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Epiphany VI 2023 Year A

A rather hard Gospel to hear this morning as Jesus seems to be telling his disciples and followers that if they follow him they have to be very strict with themselves and each other. That they have to go beyond the injunctions of the 10 commandments. It all sounds very difficult to conform to. Yet, what I think Jesus is doing is encouraging his followers to lead lives of integrity and honesty. Not to say one thing and do another  but to try and live lives that respect other people and to treat others with good intentions. No malice should be in the heart of a follower of Christ and no ill will should be wished upon another. Basically treat each other as you would wish to be treated yourself. I think that teaching holds true as much today as it ever has.

When you say; ‘Yes’ mean  it and when you say; ‘No’ mean it also. This is good advice from Jesus. Have you ever wished you had said; ‘Yes’ to something or ‘No’ and not felt guilty? What Jesus is telling us is that it is okay to say; ‘Yes’ if you really mean it and to likewise say; ‘No’ too and not to over use either. Sometimes we need to say no, to stop ourselves being over whelmed and others times we need to say; ‘Yes’ to draw ourselves out of a comfortable rut. The lesson to learn is when to say yes and no appropriately.

Many years ago, when I was training to be a teacher, we were told by our Educational Psychology lecturer that if we wished to give effective feedback to children, we should never follow up a positive comment by using the word “but” because if we did, then the pupil would forget the positive comment and focus entirely on what came after the word “but”.

I remembered that piece of advice when I read the first verse of today’s Gospel. Jesus tells his disciples:

"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.”

Jesus starts with a wonderful affirmation of his disciples, an affirmation which has become a proverb used by many people who are unaware that they are quoting from Matthew’s Gospel.

“You are the salt of the earth”

It’s not a commandment, it’s a commendation – he doesn’t say “You’ve got to be the salt of the earth”, he says “You are the salt of the earth”. And it’s very emphatic.

So take the compliment – You, the disciples of Jesus in the church family of the Good Shepherd, are the salt of the earth.

Salt meant several different things to Matthew’s first readers, things that wouldn’t immediately occur to us. It was used in sacrifices. It was used as an antibiotic, which is why we still talk about “rubbing salt in a wound”. It was used to stop fish and meat going bad. The Roman writer Pliny pointed out that the income paid to Roman soldiers was called a salarium (literally a “salting”) because in the past they had been partly paid in bags of salt. So our word “salary” has a salty connection, and anyone who isn’t really earning their salary is said to be “not worth their salt”. And salt had another important significance for Jewish people in the time of Jesus, and we’ll come back to that a little later.

So Jesus starts with a huge compliment

“You are the salt of the earth”

And then, ignoring the advice of my Educational Psychology lecturer, uses the word “but”.

"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.”

That raises the question “how can salt lose its saltiness?” A few commentators have suggested that Jesus was deliberately making an absurd comment, reassuring the disciples that they would always be the salt of the earth. It is much more likely that what Jesus had in mind was the fact that corrupt traders in salt used to mix that commodity with other substances to increase their profits. Taken to an extreme, that would lead to a mixture which had so little salt in it that it would not taste salty. So there’s something in this teaching about the Christian calling to be radically for the world but not to be so of the world that we cease to be distinctively Christian.

That’s a difficult calling, for it is a call to serve a society which is increasingly ignorant of the good news of Jesus Christ. In some ways we find ourselves in the same position as the first generation of Christians. The recipients of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, from which today’s Epistle is taken, were also a minority. Paul tells them:

“Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.”

To put that more simply, the Corinthian Christians’ saltiness comes from God not from the prevailing values of the city in which they live.

It’s significantly different for us, in that we live in a post-Christian society and there is much in the values of that society which is a legacy from many centuries of Christian belief and practice. The struggle for a more just society, an inclusive society, a society in which the weak and the vulnerable are protected rather than exploited, a society which respects the environment and tackles the threats to it - these are issues and values which we share with many of our non-Christian contemporaries.

It’s also important that we don’t lose sight of the fact that we come at those issues from a distinct direction. We believe that all human beings are made in the image and likeness of God. Our concern for the environment is rooted in an awareness that the universe is God’s creation, God’s gifting to us of the possibility of life in all its diversity. This distinctiveness is our saltiness, the gift we have to give to a society which badly needs it.

That need arises in part from the fact that the secular notion of human rights has serious drawbacks. The current and heated arguments regarding the Gender Recognition legislation passed by Holyrood have reminded us that the secular notion of human rights can easily lead to conflict and abusive language if the assertion of the rights of one group is seen to impinge on the rights of another. The Christian doctrine of humanity, starting as it does from the belief that all are made in the image and likeness of God, offers a way through such conflicts and stalemates, for it calls people to recognise the divine in one another and to a loving listening to the concerns of others, to a focus on that which is shared rather than on that which divides.

Which brings me to the other important significance that salt had for Jesus and his Jewish contemporaries. They spoke of eating a meal together with other people as “sharing salt” and they also used that as a metaphor for the idea of making a binding commitment to others.

We gather regularly both to receive and to share salt in our celebration of the Eucharist. It is an important way in which our saltiness is developed and it is the way in which, to quote from one of our post-Communion prayers,

“…we are made one in him and drawn into that new creation which is your will for all mankind.”

We are the salt of the earth – no buts - and our calling is to share that saltiness.

At the beginning of January there were a few articles reminding the general population that the Christmas celebrations had not ended on 2nd or 3rd of January.  The writings actually sought to remind their readers incorrectly that Twelfth Night (the 6th January) when the Feast of the Epiphany is celebrated is the end of Christmas. Epiphany as you know is the day, that we in the Western Church, officially celebrate the arrival of the Magi to the temporary accommodation of the Holy Family. Actually, some months or years after the actual birth date of the Holy Child. Our scriptures are a bit vague on the actual timings.

Epiphany used to be the day that Christmas gifts were given, echoing the gifts of the Magi. In the Eastern or Orthodox Church this remains the tradition and Epiphany is the major Christmas celebration. It used to be that way for us and some people still call Epiphany; ‘Old Christmas Day’. In Spain the tradition of gift giving at Epiphany still survives and like the Orthodox, it is a big celebration day for the Spaniards with processions and Magi riding into town accompanied by Santa Claus as well! Liturgical and Calendar revisions in our Church are to blame for the shift from 6th January to the 25th December.

All this aside, according to the media, goes to prove that Epiphany is the end of Christmas and not New Year. The media, are however, wrong!

It is the Feast of Candle-mass that is actually the end of the Christmas season of celebration. It is the reason why our church remains in White or Gold until 2nd February rather than reverting to the Green of Epiphany Sundays. The 2nd February is the 40th day after Christmas Day and Christmastide like Eastertide is 40 days long. This is to emphasise the importance of the Feast of Christ’s Nativity - the birth of our Saviour, just as we keep the 40 days of Lent and Eastertide to emphasise the self-giving and resurrection of Christ as our Saviour.

There is evidence of it being a custom to keep up Christmas decorations until February 2. Robert Herrick (1591-1674) has a poem entitled Ceremony Upon Candlemas Eve which describes this tradition:

Down with the rosemary, and so

Down with the bays and misletoe;

Down with the holly, ivy, all

Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas hall;

That so the superstitious find

No one least branch there left behind;

For look, how many leaves there be

Neglected there, maids, trust to me,

So many goblins you shall see.

None of us will wish to see goblins so I hope that all your decorations will be down by the 2nd February. Mind you if your tree is still up you could be knee deep in pine needles by now and if you live in Palmerston Place there is flat person where the Christmas decorations remain up all year! I wonder if the flat is troubled by goblins?

40 days of Christmas-tide celebration seek to remind us of the importance of Jesus’ birth and that it should be something we rejoice in greatly. Without his birth there would be no Easter Day and proof of our redemption. Although Easter is the primary celebration of our faith, Christmas comes a close second.

Candlemass was once celebrated with much pomp and the candles for the coming year were blessed in the crib. We will later be blessing our candles but on the altar not in the crib as a sign of the light of Christ born into our world and ‘lightening the darkness’ as the Nunc Dimitis says.

Today as the readings remind us is all about recognising who Jesus is and seeing his light shining in the darkness. The first reading from the rarely read Prophet Malachi predicts the coming of the Messiah and the part to be played by John-the-Baptist. It comes, however, with a warning though that unless we meet the Messiah with an open heart and generosity of spirit towards others then we will be harshly judged by him.

St.Luke continues in this vein by relating the story of Jesus’ presentation in the temple and his Mother’s purification or ‘Churching’ after childbirth. It was the Jewish tradition to make sacrifice in thanksgiving for the birth of a son. the two elderly temple dwellers have been told by God that they will live to see their Messiah and when they clap eyes on the Holy Family, God alerts them to the fact that here is the Messiah. They rejoice and give thanks knowing that their waiting is over. They also predict that the child will have a turbulent life but that he will save those who believe who he is. These two pensioners see the light of Christ and it shines brightly for them in their darkness.

It is, perhaps, the unknown author of the Epistle to the Hebrews who best sums today up when they say:

“14 Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. ¹⁶For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.”

Hebrews 2:14-18

Jesus the man, born human and divine so that by knowing who life is for us he can save us. Jesus is our light in the world and his light will shine for eternity. No wonder we call this feast Candlemass for although they are a poor substitute for the person of Jesus, they are still a powerful symbol of what he shows and offers to us his fellow but flawed human beings.

What a way to end Christmas acknowledging that Jesus is the light of the world and our Saviour.

 

How great is this place,

for it is the touching-place of God.

In Christ, we are gathered from the edges

and woven into the dream.

Here we feel the hint of heaven,

where justice, love and mercy meet.

Here we celebrate

the blessedness of unity in God.

We, who were once far off,

are brought near.

And so we pray,

God, creator of all,

in your love, you have made each one of us

in your grace, you gather us together in your image

in your mercy, you make us restless until we find our rest in you.

Disturb us in our contentment,

distract us from our comforts

deter us from our conflicts

until your kingdom comes and your will is done.

Amen.

Today we celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and for the reconciliation of all that gets between us and stops us seeing each other as brothers and sisters. 

God of all,

because of your great love

our sins have been washed away

and we are part of the beloved community.

We come before you, a holy family,

a rainbow people, united in the beautiful diversity of your creation.

We celebrate the rich tapestry of the human family.

We commit ourselves to overcome prejudice and disunity wherever we find it and to walk humbly in your presence.

Amen

May God bless you with discomfort

at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,

so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,

so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears

to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,

so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them

and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness

to believe that you can make a difference in the world,

so that you can do what others claim cannot be done

to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

“Come” he replied to two of John-the-Baptist’s followers; ‘and you will see.”    John 1:39

Do you remember those times, when you were a child, when you were so excited  about some discovery that you had made that you just had to get someone else to share in your excitement as well? Even if like Nathaniel, they took some persuading.

In John’s Gospel account of Jesus’ calling of his disciples you can still sense the excitement of those first disciples. I have this sense of Andrew almost dragging his brother Simon to meet Jesus; and then Simon, who had initially been reluctant to meet the wandering preacher being bowled over when he realised who the preacher actually was - and then he is totally shocked when Jesus calls him ‘petros’ - the rock! His rock!

Andrew had seen who Jesus was and led Simon to see him too. Can you imagine their excitement in coming face to face with the promised Messiah? We get the sense of this excitement in John’s writing but what would it have been like to meet Jesus in real life? And, what was it that these men saw in him?

John uses a strange phrase to describe Jesus; ‘The Lamb of God’ (1:36), a phrase that today we hardly notice and if we do, our thoughts are most likely of fluffy wee white or occasionally black or brown creatures happily gambolling in Springtime fields. A pretty but hardly powerful image. The image John is trying to convey is certainly not fluffy, his is of sacrificial offering.

Ritual slaughter or sacrifice was a big part of the Hebrew religious practice. Lambs without ‘spot or stain’ were used as offerings to God. When the Jews sacrificed and animal they would first place their hands on the animals head, then take them away as they slit its throat. They believed that as they placed their hands on the animals’s head their sins passed into the creature and thus when it was sacrificed it carried or took away their sins. Hence the meaning of the Angus Dei in the Eucharist:

“Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.”

Ritual sacrifice was big business in Jesus’ day and when John-the-Baptist refers to him as the ‘Lamb of God’ ordinary folk would have instantly recognised what he meant. However, they would not have expected the phrase to be associated with a human being, least of all the long promised Messiah. John’s picture of Jesus is a harsh one. The salvation he comes to offer us comes at a great price, his life in atonement for OUR sins.

The Russian author Dostoyevsky encapsulates what this means in his novel ‘The Brothers Karamazov’:

“The righteous man departs, but his light remains. People are always saved after the death of him who came to save them. Men do not accept those whom they have tortured to death.”

Quite what those called to be disciples expected to see when they were challenged to ‘turn and see the Lamb of God’  we do not know but what we do know is that they saw in Jesus something that them follow him. They saw enough to desire to be taught by him, to give up everything for him, to bring others to listen to him and to be (eventually) prepared to die for him, as well.

Andrew tells Simon to ‘see the Messiah’  and like the phrase ‘the Lamb of God’  both phrases would have been mind blowing to first century Jews. In the 21st century these words have lost much of their power, perhaps we need to recapture something of what we have lost and give back to Jesus the amazingness of who He actually is and what He came to do.

This morning’s Gospel reading is one full of hope, full of potential. It speaks of new life, fresh starts, new beginnings and it also challenges us to take its message seriously; to proclaim again who Jesus is and what He means for us and for our salvation. If we can only encourage the world to take Jesus seriously we might actually be able to live in a better world.