SERMON: Into the Wild

 10:30 am, Sun, Feb 26, 2023 - J G White / FBCA

(Psalm 32; Gen 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Phil 4:8-13; Mtt 4:1-11)

Into the wild we go! The Church season of Lent has begun: it is a journey with Jesus towards His cross.

Into the wild we go. Today, we look back to Christ just before His ‘sermon on the mount,’ when he takes forty days of solitude in the wild, for prayer and fasting.

Into the wild we go. What could our prayer and fasting be like this year? The devotional activity books that use the art of Matisse will challenge our creativity, and our faith.

So, how is your fasting from food going? Ha ha. Here yesterday, amid the Scrabble games and Racko and all, we ate potato chips, nuts and bolts, home-made cookies, chocolate cake with boiled icing, all washed down with punch.

Fasting from food is a spiritual practice that is thousands of years old. Moses fasted; Jesus fasted. We see it as part of ancient Judaism, and early Christianity. We see it in other world religions also. Do we see it as a helpful option in our lives?

There are fasts other than food fasts, of course. Ever try a fast from criticizing anyone or everything for a week, or more? Or a fast from looking in the mirror. How about a technology fast? The Matisse devotional book suggests this one…

Fasting can be life-giving: try a “tech fast” this week, refraining from screens for a portion of each day (or choose one or two evenings for starters). Be bold enough to take in God’s beauty and colour all around: read a book, make a meal together, check out the stars, play an instrument – in short, plunge toward the things you love! (p. 10)

What does fasting do? We see what happened to Jesus when He went out into solitude with no food for forty days! He came face to face with evil. He had some big temptations to consider. He made some good decisions, using His scriptures. He got blessed by angels!

We can’t quite expect the same experience. We are not the Son of God. The world does not revolve around us!

Yet fasting can train our souls. And bodies. It may  humiliate us, as we realize how much our peace depends upon our stomachs, or scrolling facebook, or telling others just what we think, or whatever. It can get pretty wild! Fasting can teach us how we can survive without something we sort of thought we just had to have. In time, with practice, it purifies our motives and our praying. We live into our limitations. We know ourselves better. And thus, we live better.

Yet, Matthew’s story of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness may not quite be a lesson in fasting for us. Fasting is the backdrop. His own temptations echo those of the children of Israel, when Moses led them into the wild. They complained because they were hungry. They angrily grumbled, wanting proof that God was with them. They idolized and worshipped things that were not God – literal idols, statues of wood and metal.

What are our temptations today? In this era when times are lean for the Church? Finances could be one. Whether a little congregation is just scraping by, or a bigger church has millions  on hand, the temptations are just opposite sides of the same coin, I’d guess. And a coin it is, for we can cling so tightly to the dollars we think we have, or grasp for the ones we don’t.

Church temptations? Tradition, sameness, comfort are all very tempting and powerful in the fellowship, sometimes. So it has been in the Church in the West, all of our lives, probably. Way back in 1965, Pierre Burton spoke, in ‘The Comfortable Pew,’ of established religion in which Christianity becomes a mere vehicle on the road to worldly success, and “faith” a kind of super-aspirin that can be painlessly swallowed to provide fast, fast, fast relief from the burning issues of our time. (p. 97)

Another temptation category is always self-service, and the survival mentality that goes hand-in-hand with it. Our own church website says, at the top of the opening page, First Baptist Church is always working to meet the changing religious needs of its members. Gratefully, I don’t believe this is our central motto, and we are not just a “bless me club.’

To develop our prayer, and fasting, could be helpful, helpful training to take together, with God. A congregation can fast for a season in many ways. I remember well, in 1996, hearing John Boyd at First Baptist Halifax telling the children that the Church would fast from the word ‘alleluia’ in Lent. Someplace else, I remember a neighbouring United Church that would ‘fast from meetings’ in Lent: no committees or boards for a month and a half. Or here and now, we try something with an environmental impact, we fast from paper. Naturally, my not-so-hidden agenda is to lower our paper use some, long term.

Real fasting is to take a little step into purposeful poverty. To be empty; we get to be in solidarity with the hungry, to have true empathy for the needy, to grow in genuine compassion. We learn what the apostle Paul learned, recorded in Philippians 4:

I have learned to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. This was not fasting: this was real life!

To me, this is like the Pavlichenkos, who are ready to stay in their war-torn country, and also ready to leave, for good. Last Wednesday a letter from Olexandr and family arrived in email. He summarizes a whole year, in a letter filled with photos. I want to read the ending, but let me start with their beginning and a few excerpts.

In a few days there will be exactly a year of the war.

2022 February 24, somewhere at 5 in the morning, we woke up from strong explosions. A few kilometers from our house, the military unit was blown up by the missiles. The explosions was so strong. Many neighbors lost windows. We were saved that it was not cold outside and we did not completely closed the windows. In our house, they simply opened strongly.

The family fled their home. Then they fled Ukraine, and stayed in Poland as long as they could. Now, they are back at home.

Your many letters showed us another reality. Especially the birth of a butterfly was so symbolic. For me this showed that we need to live on. Taras was simply delighted, he is still looking for the opportunity to repeat experiment.

We keep all the letters!

Our documents have been in processing for a very long time. It seems to me about 240 days. And when a visa invitation came, we were already in Ukraine. Because we could no longer stay in Poland for various reasons related to documents and permits.

Now I understand that it was the will of God.

You helped us survive a most difficult winter in my life.

At the end of the letter, Olexandr writes:

In a few days there will be a year of war, and Russian promise us something special. We are all waiting for a second big Russian offensive. The management of the company where I work recommended to prepare all things for evacuation and be ready to leave if necessary.

I’m writing this letter to you and look at the suitcases in the corner of the room … Will I really have to run again and go through all these trials again... For all the will of God.

If this really happens and we again have to run away from Ukraine, then we will come to Amherst. 

If this does not happen, then we want to continue to live in Ukraine.  

With love  Pavlichenko family

Whether you know all about wilderness times in your life from your personal struggles, or from taking your soul into the wild on purpose, take time to go into the wild with Jesus this winter, with hopes of spring and resurrection. Let us, who have life so easy, fast and pray for those who face disaster. Then, with people most in need, together we might say:

I have learned to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

SERMON: Inner Child

 10:30 am, Sun, Feb 19, 2023 - J G White / FBCA

(Is 49:8-16a; Psalm 131; Mtt 6:24-34)

 This was our fourth Sunday in a row to hear a bit from Jesus’ sermon as recorded in Matthew five, six and seven. Today, that wonderful lesson: do not worry. Here and now, I could say, ‘And why do you worry about your clothing? Consider the forsythia of the field, how they bloom; they neither work nor weave, yet I tell you, even her majesty Elizabeth in all her regalia was not clothed like one of these. So don’t worry about tomorrow. Today is the Tomorrow you worried about Yesterday.’

The centre of my sermon will actually be the Psalm, which we have already read twice, Psalm 131. It seems all about being calm, deep inside. It is rather like another short Psalm, I suppose, Psalm 23. And surely, to be truly calm inside requires not being too worried.  (joke?)

Ours is a day of worries, fears and anxieties. Maybe life has been this way for a long time.

If you can keep your head when all about you  

    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you…

said Kipling. Oh, to keep calm and carry on, like the memes say! And little Psalm 131 might inspire us today. That’s how God gets things done – poetry power! Here is another – written by Regina Coupar, based on the Psalm.

when                                   I remember

my soul                               to be where

is quiet                                I am

 

I remember                       I remember

I am you                             eternity is

child                                    now

 

I remember                       when

my mission is                    my soul

love                                     is quiet

Psalm 131 has just three verses, and really only says three things. One: I live my life in a humble way. Two: I’ve kept my soul as calm as a happy toddler with its mother. Three: All God’s people – keep your hope in God, always.

Those words, about my soul being has calm as a happy child, kept my attention this past week. I thought of people I know who just seem to be calm all the time; they must have real peace, shalom, in their souls. I thought of other people I know who often seem upset inside, like there’s a three-year-old having a temper-tantrum within them.

Something this Psalm-writer knew was how to be humble. Probably took a long time to learn that. ‘O Lord, it’s hard to be humble…’ Indeed it is. Too many of us are too proud to be humble, too needy for attention to be humble, or put ourselves down and beat ourselves up us too much: which is not humility.

O Yahweh, my heart is not lifted up,

     My eyes are not raised too high;

I do not occupy myself with things

     Too great and too marvelous for me. (Ps 131:1)

God’s will for you is for you to know yourself, what you are and what you are not. That the is key to humbleness. As I said last week, you are amazing! Some things are too marvelous for you, yes, but other incredible things are within your power. I know you are amazing, because I have talked with many of you. Your capabilities, your spiritual gifts from God, your life lessons that have trained you are marvelous. Don’t forget those words of Jesus to his disciples of old: ‘Amen, amen, I tell you, the one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these.’ (Jn 14:12)

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

Like a weaned child with its mother;

My soul within me is like a weaned child. (Ps 131:2)

As people who have received Jesus, we have this gracious possibility. I called this sermon ‘Inner Child,’ but as usual, I am playing with words; so I am not really talking about the psych-ology of dealing with the inner parts of you that are child-like, and might need healing or need to be parented and grow up. I am simply speaking of the soul, the human soul. The soul of which Psalm 131 speaks.

What is the soul? Some deep, inner part of us? Your spirit, which could get separated from you physical body? Or is it truly your whole self, mind, heart, will, and body? However a Christian describes the soul, we could say it is you, the centre of you – who you truly are. To calm yourself, your soul, is a step on the path of life, life with God.  

How do you calm your soul? You likely have a few ways, even if you are looking for more.

How about… quiet time outside? Lately, I have got back out to some wild places near here, to enjoy the fresh air, the winter scenes, and all. The other day I wandered along the Maccan River, and sat for a while on a fallen log to watch the ice creak and crack and move with the incoming tide. I timed my visit for when the tide was flowing in and filling the ice-laden river. I expected all sorts of crashing and banging and sloshing of the multi-coloured ice. Instead, it was remarkably quiet, with just the occasional creak and gurgle. I gazed upon the lush lichens on the evergreen tree branches. I saw some mergansers fly by, a couple of Canada geese, one young eagle, and heard a woodpecker. I enjoyed a very peaceful, slow time.

Don’t we see Jesus heading off to deserted places, quite regularly, during His busy years? He took his disciples along.

What refreshes your soul, and quiets you? How about… music? We are having some ‘special music’ here today, the Fellas being our guests here. Some of the music they share is familiar – and may be special to you – and some may be new to you. ‘Troublin Mind’ was one I had never ever heard of, but now I know it. Some of those simple lyrics I have not yet figured out – yet that is how music and poetry work. They work before we even understand.

Together we sang ‘Be Still My Soul.’ We could just as easily have sung ‘It is well, it is well, with my soul.’ A hymn I know, but you might not, is ‘Hark, My Soul, It Is the Lord,’ from 1768. One of the verses echoes Isaiah 49:15. God’s word:

Can a mother’s tender care

     Cease toward the child she bare?

Yes, she may forgetful be,

     Yet will I remember thee.

The Isaiah reading that Ed shared is one of those many poetic moments when God’s people of old were given hope, in the face of their exile and loss of their homeland. This moment reminds us that the care of the human soul is not done alone. We are in community, we are made for each other, salvation is in fellowship. We see this illustrated in the third verse of Psalm 131.    O Israel, hope in the LORD

From this time on and forevermore.

After those personal, individual words about being humble and being calm inside, the whole people are to put their hope in God. These things go hand in hand – perhaps are inseparable. For our inner soul to be like a calm, happy child, we cannot be alone. And we are not. But we must know that fact.

Troublin mind. Any song like that is trouble shared, and in the sharing, a bit of peace comes into the soul. Songs like this remind us we are not alone in our troubles. Notice these who got named:          

                Mary and Martha, Peter and John:

they had trouble all night long.

Troublin mind, troubling mind;

God's gonna ease my troublin mind.

To have your soul calmed like a carefree child, share your soul, share the journey. We put our hope in God more easily, more inspired, with the fellowship of faith. As someone said, there are no ‘Lone Ranger Christians.’

So you are (or can be) part of the soul-care team. We have responsibility to care for others. We have this ministry. To some degree, we are our brother’s keepers.

Our congregation, like so many others, has our Annual Meeting coming up. All our reports are going to print, including a few financial plans for this year. More important could be: how have we all cared for other souls? Perhaps we have fifty-three Sundays this year to acknowledge that.

I’ve kept my feet on the ground,

        I’ve cultivated a quiet heart.

Like a baby content in its mother’s arms,

       my soul is a baby content.

Finally, is what could be first. You could spend some time asking Jesus what He thinks of this Psalm, and what calming the soul within can look like.

Winter Forest Walk: tracks, trees, lichens, birds

A recent hike with the Chignecto Naturalists' Club was a nice introduction for me to the Fort Folly First Nation, and the Medicine Trail that traverses their wonderful woodland. The weather was fine, with just enough snow on the ground to enjoy, without needing skis or snowshoes. We looked at the trees and lichens...

...as well as the tracks in the snow. Scouting the trail ahead of time, a few of us saw and heard some nice birds. On the day of the official group hike, the only feathered friend we saw was a grouse.

The group, above, and grouse tracks in the snow, below.

What a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Sermon: Perfecting the Rules

 10:30 am, Sun, Feb 12, 2023 - J G White / FBCA  (Mtt 5:21-48)

Perfect. The word ‘perfect’ is now rather common in day-to-day talk. We often don’t mean that something is completely right with nothing wrong in it. We just mean ‘that’s fine.’ How many times in a restaurant, when you order from the menu, does the waiter then say to you, ‘Perfect’?  Whew. I’m so glad I chose what I did from the menu; I’d hate to pick any of the other things that were less than perfect! 😉

Jesus makes perfect the path of religion. As Jesus’ ‘Sermon on the Mount’ continues, today’s next section starts: 7 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Then he starts into it: the six bits six of us read just moments ago.

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder,’ … (Of course they’d heard it said; it’s right in the Ten Commandments!) 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment, and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council, and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.

Jesus is a dramatic Jewish teacher. He said things in ways that got people’s attention, kept their attention, had an impact, and were memorable. We still remember, today.

How Jesus deals with rules sounds… challenging. He is going deeper than rules. Christ is talking about inner transfor-mation. Becoming the sort of people who do the right things, automatically, naturally, not because we are obeying every rule.

In this first bit, he takes the commandment about no murder and gets at the inner issues: anger and contempt. As we become more and more in the image of the God we worship, less and less we will be angry and hateful to others.

Next, Jesus says, 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. We might read this a few different ways translated into English. The Greek text has Jesus speaking of looking at a person with the purpose of desiring them. Even if you don’t manage to ‘sleep around,’ but you make that your goal on the inside, there is a problem. When we desire to desire, there is danger.

So, again, it is not about breaking a rule of behaviour (about adultery), or even of inner thoughts. Jesus is pointing to the possibility of being refreshed inside, so that our desires are better. Psalm 37 sings: Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. God wants to give us the desires of our hearts. So, God wants our desires to become wonderful and good.

Jesus goes on, again quoting scripture (Deuteronomy): 31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Jesus’ audience, when He spoke this teaching, was quite different from our society today. Their ways of marriage, and of divorce, were different from our societal norms. One thing that happened then, to women, was that they had very little hope of any normal, happy life, if they were divorced. It was brutal.

I have wondered how much of Jesus’ statements are simply acknowledging how people are permanently connected by their life together, long after they are apart.

And remember, there may be real intent and purpose in the order of this sermon on the mount. It may be no accident that Jesus deals with divorce after having dealt with anger, contempt and obsessive desire. Deal with anger and with despising someone in your self, and deal with obsessive fantasies, and think how many divorces would then occur? Life together could be much more possible.

What is the next step in Jesus’ series? 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you: Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool... This is all about making vows and promises, not about cursing, bad language. ‘Yes’ and ‘no’ should suffice. Truly giving our word, and keeping our word, does depend upon how we deal with anger, our desires, and being committed in our relationships.

Jesus next quotation from scripture is rather famous. 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you: Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also… Perhaps this could be the slogan for a nonviolent image of Christ. His own nonviolence reached its pinnacle at the Cross. There, Jesus did not resist evildoers. As a gospel song says,          He could have called ten thousand angels,

To destroy the world, and set Him free;

He could have called ten thousand angels,

But He died alone for you and me.

The last of Jesus’ six ‘You have heard that is was said’ statements is: 43 …‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you… The five previous times, Christ is quoting from the Law, the Torah, our Old Testament. Here, it is not a Bible quotation, but a definite attitude that is common, the usual: love neighbour / hate enemy. No brainer.

But the mind of Christ is different. And the mind of Jesus is available to those who receive His preaching. I keep believing that everything Christ proclaimed – or sometimes whispered – was possible, and is possible, in our lives. To live a good life, in all these amazing ways, is not the impossible. Well, we could call it mission impossible – but with God all things are possible.

And the amazing life happens, by the grace of God, in day-to-day, down-to-earth ways. Theologian and author, Derek Flood, illustrates with an everyday example. The other day our 5-year-old daughter had a “meltdown.” She’s screaming, and I’m feeling triggered. My amygdala has kicked in now, but I do my best to pull myself together, and, taking her by the hand, I bring her to her room for a time-out. When we get there, she screams at me hysterically, demanding I give her a hug.

Now mind you, I’m not feeling compassion right then—I’m mad. In my head I’m rationalizing that emotion, thinking, “I don’t want to reward this selfish behaviour with a hug!” So I feel tempted to pull away from her, thinking it would be good for her to feel bad so she could “learn her lesson.”

…But something in me knew—as much as I didn’t feel like doing it at the time—that she really did need that hug. So even though I did not feel like it, I put my arms around her and held her. And when I did, a miniature miracle happened: All her distress, panic, and rage just melted away. She was able to calm down, and able to listen as we talked about what had happened…

This simple act of kindness broke the hurtful dynamic my daughter and I were both caught in. That’s the core working principle of enemy love: Do not be overcome by anger, but overcome anger with kindness. (Flood, 2014, Disarming Scripture, pp. 183, 184) Sound familiar? It’s echoed in Romans 12.  

‘Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.’ This truly is perfecting the rules. Completing the rules of religion that seem convoluted and sometimes oppressive. Being ‘perfect,’ in this life, is not a destination we arrive at, it is a direction we point to, and we keep moving. Once, Jesus summed up the laws of His religion saying, love God and love neighbour. And who is neighbour? Well, even the enemy.

Let us end this sermon with the beginning of a prayer for critics and enemies, by Serbian Orthodox Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic. This is but the beginning of a longer prayer.

Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them. Enemies have driven me into your embrace more than friends have. Friends have bound me to earth; enemies have loosed me from earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world.

Enemies have made me a stranger in worldly realms and an extraneous inhabitant of the world.

Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an unhunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath Your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul.

Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless and do not curse them…  AMEN. 

SERMON: Salt, Light, Right

 10:30 am, Sun, Feb 5, 2023 - J G White / FBCA

(Is 58:1-9a; Gal 5:18-23, 25; Mtt 5:13-20)

 I borrowed a Himalayan salt lamp today because… simply because it is both salt and light. Today, Jesus gets into his ‘sermon’ telling the disciples and listeners they are the salt of the earth – to season and preserve – and the light – showing the things of God to the world.

“You are the salt of the earth…” Salt was more important in the Middle East, two thousand years ago, than it is to us today. They did not need it on the streets in winter, but they needed to preserve plenty of foods. We don’t imagine salt being unsalty – it is quite a point Jesus is making.

“You are the light of the world.” Most of our light is electrical, today, but not so, back through the centuries. Whatever the source, how hide the light of a town? Or why?

There may be a subtle critique here of a Jewish sect called the Essenes. They are famous to us today for having kept many Bible scrolls in some dry caves, which were found in the 1950s and we now know them as the Dead Sea Scrolls. In the time of Jesus, the Essenes called themselves ‘The Children of Light,’ but they had withdrawn from the world, living out in the desert in seclusion. They were a light hidden away for no one to see.

In contrast, the people of God are to shine with the goodness of Christ and season like a pinch of salt our neighbourhoods. We have this mission, should we choose to accept it. Jesus starts his preaching with this ‘you are the light’ bit; then his final words, given to us by Matthew forty pages later, include: ‘Go make disciples of all people, baptizing them, teaching them.’

So we all seem to be given this role – when we claim to be Christians – the role of sharing our Faith and spreading the News.    Start spreadin’ the news,

I'm going today

I want to be a part of God

Gospel, Good News

These vagabond souls have all gone astray.

Right for the very heart of them:

Good News, Good News…

‘Start spreading the news.’ Despite this being deeply rooted in the culture and history of Baptist Christians, it is not something very many of us seem to feel confident about, I’d say. A few people stand out – behind the pulpit and from the pews. A few of you are naturals: talkers, connectors, communicators, even evangelists (a NT spiritual gift).

Someone was talking about her adult son the other day and said he is a natural born salesman. From childhood he could, and would, do things like: put on a motorbike show, charge admission, and get the locals to come and pay to see him drive around the yard. I’ve seen adverts this winter for a young fellow with a hot chocolate stand set up in his front yard.

I’m not a natural born salesperson. Though I’m the son of a used car salesman, and grandson of a campground owner, I was different. A lot more shy. So I’ve often thought of myself as an introvert, one of those quieter people, with fewer friends, not the life of any party, happy to spend lots of time alone, and getting invigorated and refreshed when on my own.

Sort of. I may be somewhere on that end of the spectrum, but am a bit of a mix. I do like social gatherings, often, and get energized there too. But to barge in on a stranger and lead the conversation is not quite my nature.

So what of this ‘salt of the earth’ bit, and being ‘the light of the world’? Perhaps it is easier when you are given a script. Like Tammy’s today, from Isaiah. Shout out, do not hold back!

Lift up your voice like a trumpet!

Announce to my people their rebellion,

to the house of Jacob their sins. (58:1)

Isaiah’s call to the people of the day was to treat one another fairly, instead of taking advantage of the disadvantaged. Jesus’ call, in His ‘Sermon on the Mount,’ was more comprehensive. Join His movement, and shine with good news for all. And as we might see from following Christ, it is not all a matter of shouting out or being in-your-face evangelists.

There is a place for the quiet, the good example, the servant, the activist, and the person of prayer. To be salt and to be light can be quiet work.

Presbyterian, Rev. Adam McHugh, tells of learning to be an introverted minister. He wrote, “I see my function less as walking people through a formula of faith and more as dropping spiritual hints. In the first method, I am the one who controls the conversation; in the second, I try to give glimpses of God and enable the person to respond to the promptings of the Spirit who is already at work.” (p. 175)

McHugh says, “I began to pray differently. When I prayed for people who I knew were not Christians, I prayed less that God would give me an opportunity to explain the gospel to them and more that God would be touching those places of their lives that only God can reach…” That’s from his book, Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture. (2009, p. 177)

A better-known pastor and author, Eugene Peterson, wrote, “The question I put to myself is not ‘How many people have you spoken to about Christ this week?’ but ‘How many people have you listened to in Christ this week?’” (1989, The Contemplative Pastor)

I think that’s a great thing to remember. When you listen to someone, remember: you and God can be listening together to that person. Consider how that changes your listening.

It changes all sorts of things, as you know. Your thoughtful little gift for someone that you baked in your kitchen becomes something you and the Spirit of Jesus give. Your presence with people in a time of tragedy carries the awareness of Jesus present there.

Now, I titled this talk, ‘Salt, Light, Right.’ I have not yet mentioned the ‘right.’ Sounds quite demanding, where we ended, mid-sermon. “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” We may wonder if Jesus was saying: you must obey all the Jewish Old Testament laws completely to be accepted and welcomed into heaven.

He's talking about going beyond the teaching of this, into the doing of it. Jesus is completing what Isaiah and other prophets of old started. Don’t just preach about it: do it, do it, do it! Don’t just sing and pray about it: live it.

We are going to get quite a bit more from Jesus on this next week, from this chapter and the next. He’ll show us more about being salt and light. It is not about the rules. It is about the doing of something good.

It’s great that these two images Jesus uses first are quiet. Salt is silent. Maybe, in pure quietness, you can hear it crunching between your fingers. And perhaps you have a fluorescent lightbulb that makes a faint hummm. Light is quiet. Even the old hymn, ‘Immortal Invisible,’ says this about God:

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,

Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;

Almighty God can rule in this universe as silent as light. Surely a lot of your impact for good, and mine, can be quiet too. Yet we must make our impact. We cannot be salt that has little taste or power, light that is shaded and hidden away. Shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Mtt 5:16) Others don’t even have to see you, but people need to see good things happening.

Before I finish, let me tell you about Mabel. Mabel was an energetic woman in here nineties when I knew her. She came to services with her daughter. She came bowling with us. She was quiet, she didn’t stand out in a crowd, but she had spunk. She went through some miserable suffering in the days before she died. Then, at the funeral, her nephew spoke. Brian is a devoted Christian layman. He talked of the wonderful influence of his aunt, and how she brought him to the Windsor Baptist Church. ‘Because of her,’ Brian said, ‘I met Jesus.’

The Fruit of the Spirit, you may notice, in today’s ‘list,’ is not a litany of extroverted qualities, or introverted. They are things that can grow in each and every one of us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. With these, we shine in our corner of the world. With this, we season the place where we sit.