13“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew5:13-16
Godspell is a musical about the life of Christ, opened off-Broadway in May 17, 1971. It is probably the only musical comedy to begin life as a masters’ thesis. John-Michael Tebelak, the author of the original libretto, was studying drama at Carnegie-Mellon University, and at least one story has it that he wrote the entire original version in two weeks! With some lyrics taken from the Episcopal hymnal and others penned by Broadway songwriter Stephen Schwartz, it became a hit and has a long history of being performed by colleges and church groups. The musical is primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, structured around a series of parables. The first act of the show ends with a rollicking song drawn from this passage in the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus instructs His followers: “You are the light of the world! / You are the light of the world! / But if that light is under a bushel / It's lost something kind of crucial / You got to stay bright to be the light of the world. / You are the salt of the earth! / You are the salt of the earth! / But if that salt has lost its flavor, / It ain't got much in its favor / You can't have that fault and be the salt of the earth!” The prophet Isaiah writes some challenging words (Isa. 58:6-9a) regarding what kind of worship and devotion God wants. Fasting and outward devotions and shows of humility are no good, God says, if they aren’t lived out in our daily lives, in our work and in our encounters with those in need. Jesus, who would have known Isaiah’s words well as a Torah-observant Jew, doesn’t let us off the hook, either. The Sermon on the Mount, as a whole, commissions us to live out our life of discipleship in the world of human relationships and activities. This passage in particular, which directly follows the Beatitudes, is no exception. We are to show God’s light and love just as if we were a candle on a stand shining all over the place. We are to be the peacemakers, the meek, the merciful, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. When we are found in a place, our exercise of those virtues should be just like salt; we should change the flavor of the whole dish. So, seek out places this week to let your light shine in worship to God and let your salt flavor the world around you in service of those whom Christ died to save. After all, “you’ve got to stay bright to be the light of the world.” Prayerfully commit to let your light shine and your salt flavor the life of one person this week. Precious Lord, we desire to be salt and light for You. We want to shine Your love, peace, justice, kindness and victory into the light of all those with whom we come in contact. We want to be a blessing. Guide us and teach us, O Lord. Amen. Comments are closed.
|
Archives
May 2024
Categories |