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Joel T. P. Fitzgerald | Read Matthew 5:13-16
By this point in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is well into the Sermon on the Mount. He gives the well-known instruction to be salt and light. A master of metaphors, Jesus gives instructions here to encourage those listening to consider the results of their work, not as an effort...
Dear God, let me live my life so that in my work, others may see the light of your grace. Amen.
This week’s scriptures juxtapose the light of God’s alternative kingdom with the hurtful way humans tend to operate. Isaiah asks if our worship helps the downtrodden or if our internal schisms distract us from mission. The psalmist notes that the blessings of the righteous flow to those who shine their light by helping the poor and oppressed. In First Corinthians, Paul makes explicit the way of God as an alternative path from the ways of this world, suggesting that God’s wisdom is something this world cannot begin to comprehend. In the Gospel, Jesus invites us to be salt and light through obedience to the full calling of God; a calling made clear in the Law and the Prophets.
Read Isaiah 58:1-12. When have you chosen the fast of form over substance, fasting only to show off or to battle with others? When have you chosen the fast of breaking the bonds of injustice?
Read Psalm 112:1-10. When have you felt fulfilled in helping others? Who did you help and why?
Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-16. How have you felt the Spirit moving in your life? Where has the Spirit led you into ministry?
Read Matthew 5:13-20. How have you been salt and light in the world? How could you let your light shine?
Respond by posting a prayer.
