Light and salt, and the city that cannot be hid
Hard on the heels of Candlemas, where Christ is remembered as “a light to lighten the Gentiles”, we come to Epiphany 5, for which the Gospel reading comes from the Sermon on the Mount, where one of Christ’s themes also concerns light.
But this time it’s our turn to be the light! As the Authorised Version puts it “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” This version of the words may be 400 years old, but the challenge is still there to be accountable for the way we live. We need to be salt and light, and people whose actions will bear the scrutiny of those outside who may be indifferent to Christianity unless they see the results in us.
Hear God’s word as it is read and preached at our services this month, then “Go in faith, to love and serve the Lord!” as we say at the end of every eucharist.