Reflection on Matthew 5:13-20

This picture is of salt, viewed very very close.

“You are the salt of the earth!”  You are sodium chloride (NaCl).  You are a crystalline mineral that is used around the world to preserve food and keep it from spoiling.  You are processed from salt mines or evaporated from salt water. 

You are sold in scrub form by beautiful women from Israel who stop you in the mall, wash your hands, and gaze into your eyes until you buy at least $50 worth of salt skincare products that you do not need (not that I have ever succumbed to such sales practices). 

You are an essential nutrient for human health via your role as an electrolyte and osmotic solute.  Consumption of you may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, in children and adults.  You have been harvested from water in China as far back at 6,000 BC.  You are salt.

And, that, my friends, was the blandest description of salt I could have possibly provided.  After-all, the power of salt cannot be found in a description of its chemical makeup or use.  The power of salt comes from tasting it.  It comes from experiencing it. 

It is a mineral with passion that invokes a dramatic reaction in the taste buds.  It completes steak, making a savory, comfortably full feeling on the pallet that accompanies special occasions and prepares hard workers for the next day.  It is the gritty element that combines with sugar to create the greatest candy in the world: Resee’s Peanut Butter Cups. 

So, when Jesus says that you are the salt of the world he is saying that you are the passion of God for the whole world to experience.

Guess what this picture is?  It is a light hidden under a bushel basket, of course.  Obvious right?   

This is what people see when you hide all that God is passionate about.   

This is what you see if people refuse to be God’s light.  

Do not hide it, Jesus says.  “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

These good works that you give to your neighbor have the ability to affect your neighbor in profoundly holy ways.  You are God’s salt.  The fundamental elements of your life have the taste of all that God is passionate about.  Be God’s passion to your neighbor! 

You are God’s light.  You shine a light of love and hope on all around.  Do not hide, be God’s light!

It seems simple enough.  Be the salt.  Be the light.  But, there is a way that this can all go wrong. 

For example, you could be the type of person who takes pride in following God’s laws perfectly.  You might be proud that you have never murdered.  You are not as bad as those people.  However, at the same time, you feel no remorse slinging some words toward a neighbor which mocks them; deservedly or not. 

Jesus sees no difference between the two.  Both actions cause harm. 

Being that type of salt is being salt that has lost its saltiness.  It is upholding the law as it is written, “You shall not murder,” but forgetting the passion that God has instilled within the law: loving your neighbor and your enemy.  Show mercy to all; that is the taste of true salt.

You could be the person who points out the faults of other people, and how stupidly they make their decisions in life, all the while failing to see the log of stupidity within your own eye.  How can you lead someone to healing if you have not healed yourself?  How can you be an example of God’s passionate love for the world if you refuse to shine a light of forgiveness? 

God does not require that people to try harder in life in order to receive love and healing.  Instead, God requires that his followers show mercy.  “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” Jesus continually reminds us through the gospel of Matthew.  Mercy is the light that breaks through the darkness of the world.

After-all, following Christ is not about only following the letter of the law.  It is not about keeping the Sabbath Day holy and refusing to do any work at all (and forcing others to refrain from work at the same time) all the while watching people suffer.  While we watch people suffer we do not say, “Well, at least I did not break a commandment."

That misses the point!  The whole purpose of the Sabbath is for God to renew life in a world that needs healing and rest.  For Christians, the Sabbath is about Jesus raising people from the depths of death to new life; raising people up from the grave. 

In other words, being the salt of the earth and the light of the world is about never forgetting the purpose of God’s laws: to bring life and love and peace (Shalom) to all of God’s people.  It is NOT about blindly following the rules for the sake of following the rules.  It is allowing God’s passion behind the rules to bring new life to the world. 

There are truck loads of people in the world that can point to the rules on the wall and point out how you are failing.  Lots of people are excellent at making you feel like you are a failure. 

But, God’s people understand that mercy and love are the passions existing behind the rules.  God’s people care about that.  God's people go above and beyond the rules.

God’s people are the salt of the earth.  God’s people are the light of the world.  God’s people have the gift of passion in their heart.  They reserve room in their heart for all that God cares about: all that is merciful and loving. 

In this way, God’s people exceed the righteousness of those who care only about the rules being followed perfectly. 

God’s people primarily care about Jesus’ self-giving love that is shown on the cross. God’s people shine the light of love because God is love.

You are God’s passion here on earth.  You are the one who follows the commandments as God intends them to be followed, without abandoning a single letter or punctuation.  

The Bible says that you are the salt of the earth.  The Bible does not say that you can become the salt of the earth.  No!  You are the salt of the earth.  You are God’s passion here on earth. 

So, what is your passion?  What part of Jesus’ story does God use to ignite a fire within?  What is the Spirit moving you to care deeply about?  You are the salt.  You are the light.  You are the people of God.

Take a moment to look through the stories of Jesus’ life.  Find the one that sparks a bit of passion from God’s Spirit within.  Many will not spark anything.  Do not feel bad, just read on.  The one that God draws your attention to is the one that holds the potential for some passion.  Find yourself in Jesus' story.  Once you do that you will be able to see in what way Jesus wants you to follow.

Are you led to the feeding stories?  Maybe God wants you to provide food to the needy in some way.  Maybe that is your passion.

Are you led to the healing story of the man who cannot stand or walk?  Maybe, the words of Paul that talk about running the race have always called out to you.  Perhaps, those scriptures mold you into a runner who runs races that raise money for a cause like the Muscular Dystrophy Association?

Take a moment to look through the scripture and find your passion.  Discover your own particular flavor of salt!

What Part of Jesus’ Story Draws You In?

Matthew 2:9-12           The Wisemen give gifts to the baby Jesus

Matthew 2:13-23         Jesus and his family are refugees from a corrupt government

Matthew 3:13-17         Jesus is baptized and named, “The Beloved”

Matthew 4:1-11           Jesus resists the devil’s temptation

Matthew 4:18-22         Jesus calls people to “Follow me”

Matthew 5:3                Blessed are the poor in Spirit

Matthew 5:4                Blessed are those who mourn

Matthew 5:5                Blessed are the meek

Matthew 5:6                Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

Matthew 5:7                Blessed are the merciful

Matthew 5:8                Blessed are the pure in heart

Matthew 5:9                Blessed are the peacemakers

Matthew 5:10              Blessed are those who are persecuted

Matthew 5:16              Let your light shine before others

Matthew 5:21-26         Be reconciled to your brother or sister

Matthew 5:38-42         Turn the other cheek…Go the second mile

Matthew 5:43-48         Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

Matthew 6:1-8             Give and pray in secret

Matthew 6:9                The Lord’s Prayer

Matthew 6:19              You cannot serve God and wealth

Matthew 6:25-34         Do not worry about your life…Consider the lilies of the field

Matthew 7:1-6             Do not judge…take the log out of your own eye

Matthew 7:7-11           Ask, and it will be given you

Matthew 7:21-27         Everyone who hears and acts of Jesus’ words are like a wise man

Matthew 8:1-4             Jesus chooses to touch and heals a leper

Matthew 8:5-13           Jesus heals a centurion’s servant

Matthew 8:14-17         Peter’s mother-in-law gets up and serves after Jesus heals her

Matthew 8:23-27         Jesus calms a storm at sea

Matthew 8:28-34         Jesus casts out demons into the pigs

Matthew 9:1-8             Jesus forgives and heals a man in front of critics

Matthew 9:9-13           Jesus eats with sinners…I desire mercy, not sacrifice

Matthew 9:18-26         Jesus heals a little girl and a woman is healed by touching his cloak

Matthew 9:27-34         Jesus heals the blind and makes the mute to speak

Matthew 9:35-38         Jesus has compassion on the crowds…they are without a shepherd

Matthew 10:1-15         Jesus sends disciples to cure, cleanse, raise dead - taking nothing

Matthew 12:1-13         The disciples eat and Jesus cures on the Sabbath…showing mercy

Matthew 12:22-37       Jesus is accused of being evil for doing good (casting out demons)

Matthew 12:46-50       Jesus points to his followers as being his true family

Matthew 13:1-23         Parable of the sewer of seeds

Matthew 13:31-32       Parable of the mustard seed…smallest seed creates a great bush

Matthew 13:53-58       Jesus is not accepted in his hometown

Matthew 14:13-21       Jesus feeds the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish

Matthew 14:22-33       Jesus walks on water and saves Peter after he fails to walk

Matthew 15:1-11         Jesus teaches that what comes out of the mouth is what defiles

Matthew 15:21-28       A gentile woman opens Jesus up to ministering to the gentiles

Matthew 15:29-39       Jesus heals many and feeds the 4,000

Matthew 16:13-20       Peter declares Jesus as the Messiah, Son of the living God

Matthew 16:21-28       Jesus tells his followers to deny themselves and take up the cross

Matthew 17:1-9           Jesus is transfigured…revealing his divinity

Matthew 17:14-21       Jesus heals an epileptic boy who the disciples could not heal

Matthew 18:1-6           Jesus takes a child and teaches us to be humble like the child

Matthew 18:7-14         Jesus warns to not cause others to stumble, none should be lost

Matthew 18:15-35       Jesus teaches about forgiveness…forgive even 77 times

Matthew 19:3-12         The two shall become one flesh…let no one separate

Matthew 19:13-15       Let the little children come to me, do not stop them

Matthew 19:16-22       Sell your possessions…give the money to the poor…follow me

Matthew 19:23-30       The first will be last and the last will be first

Matthew 20:1-16         The gracious employer who pays the last the same as the first

Matthew 21:1-11         Jesus rides on a donkey and is praised

Matthew 21:12-17       Jesus removes sellers…“My house shall be a house of prayer!”

Matthew 21:33-46       The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone

Matthew 22:1-14         Everyone on the streets are invited to the wedding banquet

Matthew 22:15-22       Give to God the things that are God’s

Matthew 22:34-40       Love God and love the neighbor - the greatest commandments

Matthew 23:1-12         All who humble themselves will be exalted

Matthew 23:37-49       Jesus desires to gather all under his wings like a mother hen

Matthew 26:6-13         A woman anoints Jesus for his burial with costly ointment

Matthew 26:17-30       “Take, eat; this is my body…”

Matthew 26:36-46       “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Matthew 26:47-56       “All who take the sword will perish by the sword.”

Matthew 26:69-27:10  Peter denies Jesus and Judas is ashamed of his betrayal

Matthew 27:11-25       The crowds call for Jesus crucifixion in front of Pilate

Matthew 27:32            Simon carries Jesus’ cross

Matthew 27:33-56       Jesus is mocked; dies - the temple curtain tears & dead are raised

Matthew 27:57-61       Joseph of Arimathea, Mary Magdalene, and Mary bury Jesus

Matthew 28:1-10         Jesus is raised from the dead and greets the women who tell

Matthew 28:16-20       Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…I am with you

Luke 1:39-56               Mary sings of the Lord raising the lowly and filling the hungry

Luke 2:8-20                 Lowly shepherds are chosen to bear witness to the birth of Jesus

Luke 2:25-40               Simeon and Anna, great in age, bless & prophesy about the Jesus

Luke 5:17-26               Friends break through a roof so that their friend might be healed

Luke 6:20                    “Blessed are the poor”

Luke 10:25-37             Parable of an unlikely person helping (the Good Samaritan)

Luke 15:1-32               The lost are found (sheep, coins, sons)

Luke 16:19-31             A rich man ignores Lazarus who was poor at his doorstep

Luke 19:1-10               A short tax collector commits to giving to the poor

Luke 21:1-4                 Jesus commends the generosity of a poor, widow

Luke 23:42                  Jesus forgive a thief on the cross who confesses

John 1                         The word was with God and the word was God

John 2:1-11                 Jesus blesses a wedding feast with wine

John 3:16-17               For God so loved the world…that the world might be saved…

John 4:1-42                 Jesus has a theological discussion with a Samaritan woman by a well

John 5:1-16                 Jesus heals an ill man on the Sabbath

John 6:35                    “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.”

John 8:1-11                 Jesus defends a woman. “Who is without sin...throw a stone”

John 10:11                  “I am the good Shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life…”

John 11:1-57               Jesus weeps and raises Lazarus from the dead

John 15:9-17               “Love one another as I have loved you.”

Acts 16:11-15              Lydia, a seller of fine cloth, supports the ministry of the Apostles

Acts 9:36-42                Peter raises Tabitha; beloved; sewed for others and gave to the poor

Sermon/Eulogy for Dwight D. Albers (from Thursday, January 30th, 2020)

Psalm 27:1, 4-9

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" Your face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sermon/Eulogy

So, I want to start by telling about the drive home from my Dad’s ordination worship service.  I was in the back of the car, reflecting on the holy laying on of hands that pastors receive toward the end of the worship service.  Actually, I was reflecting on how my Dad definitely was not the most holy of men.  

I blurted out, “Now that you are ordained, do you feel more holy?” 

It was not an honest question.  It was sarcasm dripping from a self-righteous young adult. 

But, my Dad’s answer was straightforward, “No, there is nothing different.  You don’t have to be holy to talk about Jesus.” 

And, that was the beginning of the ministry of the “Irreverent Reverend.” 

Dwight David Albers,

born in Minnesota,

one of three sons,

reared on a farm,

rejecter of going hunting but embracer of fishing,

whisperer of pigs…or more accurately, shouter of hogs,

beloved husband of Sharon and very tired father of three boys, Marcus, Daniel, and myself,

hater of British accents…unless uttered by the lips of 007,

lover of the TV show MASH,

constant sharer of every single thing that floated to him on Facebook,

the Dad that we loved with our whole hearts,

that man was the “Irreverent Reverend.”

He was the Reverend that would be happy to hear a joke in church that was “not ready for church.” 

He was the Reverend who thought that farting in the church office was hilarious.  Oh, you too?  Well, he would have been a great pastor to you.  

But, he was also the pastor who would drive hours on the interstate with a bag of home dialysis solution on his head and the other bag on the floor draining the old fluid because he wanted to make sure that you knew you were loved by God, even if you were stuck in the hospital. 

He cared. 

Yes, he was irreverent, but if I had to choose one thing that Dad cared about as a pastor and a person that reflected Jesus, I would say that it was his passion for the forgiveness of the sinner and his attention to the despised. 

Whether if it was church leaders questioning the worthiness of a Sunday School teacher because of the person’s checkered past or if it was people who were excluded because they hung out with the “wrong people,” Dad had a passion for those beloved people of God.  If Jesus would heal them, they were good enough for him.  If Jesus would forgive them they were good enough for him.  Dad could have a temper, as us boys knew well as children (Don’t worry, he wasn’t mean, we deserved it), but we would see that temper flare again in adulthood if an injustice occurred or an exclusion was thrust upon any of the children who Jesus loves and forgives.

Speaking of his passion for justice, I always thought that Dad would have been a great Associate of the Bishop.  Dad seemed to make it his mission to check in and support the other pastors around him.  But, unlike the diplomacy that people in these positions usually have (and rightly so), Dad had no problem sharing in the anger toward those in the church who were giving any particular pastor a problem.  He had no reservations in listening, sharing some inappropriate words, and caring for those who are abused by the self-righteous. 

After-all, Dad was not self-righteous, he was fully a sinner who needed the salvation of Jesus Christ.  And, that is exactly what this irreverent reverend has now found: eternal life in God’s hands of grace.

And, I am painfully missing this faulty, irreverent servant of God.  We all are. 

I miss his phone calls from the car while Mom sings in the choir. 

I miss his concern for our struggles. 

I miss the guy who refused to complain when one of the grandkids gave him a “shot” with their toy syringe, and stabbed hard enough to actually break the skin. 

I miss the songs that he would sing in the car.  “Round the corner we go, round the corner we go, high ho the dairy-o, round the corner we go.”  Everyone join in! 

No, you do not have to join in. 

(To the grandkids)  Did you know that song came from Grandpa? 

And, then there was the ever popular: “Red light, red light, red light, red light, Dairy Queen.”  Because, of course, we were at a red light and there was a Dairy Queen. 

Marcus loved those songs.  I am joking; he did not love those songs. 

I miss how understanding he was of my struggle with algebra in the ninth grade, because he also was struggling with Algebra at the same time in his own college class. 

Did I mention that he went back to school late in life?  He did, moving from pig farming to the ministry.  There might be some prodigal son story going on there, but I will let you fill in those biblical details. 

While you do that, I will be right here, missing the man who would take the family on bike rides because it was a nice day to be out and because it was time to say “Hi” to friends around town. 

I miss hearing Buffy, Shmoo, and Weenie.  I will not explain; that one is for us. 

I just miss him.  And, I know you do also. 

I am not going to mention all the illness throughout his life, because that rarely defined him.

No, he was the irreverent reverend. 

He was the great friend to those he knew. 

He was the proud father (proud of Marcus’ computing career and singing, Daniel’s distinguished service in the military, and presumably myself), and he was a proud grandfather. 

He was the loving husband. 

And, he was also a kind of pretty good woodworker.  He made shelves and cat houses and tables and bed headboards.  And, they were all kind of pretty good.  He was pretty good at it, but not perfect. 

And, that is who he was, as a man and as a pastor.  He was pretty good, but not perfect.

He was fully a flawed human who has now been made whole, through the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord.  And, he would want you to know that you are too, because that was his faith.  That was the essence of life in Christ Jesus that he understood very well.

And, because of that we will forever trust in the words of Psalm 27, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”  It is in the Lord we trust, especially on a day such as today.

Reflection on Psalm 27:1,4-9

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” 

You do not utter words like this unless your world has turned dark.  You do not see the saving nature of the words of Psalm 27 unless you are brought face to face with fear.  Only those who have spent some time wandering around in the utter darkness truly understand what it is to have no choice but to trust in the Lord.

It was an IED (an Improvised Explosive Devise) that took away both of the young man’s legs.  And, it was on that day that the darkness overtook his world. 

Lying stranded in his hospital bed, the young man asked questions like, “How will I get around to do the most basic of things?”  “Will any woman accept such a deformed man?”  “How will I deal with the stares, or the unending looks of pity?”  “How will I handle it?” 

The volunteer from the chaplain’s office dropped off one of those little devotional booklets that you get while staying in the hospital.  You, know, the ones with the printed prayers, poems, and fragments of inspirational scriptures.  There were a couple of super helpful quotes in there, please note the sarcasm dripping from my lips this very moment: “If you give up, it means you never wanted it;” and “Miracles always happen when you believe;” and “If we threw all of our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we would grab ours back.”  He was pretty certain that he would not grab his back.  He was pretty certain that he would grab something like, “My Mom didn’t cook the chicken the right way” and leave the “no legs for the rest of your life” right where it was in the pile.

But, the next page in the devotional booklet was better.  The next page had a Psalm he had somehow never read before, or had never taken notice of if he had.  What this man with no future found was Psalm 27:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" Your face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!”

The phrase, “he will conceal me under the cover of his tent” particularly stuck out at him.

As a soldier, the young man understood tents well.  In tents, other guys can see when the tears come; there is no place to hide.  In tents, the worst of the day is shared and soldier-like embraces are given.  In tents, things are thrown, frustration is vented, and people are truly known.  And, in tents, you are together, providing safety for one another. 

“For the Lord will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent.” 

He needed a tent again.  He wanted nothing more than to live in the tent of the only one who might make sense of all of this confusion.  He wanted nothing more than to live in the tent of the only one who is able to make a light in the darkness.

Psalm 23 is a good Psalm and all, but it was Psalm 27 that saved the young man’s life. 

It was the words, “The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” that he muttered when he fell, fearing that he would never figure out how to walk with his prosthetic legs. 

It was the words, “do not hide your face from me” that he recalled each time he saw people glance his way, look with pity, and then turn their eyes away. 

It was the words, “Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!” that he remembered each time he saw there was no interest in the woman he pursued as he walked away awkwardly with his canes. 

The Lord became his salvation, because he could not save himself.  The Lord became his purpose for living, because he had no other purpose.  The Lord was his light in the darkness, because the Lord never lets the darkness overcome.  The Lord saved his life, through the words of Psalm 27. 

It is a good Psalm.  More than that, it is a life saving Psalm.  It is a psalm for those who find themselves in the darkness, because, let us be honest, there is a lot of darkness.  There is the death of loved ones in whom we have depended; utter darkness.  There is the death of stability in the world and in our own country; utter darkness.  There is a persistent, slow death creeping through the churches around which we have built our lives; utter darkness. 

But, in the Lord is light and salvation.  In the Lord Jesus Christ we find new life after the cross and the tomb.  In the Lord Jesus Christ we find a defeat of all that would put us in the ground.  In the Lord Jesus Christ we find grace, forgiveness, and a salvation that never gives up.  In the Lord Jesus Christ we find someone to follow when there seems no way forward. 

“Follow me,” Jesus says to those who are stranded in the darkness.  And, in response, our souls say within, “Seek his face.”

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”