Collect and Readings for The Third Sunday before Lent – Isaiah 58.1-12, Psalm 112, 1 Corinthians 2.1-12, Matthew 5.13-20

The Prayer for today

Almighty God, who alone can bring order to the unruly wills and passions of sinful humanity:

give your people grace so to love what you command and to desire what you promise, that, among the

many changes of this world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Salt and light can both make a great difference. Apart from its wonderful preserving and disinfecting qualities, a pinch of alt brings out the full flavour of other ingredients; light allows everyone in the room to see the shape and texture of all kinds of different objects which were hidden in darkness. And we as Christians are called to be salt and light to the world. We are called to live so that our way of living brings out in other people their full flavour, or potential; we are called to live in such a way that helps people see here they are going, in the room, or context, of eternity.

We have all met people whose attitude and behaviour towards us makes us shrivel up inside, and others in whose company we feel accepted and acceptable, and therefore free to be our true selves. It is reverence for one another that makes the difference, and the Gospels are full of incidents where people noticed this in their encounters with Jesus.

If we behave as the salt of the earth, we will be content to make ourselves available so that others feel free to become more truly themselves, and we shall recognise the need to be there, but not to overwhelm! Too heavy a dose of salt kills off the flavour. If we behave as the light of the world we shall once again be in the role of enablers: we are at the service of the world, quietly enabling it to see more clearly. And again, we recognise the need to provide illumination, but not to blind or dazzle. Dazzling performances of ostentatious ‘religion’, such as those we heard about in the Isaiah reading, are not at all what God had in mind for his people, either then or now. What God wants is for the people in our world to be so impressed with the light we shine round that they want to find out where we get it from. Our shining is to set others off on their way to discover God for themselves.

Of course, we can only behave as salt and light if we are the genuine article, and are prepared to work co-operatively with God. That is where it is so helpful to have our faith ‘earthed ‘in practical living. As Christians we all need to have our feet on the ground; we need to be engaged in the messy, hard work of caring, challenging injustice and offering practical help and support. Only then will our praises mean something, and our worship glorify God.

Some things to reflect on:

• · What do the qualities and usefulness of salt and light tell us about our calling as Christians?

• · What are the values (and dangers) of fasting, and how can we ensure it is Godly fasting?

God bless

Rev’d Fiona Robinson