs, not our own. If we all knew what each other was going through, we would see each other in a whole new light. With a new “Perspective”.
The Jesus “Salt and Light”, “Perspective”, helps us to see ourselves in terms of what we could be. It puts a new light, a new insight on old perceptions, but it also gives us a new perspective on old shadows and those blackened corners of our lives.
The light of Jesus, lets us see what we could be. What God is calling us to be. What is completely transformable in our lives. We are called to be a light for the world. We are also invited to immerse ourselves and transform ourselves in that new light, that new vision of possibilities and perspectives. And we are invited to continue Jesus’ mission on this earth.
The Jesus light offers a whole new reading on the “light spectrum:” to see people as Jesus sees them. Jesus did not just want his disciple to see people as they really are — that was only the first step. The disciple who truly embraces Jesus’ light, who sees his new illumination on this world, is the person who sees people as Jesus saw them. Jesus never saw anyone as a sinner, only as a sufferer. Jesus never saw anyone as someone who had fallen short, but as someone who needed help to cross the finish line. Jesus did not condemn. Jesus cured.
Disciples don’t see others as sinners, but as fellow suffers. Disciples do not see others as people who have fallen short, but as people who need help to be pulled across the finish line. Disciples don’t condemn anyone, especially those trapped in the slavery of sin; they offer the power of divine love.
The church would be changed, and the world would totally change, if this one thing were put into practice: if we would only see other people as Jesus sees them. If we all saw each other as Jesus sees us, then we would see everyone we meet as a beloved child of God.
Hold to that “Perspective”, remembering the scriptures that we read today.
”Even in darkness, light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.” (Psalm 112:4)
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.“(Matt. 5:14-16)
“Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.” (Psalm 112:1)
“His heart is secure; he will have no fear;”(Psalm 112:8a). Do you need to change your “Perspective”?
Jesus said: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt.5:17-20)
Do you see others as Jesus did? Do you need to change your “Perspective”?
In His Service,
Pastor Joe
Listen To Audio: Sermon 20230205
Listen To Service: Service 02052023
Call to Worship:L: We are called to bring a new understanding of God: that God so loves the world.
P: We are the salt of the earth.
L: We are called to bring a new hope in God: that God gives us new life.
P: We are the light of the world.
P: We are the salt of the earth.
L: We are called to bring a new hope in God: that God gives us new life.
P: We are the light of the world.
Prayer of Confession: Heavenly Father, we confess that we are guilty sinners and deserving of punishment for our sin. Thank You that in Your grace, You gave the Lord Jesus to live a sinless life and take the punishment for our sins. We pray that the light of Christ in our heart may shine brightly before men – in such a way that they may see the good works that we do in Your power and strength, and glorify You, our Lord and our God. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Pastor Joe will be available at the church on Thursday afternoon from 11 to 1. If you need to speak to him, contact Pastor Joe at 570-267-4570 (cell) or Email: joe.s.travis@gmail.com
Loose change goes to Local Mission
Sunday School starts at 8:30am
Choir practice will be on Thursday at 1:00! Please come and join us in singing praises to Jesus!
Social Hour after church TODAY.
Backpacks for Kids due TODAY.
PW meeting on February 9th.
Sacament of Baptism of Hannah Travis February 12th. Cake and coffee after service to welcome Hannah.
Souper Bowl mission goes until Super Bowl Sunday. Please mark your envelope or get one from the vestibule.
Men’s Breakfast 8:00 on February 15th.
Session Meeting on Saturday February 18th at 9:00.
Newsletter Deadline – Tuesday, February 28th, 2023.
Please sign up to host one of the social hours on the Sunday after Communion Service on the first Sunday of the month.
Listen to WPEL 96.5 for church cancellation if your internet is down during a storm this winter.
