"Bettering the world by being in it."
Leif Enger - I Cheerfully Refuse
There is a moment in Leif Enger’s new novel, I Cheerfully Refuse, when one of the characters is reflecting back on the life of his wife - wishing she was still with him. He imagines if she was still alive she would be “running her bookshop, expanding her beanfield, conversing in her sleep,” and then sums up her life: “Bettering the world by being in it.”
It is a wonderful phrase. And a wonderful way of thinking about someone’s impact on those around them. It made me think of Jesus’ description of his disciples - “You are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14). Jesus claims that when his followers are living into their identity, they will bring salt and light to the world around them.
Salt and light. Light, I think, makes sense to us. We know what it is to be in the dark - the dark is confusing, confining. Light brings life and direction and clarity and purpose. We know where we are going and what obstacles are in the way when we are in the light.
Salt is a little trickier to define. Salt preserves. It also enhances. The ancients salted meat to keep it from spoiling. We salt our soup to give it a little more flavor - to enhance the other flavors in the dish. God's people are to preserve the beauty and goodness of life around them. And to enhance it - to bring out all that is good and hopeful in the world around us.
Jesus’ people are to be salt and light. In other words, we are to be about the business of “bettering the world by being in it.” The last couple of months we have considered the counter-cultural characteristics of Jesus’ people. Poor in spirit. Meek. Mourners and Peacemakers. The connection between these characteristics and the call to be salt and light is simple - by living out our identity in Jesus we inevitably become salt and light to those around us.
Let me give you some examples. A friend of mine is the pastor of a church in Tacoma, Washington. And for over thirty years this congregation has provided tutoring to the public school across the street from their church building. The congregation in the early 90’s had dwindled to less than 30 people but they believed God still had something for them. They looked at their membership and realized they had several retired teachers. And so they called the school district and asked if there was anything they could do to help. Reading and literacy scores were low and so the school asked them to provide some tutors after school. They did.
Over time they learned their neighbors needed help with basic essentials and so they started a clothing bank and provided a meal. Eventually they opened up a medical clinic for those underinsured in the neighborhood. A few years ago they needed to make some major renovations on their building because of earthquake code and their capital campaign was called, “Here for Good.” And they meant that in both senses - they were committed to serving their neighborhood for the long haul. And they existed to bring good to the community. Thirty years later they are a flourishing congregation and are continuing to help their neighborhood flourish. Salt and light.
Here is another example. Several years ago, I was on the board of the local Young Life program. Young Life is a nationwide ministry to high school students. At a board meeting one night the area Director gave a report on how the ministry was going. He asked us who we thought made the best Young Life leader. All of us assumed it was some of the cool college kids on staff who could connect and have fun with teenagers. But the Director said that the leader who was having the most impact was a woman in her late sixties who had a small group of teenage girls over to her house each Tuesday night. She would bake cookies and they would talk about the Bible and life and the challenges of being teenagers. Simple. All she used was her living room, some cookie dough, and a willingness to care for kids. Salt and light.
There are countless other stories. When we think of the mission of the church, it is easy to get overwhelmed by all the needs in the world. Or to be discouraged by our size or our age or the resources we don’t seem to have. But Jesus invites us into a much more manageable vision. Care for the people in front of you. Salt and light. Better the world by being in it.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Doug
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