Let’s be salty and bring a little light
Rev Indrea Alexander
Isaiah 58:1-9a; Matthew 5:13-20
There are many people in need. Sometimes the number of people and the variety of needs feel overwhelming. A woman told me with some desperation that she couldn’t say no when someone rings on behalf of an organisation and spells out their need for financial support.
Cancer kids, animal rescue, World Vision, rescue helicopters… she lamented that they were such good causes, but she really couldn’t afford to give to them all.
I encouraged her to think about which ones she really wanted to give to at this point in her life. I told her I was reviewing some of the things I give to. I don’t find it easy to reduce giving to an organisation so I can give more to another, but it feels quite important for me to be intentional and revisit decisions made a year ago or five years ago. Some financial support I
continue. Some I won’t.
A family I knew in Christchurch tithed 10 percent of their income - as soon as their earnings came in they put 10 percent into a separate bank account and every month or two they had the fun of deciding as a family what they would give it to this time. Their first-fruits were tagged for giving away, their kids grew up actively engaged in the process, and as well as supporting favourite causes they could readily decide whether to respond to urgent appeals, because they knew exactly how much they had available. Sometimes God may ask us to give more sacrificially still. But sometimes it is simply important for us to decide whether to
say yes or no.
In light of the overwhelming scale of need, agencies have realised it is really helpful to put a human face on situations. Some are really good at telling simple stories of need and the transformation brought by that need being met—whether it is cataract surgery to return sight, or a need for shoes or school books to start the school year ready, or a night shelter, or help in overcoming addictions. Such organisations receive huge support from people wanting to make a difference in the lives of others. To bring light into dark times. To relieve suffering.
While many agencies do effective and high profile “ambulance at the bottom of the cliff” stuff, there is vast need for the less applauded work and the more contentious organisations which
don’t simply respond to a need, but dare to ask why that need is there. Daring to ask such questions is unpopular.
In the words of famous Brazilian Archbishop Helder Camara, “When I feed the hungry they call me a saint, when I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist”. As Christians it is our role to not only respond to need, but also to ask why that need is there.
I have never studied economics, and I’m not hugely party political, but I get a feeling there are fundamental issues with our economy that need to be discussed. Why are there so many working people needing government financial support? Is it right for Working for Families to subsidise employers by giving in-work top ups to workers who haven’t got enough to live on;
and if the cost of living or the rental market are too high, do grants cover up underlying issues?
Another tricky question I’ve mulled on is how to ensure everybody who wants to work can.
Long ago, Neville and I both worked for the IHC with intellectually disabled adults, and one of the things that was absolutely clear was the pleasure and pride people with disabilities had in their work. Some of them were in sheltered workshops, some in IHC work stations within an ordinary workplace, and some were supported into full employment. Then sheltered workshops closed, some workplaces were targeted for “using cheap labour”, and
work opportunities dried up.
Our family has a friend in his late 20s with a learning disability. He would like a job. He has done lots of volunteering, and has decided it is time for him to be paid. He works well, but employers won’t take him on because he works slowly. They can’t pay him less, because that’s illegal. They may be able to get government financial support for reduced productivity, but how many would bother? So in the past few years our friend has simply not been able to get a job. What can be done to help him and others like him fulfil their desire to earn and fully participate in the ordinary life of their community?
We don’t all have to engage with every curly question, but probably most of us have one curly question of justice sitting on our doorstep that we could do something about. What’s the curly question on your doorstep?
Todays passage from Isaiah asks how the people of Israel can worship God while maintaining unjust structures. They cannot. According to Isaiah God refuses to hear the praises of Israel, because worship where there is no justice is hollow. For Isaiah worship must lead to acts of justice that in turn lead to worship.
“Is not (this) the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then shall light break forth like the dawn…”
African-American philosopher Cornel West said that while love feels like tenderness in private, we shouldn't forget that justice is what love looks like in public. First and foremost justice is an act of love. It is love, our concern and care for others, which motivates us to affirm the importance of their wellbeing as much as we affirm our own.
This weekend Waitangi Day both celebrates the birth of our nation and reminds us that we have not yet grown to be all that we could be. There are still stories that need to be told, wrongs to be acknowledged, hopes to be expressed, and justice to be fulfilled.
The Gospel reading reminds us that as followers of Christ we, as individuals and as God’s people, are to be salt of the earth and light to world. What are the qualities of salt? It prevents things from going bad, it heightens other flavours, it can give a little zing, and it can aid healing. What does light do? It breaks the darkness, brings clarity, shows the way, prevents stumbling, allows growth.
Who are the salty, light-spreading people in your life who you think of with thankfulness or admiration? And how are you salt and light to others? How are you salt and light on a committee, in a sports club or craft group? Within this church community, or down your
road? What does it look like to be salt and light there? The people we come across are probably pretty clear whether we cast a shadow or spread some light.
A Christian man said this week that his workmates in the smoko room had noticed that he did not join in criticising the boss. A woman said she chose not to join a particular group after they talked about someone behind their back, and she realised they may well do the same to her. In a workplace or group, the way Christians deal with people can have a significant
impact (for better or for worse!).
So as we go into this week, this month, this election year, let’s be salty and bring a little light in the world. Work faithfully, cheerfully and diligently even where God is not acknowledged or where faith is mocked. And maybe how we live, our integrity, our compassion, and our willingness to ask tricky questions and respond to the challenging answers, will point others to the Christ we love and serve.