News

From the Desktop of the Pastor – Week of the 5th Sunday after Epiphany

Hi everyone,

So today is the big game! I know a lot of people (totally and absolutely excluding myself) are excited to watch and see how this drama of skill, talent, teamwork, and an excellent half-time show will turn out. People will congregate around an available big screen TV with snacks, drinks, and everything they need to allow them to stay in that general vicinity for several hours as they don’t want to miss cheering for their favourite team (at least, their favourite of the two that are playing).

There will be cheering, there will be celebrating, there will be people waving flags and wearing the colours of their team.

Except… as a quick Google search shows me, those colours are awfully similar. Both the Kansas City jersey and the San Fransisco jersey are red and white. The only difference is Kansas City has very subtle yellow highlights around the letters. Basically the same.

But not to the fans. No, not to the fans. They’ll know the difference. Oh believe me, they will.

Here are the readings from next week:
Isaiah 58:1-9a
Psalm 112:1-10
1 Corinthians 2:1-12
Matthew 5:13-20

“You are the salt of the earth”. This is a bold statement made by Jesus, one that packs a lot of meaning and punch.

What is salt used for? Lots of things, but not the least of which being how salt gives flavour to pretty much anything it touches (even a rock, but don’t ask me how I know that). So to be called the salt of the earth suggests that we give flavour the world, we add pizazz to life, we are the parts of community that add that extra something that makes it all worth it.

And that is amazing to me.

I mean, I always thought I was just ordinary, normal, blend-into-the-background kind of guy, but here Jesus is telling me that in my ordinary-ness, my normal-ness, my blend-into-the-background kind of guy-ness, that I am actually worthy, useful, and maybe even essential to certain aspects of life.

I have a feeling that I’m not the only one who feels that they aren’t that special. But Jesus says to us, all of us, that we are. How does he know? Oh he knows. Believe me, he knows.

Have a great week, everyone!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.