Welcome to this week’s episode, a special rerun from our Speaking of Life archive. We hope you find its timeless message as meaningful today as it was when it was first shared.
Watch video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpv3o3uPP0Q
Program Transcript
Speaking of Life 5011 | Better Well Done…
Cara Garrity
There is a saying that goes, “Better well done than well said.” This phrase wisely reminds us that words can sometimes be empty, and our actions often say much more about who we are. As believers, we can say we love God and our neighbors, but what is the evidence of that love? Have we created spaces for our neighbors to feel the love of Christ through us? Or do we offer them words without the actions to back up those words?
When Paul was used by God to share the gospel with the people of Corinth, he took an unexpected approach for a preacher and teacher. Notice what he says:
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Instead of using flowery words or trying to say the right thing, Paul shared his own testimony and tried to demonstrate God’s power and love. Paul trusted in God and the power of the gospel, rather than in his own ability to convince others. He was his full, authentic self and was unashamed before God and other people. We might say that Paul practiced “better well done than well said” by relying upon Jesus’ ‘well done’ rather than his own ‘well said’.
You see God is not a God of empty words and promises. In the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, every word and promise of God is fulfilled. In him is also humanity’s perfect response to God. When we put our confidence in the perfect word and deed of Christ rather than our own, we are invited into a faith that is more than empty words.
Instead of trying to say the right words to convince others to believe in the gospel, we are free by the Spirit, to authentically share our stories and invite others to experience the kingdom alongside us for themselves.
While human wisdom may fail and human words may turn up empty, Jesus – the Word of God made flesh – both well said and well done – will never fail or turn up empty. We are invited to depend on and point one another to his Word, and not our own. It is then that we testify of God instead of ourselves.
Ray Anderson wrote, “The test for truth in a Christian is what the world sees in us of Jesus Christ, not what other Christians see in us as a Christian.” Let us be led by the Spirit in living authentic lives that glorify Jesus.
I’m Cara Garrity, Speaking of Life.
Program Transcript
Speaking of Life 5011 | Better Well Done…
Cara Garrity
There is a saying that goes, “Better well done than well said.” This phrase wisely reminds us that words can sometimes be empty, and our actions often say much more about who we are. As believers, we can say we love God and our neighbors, but what is the evidence of that love? Have we created spaces for our neighbors to feel the love of Christ through us? Or do we offer them words without the actions to back up those words?
When Paul was used by God to share the gospel with the people of Corinth, he took an unexpected approach for a preacher and teacher. Notice what he says:
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Instead of using flowery words or trying to say the right thing, Paul shared his own testimony and tried to demonstrate God’s power and love. Paul trusted in God and the power of the gospel, rather than in his own ability to convince others. He was his full, authentic self and was unashamed before God and other people. We might say that Paul practiced “better well done than well said” by relying upon Jesus’ ‘well done’ rather than his own ‘well said’.
You see God is not a God of empty words and promises. In the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, every word and promise of God is fulfilled. In him is also humanity’s perfect response to God. When we put our confidence in the perfect word and deed of Christ rather than our own, we are invited into a faith that is more than empty words.
Instead of trying to say the right words to convince others to believe in the gospel, we are free by the Spirit, to authentically share our stories and invite others to experience the kingdom alongside us for themselves.
While human wisdom may fail and human words may turn up empty, Jesus – the Word of God made flesh – both well said and well done – will never fail or turn up empty. We are invited to depend on and point one another to his Word, and not our own. It is then that we testify of God instead of ourselves.
Ray Anderson wrote, “The test for truth in a Christian is what the world sees in us of Jesus Christ, not what other Christians see in us as a Christian.” Let us be led by the Spirit in living authentic lives that glorify Jesus.
I’m Cara Garrity, Speaking of Life.
Isaiah 58:1–9a • Psalm 112:1–9 • I Cor. 2:1–12 • Matthew 5:13–20
As we continue through the season of Epiphany, we focus on the revealed light of Christ, which is reflected in us. Our theme this Sunday is the surprising light of God’s kindness. God’s light shines through justice, generosity, and Spirit-empowered living. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that true worship is not just about rituals. True worship is about loosening the bonds of injustice, sharing bread with the hungry, and repairing what is broken. True worship is light breaking forth like the dawn as the Lord provides healing. The psalmist describes the righteous as people who rise in darkness like light. They are gracious, merciful, generous, and steadfast. Paul writes to the Corinthians not with lofty words, but with humility and trust in the Spirit, so that faith would rest on God’s power, not human wisdom. And in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus calls his followers the salt of the earth and the light of the world — not hidden, but visible, illuminating God’s goodness. These readings remind us that the world doesn’t need religious performance that is only focused inwardly. The world needs to be pointed to the surprising light of God’s kindness.
The Surprising Light of God’s Kindness
Matthew 5:13-16 NRSVUE
(Read or ask someone to read the sermon passage.)
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Introduction: The Unexpected Gift of Kindness
Have you ever had someone surprise you with a small act of kindness that completely changed your day? Maybe a stranger paid for your coffee when you forgot your wallet. Maybe a friend showed up on your doorstep just when you needed company.
I once experienced it when… (insert your own brief, personal story here — something simple, authentic, and human).
It wasn’t grand. It didn’t make headlines. But it carried weight. It felt like the world had brightened, even if only for a moment.
Kindness does that. It opens a small window into another reality — a glimpse of God’s goodness shining through ordinary life. Let’s talk about the surprising light of God’s kindness.
The Ripple Effect of Kindness
There’s a day on the calendar for celebrating this very thing: Random Acts of Kindness Day, observed every February 17.
Its origins are traced back to a Californian writer Anne Herbert. In 1982, she scribbled a phrase on a placemat that would eventually circle the globe: “Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.”
Those few words sparked a movement and even inspired a children’s book years later. In 1995, a foundation was established to encourage Random Acts of Kindness activists to spread kindness wherever they go.
Science now confirms what faith has long proclaimed: kindness is powerful. It’s good for the world and good for our souls. When we practice kindness, something happens in our very bodies. Hormones like oxytocin and endorphins are released — we feel happier, calmer, healthier. Stress decreases; even blood pressure drops. People who practice kindness regularly tend to live longer, healthier lives.
It’s as though our Creator built our bodies and our souls to thrive on love. So, if kindness is so beneficial — physically, emotionally, spiritually — why limit it to random, occasional acts?
God has always known what the research is only now catching up to: that kindness is not just a good habit; it’s a way of being. It’s a reflection of who God is.
And nowhere is this truth clearer than in the words of Jesus in Matthew 5.
The Sermon on the Mount: Blessing Before Command
The verses we heard today come from what we call Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount — one of the most beloved and yet most challenging passages in Scripture.
Before Jesus ever says, “You are the salt of the earth” or “You are the light of the world,” he blesses his listeners. He says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit … blessed are the merciful … blessed are the peacemakers.”
Jesus doesn’t begin with demands. He begins with blessings. He names who we already are in him before he tells us how to live.
So, when Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth … you are the light of the world,” he isn’t laying a burden on us. He’s revealing an identity.
Jesus describes what happens when divine life — the life of the triune God — takes root in human hearts. (And “triune” simply means consisting of three in one.)
Salt and Light: Ordinary, Necessary, Transformative
Jesus could have chosen almost any image to describe his followers. He didn’t say, “You are the gold of the earth” or “the jewels of the world.” He said, “You are salt” and “You are light.”
Two ordinary things — but both are essential for life.
Salt preserves and enhances. In the ancient world, before refrigeration, salt was the only way to keep food from decay. It was also used in temple sacrifices — a sign of purity and covenant. Salt was precious. Salt was also used in ancient times as a form of currency or money.
To be salt, then, is to carry the preserving power of God’s goodness into the world’s corruption — to bring out the true flavor of life as God intended it.
Light, on the other hand, reveals and gives direction. Without light, we can’t see what’s real. Throughout Scripture, light is one of the most consistent metaphors for God’s presence:
The Lord is my light and my salvation. Psalm 27:1 NRSVUE
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 NRSVUE
In Jesus, that metaphor becomes reality. “I am the light of the world,” he says in John 8:12.
And then — astonishingly — he turns to his disciples and says, “You are the light of the world.”
Do you see what’s happening here? The light that belongs to God now shines through human lives. The divine radiance reflected in creation, revealed in the Incarnate Son, now continues in those who are united to him by the Spirit.
That is Trinitarian life in motion:
-
- The Father sends the Son.
- The Son shines with divine love.
- The Spirit fills the Church to radiate that love to the world.
So, our being “salt” and “light” isn’t about self-improvement. It’s about participation — sharing in the very life of the triune God. It’s about the surprising light of God’s kindness.
God’s Agency: The Light Within Us Is Not Our Own
It’s crucial to see that Jesus does not command his followers to become salt or to work harder at shining. He declares, “You are.”
That’s not wishful thinking; that’s divine pronouncement.
Just as “Let there be light” brought illumination to the universe, “You are the light of the world” brings illumination to the human soul.
The light is not self-generated. It’s not our niceness, our effort, or our willpower. It is the presence of Christ himself — the Light of the world — living in us through the Spirit.
God doesn’t say, “Try harder to be good.” He says, “I am making my goodness visible in you and through you.”
Then Jesus adds, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Our kindness, our compassion, our acts of service are meant to point beyond ourselves. When we love generously, people catch a glimpse of the Source.
They see something of the Father’s heart.
The Missional heart of Kindness
Kindness is not a small, sentimental virtue. It’s mission. It’s one of the ways God communicates his presence to the world.
In 1 Corinthians 12:7, Paul says, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
Every believer — not just pastors or missionaries — becomes a vessel of divine generosity. And what is that generosity for? The common good.
That means kindness, compassion, and mercy are not private virtues; they are public signs of the Kingdom.
When we show mercy, we’re announcing that the God who reigns is merciful. When we forgive, we’re revealing that heaven’s economy runs on grace, not revenge. When we serve others, we embody the Son who came “not to be served but to serve.”
Our lives become parables of divine love.
Isaiah’s Lesson: When Religion Forgets Kindness
The people of Judah once forgot this. In Isaiah 58, they were fasting and praying, performing their rituals with precision. Yet their society was full of strife and injustice.
God’s response is startling:
“Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight…
Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to share your bread with the hungry,
to bring the homeless poor into your house.” Isaiah 58:4, 6–7
God isn’t rejecting spiritual disciplines; he’s restoring their purpose.
Fasting, prayer, worship — they’re meant to open our eyes to others, not close us off from them.
Isaiah goes on to describe something incredible:
“Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly.” (verse 8)
When we show kindness, when we engage in justice and compassion, God’s light shines through us — and healing comes, both to others and to ourselves.
Even modern science, again, confirms it: the giver of kindness experiences renewal too. Altruism (or what we might call being other-centered) is associated with greater well-being, health, and longevity.
Kindness: The Overflow of the Trinity
Why does kindness heal? Because it aligns us with the reality of who God is.
The Father, Son, and Spirit are an eternal communion of self-giving love.
From all eternity, they have poured themselves into one another — not out of need, but out of joy.
When God created the world, he wasn’t lonely; he was generous. Creation itself is an act of divine kindness — the overflow of love.
The Incarnation continues that same generosity. In Jesus Christ, the eternal Word takes on flesh, entering our brokenness not to condemn but to heal. He touches people with leprosy, welcomes outcasts, eats with sinners, and blesses children.
Every act of Jesus in the Gospels — every healing, every meal, every word of compassion — is a window into the heart of the Trinity.
When we show kindness, we’re not just being nice. We’re joining the dance of divine love — participating in the life of the God who gives himself for the world.
Righteousness Reimagined
Many people hear the word righteousness and think of moral perfection or religious performance. But Jesus redefines righteousness as right relationship — living in tune with God’s love.
When he calls us salt and light, he’s describing a righteousness that tastes and shines. It’s not about appearing holy; it’s about revealing holiness through relationship.
Isaiah tells God’s people: holiness that ignores the hungry or the oppressed is hollow.
When the Church lives this way as enabled by the Spirit — when we love our neighbors, serve our enemies, and practice mercy — we become a living testimony to God’s goodness.
Let’s gather these threads into two lessons from our passages today:
- Righteous living brings attention to God, not us.
Jesus says, “Let your light shine … that they may give glory to your Father” (verse 16). When people experience our kindness, they see God more clearly. - Righteous living is relational.
It’s not about isolating ourselves for self-improvement; it’s about engaging the world with love. Isaiah shows us that true spirituality always moves toward others, especially those in need.
Practicing the Presence of Kindness
So how do we live this way? How do we remain aware of God’s light within us and let it shine?
Here are a few practical invitations — not rules, but rhythms of grace. They are rhythms that can point others to the surprising light of God’s kindness.
- Ask God to help you see as he sees.
Kindness often begins with vision. We rush through life so fast that we miss the faces right in front of us. Ask the Spirit to help you see the co-worker who’s lonely, the cashier who’s weary, the neighbor who just needs someone to listen.
Pray, “Lord, help me see others the way You see them.” When we start seeing people as image-bearers, kindness becomes second nature.
- Build margin into your schedule.
Busyness is one of kindness’s greatest enemies. If every minute of your day is planned, you’ll never have time to stop for someone in need. Try leaving a few minutes unscheduled — on your commute, between meetings, at the grocery store. You might be surprised how often God fills that space with divine appointments.
- Practice kindness that preserves dignity.
True kindness never humiliates. It restores worth. There’s a story from a Random Acts of Kindness collection about a young girl who qualified for free lunches at school. Each day, when the teacher collected lunch money, students who couldn’t pay had to call out “Free!” in front of everyone — a daily indignity. As you can imagine, some students skipped lunch rather than face that embarrassment.
The bus driver noticed. Instead of handing her money, he said he needed her help each morning checking that all the kids got off safely, and he paid her for her “work.” She never missed lunch again. That’s what divine kindness looks like — thoughtful, creative, and preserving dignity.
- Let your kindness point beyond you.
Remember, Jesus said the purpose of shining is so others “may glorify your Father in heaven.” When we practice kindness, we’re not trying to look good; we’re helping others glimpse the goodness of God.
Kindness as Mission
In a world that prizes outrage and competition, kindness is countercultural. It’s not random at all — it’s revolutionary. Every act of compassion becomes an act of resistance against evil and despair. Every gesture of grace pushes back the darkness.
Jesus says we are the light of the world — not because we’re perfect, but because the world is dark and God is shining through us. This is the heart of mission.
Mission isn’t just traveling overseas or preaching sermons. It’s living in such a way that God’s love becomes visible in everyday spaces — workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, dinner tables. It’s living as citizens of God’s kingdom.
Incarnation Continued
The Incarnation — God becoming human in Jesus — didn’t end at Bethlehem or the Ascension. It continues in us, the Body of Christ.
Through the Spirit, God still takes on flesh in every generation.
When we offer a meal, a prayer, a word of encouragement, it is Christ himself who acts in us.
Saint Teresa of Ávila captured this truth beautifully:
Christ has no body now on earth but yours;
no hands but yours, no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion is to look out on the world.
That is the mystery of the gospel. The Incarnate Christ continues to live through his people, shining the light of the Father’s love into every corner of creation.
A Radiant Community
Jesus doesn’t just call individuals salt and light; he speaks to the whole community. “A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.” We shine brightest together.
The Church is meant to be a city of light — a community so full of grace and generosity that the world looks on and sees the reflection of heaven. When we gather in worship, when we pray, serve, forgive, and rejoice together, we embody a new kind of humanity — one that tastes like hope and shines like love.
The early Church was known for how much they loved one another! The same can be true of us.
Conclusion: The Light Still Shines
The world doesn’t need more noise or more cleverness. It needs light.
And the good news is the light is already here.
The Father has sent the Son.
The Son has poured out his Spirit.
The Spirit is shining through the Church.
You are the salt of the earth.
You are the light of the world.
Not because of your effort, but because God lives in you.
Not for your glory, but for his glory and for his kingdom.
So, this week, let your kindness shine.
Ask the Spirit to who you those small, holy moments where God’s love can break through — at the grocery line, in an email, in your home, in a conversation.
Because in the end, what Jesus told his disciples is still true for us: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Thank you, God, for the surprising light of your kindness. Amen.
Jane Williams—Year A Epiphany 5
Listen to audio: https://cloud.gci.org/dl/GReverb/GR072-Williams-YearA-Epiphany5.mp3
Sunday, February 8, 2026 — Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Matthew 5:13–20 NRSVUE
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Program Transcript
Jane Williams—Year A Epiphany 5
Anthony: Let’s transition to our next pericope of the month. It’s Matthew 5:13-20. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany on February 8. Jane, would you read it for us please?
Jane:
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 14 You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. 17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Anthony: I’m interested in your exegesis on this statement, “you are the light of the world.” And my curiosity goes to this place: In what ways is the Church of Jesus embodying this reality? And in what ways is the light diminished under a basket?
Jane: Ooh! Such a good question. That phrase always takes me back to Isaiah, there in Isaiah 2, that glorious vision of God’s city on a hill and all the people streaming to it. And it’s one that Isaiah returns to more than once throughout the whole prophetic book, that the role of the people of God is to show, is to lift up God so that people can see God.
And I think that our primary calling as church is to remember that it’s about God. It seems such an obvious thing to say. But it needs saying over and over and over again. There is no point in the church if that point is not God.
Anthony: Preach.
Jane: So, we really pour so much of our energies into structures and programs and things to keep our own systems going. And all of that is wasted if it’s not primarily about God.
And so, I think the ways in which we embody this reality are often ways that we hardly notice. It is a miracle, isn’t it, that the people of God, the Church, continue, because left to our own devices, we mess it up so constantly.
Anthony: Amen.
Jane: And yet God continues to be faithful to us and enable us to keep coming back to God in Christ, in the power of the Spirit. Keep proclaiming the good news despite our own failures to believe it sometimes. And so, I think this passage makes me remember that our primary calling is not so that we should have a nice spirituality and a lovely prayer life, but so that we should be there as witnesses to the reality of God.
And I think we do that in some ways and in so many other ways we do diminish it. We put it under a basket. And I’m no great guru, but it seems to me one of the ways in which we hide that light under a basket is by making our faith something individual. This is about me and God.
Whereas, throughout Scripture, you can just see everything God gives, God gives to be shared. So, if we have the great privilege of coming to know God in Christ, that experience of the reality of God is always to be shared. Let’s not put it under any baskets.
Anthony: That is so good, Jane, what you just said. We, especially here in the American West, we’re hyper-individualistic in our approach to things. And I never read of a faith that is privatized. It’s personal, no doubt, but never privatized. It’s always about the community.
Jane: Yeah.
Anthony: Yeah. You mentioned about remembering and how forgetful we are sometimes to remember it’s about God.
I was just thinking this morning in reading through Exodus, just how the people of God, the chosen Israelites, just continue to forget about God’s faithfulness. Whether it was his provision of food, whether it’s provision of light at night, whatever it was, they were just soon forgetting. And it’s so easy to say, look at those guys. They just mess it up over and over again. And then it’s, oh, that’s what I do.
Jane: Yes, exactly. Exactly. It’s so much easier to see it in other people, isn’t it, than in ourselves!
Anthony: That’s right. That’s right. And so, in that way, remembering is actually a sacred and holy thing that we do. It’s a spiritual discipline because it reminds us of the hope that we have in Christ. For sure.
Jane: I quote this whenever I’m allowed to Anthony, but this is a quote from the great writer on mysticism, Evelyn Underhill, and she said, “God is the interesting thing about religion.”
Anthony: Ooh.
Jane: And we keep forgetting that. We keep thinking we are the interesting thing or the ideas that we have are the interesting thing. But actually, God is the interesting thing about religion.
Anthony: That is so good!
Jane: Isn’t it?
Anthony: I’ll put that in the show notes. Thank you. You didn’t ask for permission, but I’m sure glad you went for it. Jesus said, “Let your light shine so others may see your good works, and then give glory to the Father.” But it seems to me that we’re so often shining a spotlight in such a way that it’s giving glory to ourselves. It just seems that the spotlight isn’t a very good guiding light at all. So, how do we shine a light, Jane, in such a way to give glory to the Father?
Jane: It’s a really tricky one, isn’t it, Anthony? Because the Gospels and Christian history are full of God giving us examples. So, seemingly, God putting the spotlight on particular people so that we can see a Christian life lived in the realities of this world.
I’m doing some work on the great women mystics of the Christian past. And they are sort of heroes, that we know about them because people have needed to see the spotlight on them, to give us a sense of what we’re capable of, what with each other’s help we are able to do in our life of faith.
So, we do need some spotlights, I think. But I think what’s interesting about that process is that on the whole, those people didn’t shine the spotlight on themselves. They offered themselves and their life and their teaching and their prayers to others, and others thought, I really need more people to see this.
So, the spotlighting came from others rather than from the individuals themselves. And so, I suppose that’s what I would suggest to us — that what we are trying to do always is to look at people who help us to see more and more what a human being, living in the love of God looks like. And so, the best way we can do that is that all of us, with our spotlights, shining it on people who’ve helped us to be where we are, who helped us in our journey of faith.
And then, perhaps, trying to shine the light forward, back, whichever way you’d want to think about it, so that the people who come after us can see that light, see that there are patterns of living that are lit up with the love of God. I think, yeah, I suppose my reservation would always be somebody who spots spotlights themselves.
Anthony: Yeah. I think a proclaimer of the gospel, especially those that preach in a local church setting, you have a choice each and every time. Who’s the hero here?
Jane: Yeah.
Anthony: Who gets the attention.
Jane: Yeah.
Anthony: And I just believe if it’s done well, the congregation doesn’t leave talking about the preacher. They’re talking about God.
Jane: Yeah.
Anthony: Look what God did.
Jane: Yeah.
Anthony: And like you said, we see those patterns of Christlike living in others, and we want to spotlight them. But like you said, it comes from someone else, not themselves.
Jane: And it’s so difficult to get that balance, isn’t it?
Anthony: Yeah.
Jane: Because preachers rightly tell stories about themselves because they want people to see the lived life. But if you come out of church, as you say, and all you remember is the story about a preacher, probably that didn’t work so well.
Anthony: Yeah. Yeah. This is a side conversation in some ways, but one of the mistakes I made early on in preaching ministry was if I told a story about myself, Jane — and I hate to confess this — but I was always the hero. I was always doing things well. And it took a long time to realize, who am I pointing the light to when I do that? And so, I don’t do that anymore. And we’re works in progress, are we not, Jane?
Jane: We’re all works.
Anthony: Maybe you’ve arrived, but I haven’t arrived.
Jane: I have not arrived. I always take great comfort from the fact that Augustine of Hippo got into great trouble for writing confessions, because people around him thought, that’s not what a church … that church leaders shouldn’t show themselves, warts and all. Church leaders should show heroic Christian living. But Augustine’s work has lived on, because he showed himself in pursuit of God and God in pursuit of Augustine. And that’s what we need to see.
Anthony: Yeah. That’s so good.
It reminded me of … a mentor said this to me once, and I think it’s a good way of thinking about mentorship and discipleship. People need to know far more than your ministry highlight reel. They need to know where you’ve struggled.
Jane: Yeah.
Anthony: And just be let into, to kind of pull the curtain back so they can see really, what does the life look like in faithfulness to God, as God is faithful to them.
Program Transcript
Jane Williams—Year A Epiphany 5
Anthony: Let’s transition to our next pericope of the month. It’s Matthew 5:13-20. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany on February 8. Jane, would you read it for us please?
Jane:
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 14 You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. 17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Anthony: I’m interested in your exegesis on this statement, “you are the light of the world.” And my curiosity goes to this place: In what ways is the Church of Jesus embodying this reality? And in what ways is the light diminished under a basket?
Jane: Ooh! Such a good question. That phrase always takes me back to Isaiah, there in Isaiah 2, that glorious vision of God’s city on a hill and all the people streaming to it. And it’s one that Isaiah returns to more than once throughout the whole prophetic book, that the role of the people of God is to show, is to lift up God so that people can see God.
And I think that our primary calling as church is to remember that it’s about God. It seems such an obvious thing to say. But it needs saying over and over and over again. There is no point in the church if that point is not God.
Anthony: Preach.
Jane: So, we really pour so much of our energies into structures and programs and things to keep our own systems going. And all of that is wasted if it’s not primarily about God.
And so, I think the ways in which we embody this reality are often ways that we hardly notice. It is a miracle, isn’t it, that the people of God, the Church, continue, because left to our own devices, we mess it up so constantly.
Anthony: Amen.
Jane: And yet God continues to be faithful to us and enable us to keep coming back to God in Christ, in the power of the Spirit. Keep proclaiming the good news despite our own failures to believe it sometimes. And so, I think this passage makes me remember that our primary calling is not so that we should have a nice spirituality and a lovely prayer life, but so that we should be there as witnesses to the reality of God.
And I think we do that in some ways and in so many other ways we do diminish it. We put it under a basket. And I’m no great guru, but it seems to me one of the ways in which we hide that light under a basket is by making our faith something individual. This is about me and God.
Whereas, throughout Scripture, you can just see everything God gives, God gives to be shared. So, if we have the great privilege of coming to know God in Christ, that experience of the reality of God is always to be shared. Let’s not put it under any baskets.
Anthony: That is so good, Jane, what you just said. We, especially here in the American West, we’re hyper-individualistic in our approach to things. And I never read of a faith that is privatized. It’s personal, no doubt, but never privatized. It’s always about the community.
Jane: Yeah.
Anthony: Yeah. You mentioned about remembering and how forgetful we are sometimes to remember it’s about God.
I was just thinking this morning in reading through Exodus, just how the people of God, the chosen Israelites, just continue to forget about God’s faithfulness. Whether it was his provision of food, whether it’s provision of light at night, whatever it was, they were just soon forgetting. And it’s so easy to say, look at those guys. They just mess it up over and over again. And then it’s, oh, that’s what I do.
Jane: Yes, exactly. Exactly. It’s so much easier to see it in other people, isn’t it, than in ourselves!
Anthony: That’s right. That’s right. And so, in that way, remembering is actually a sacred and holy thing that we do. It’s a spiritual discipline because it reminds us of the hope that we have in Christ. For sure.
Jane: I quote this whenever I’m allowed to Anthony, but this is a quote from the great writer on mysticism, Evelyn Underhill, and she said, “God is the interesting thing about religion.”
Anthony: Ooh.
Jane: And we keep forgetting that. We keep thinking we are the interesting thing or the ideas that we have are the interesting thing. But actually, God is the interesting thing about religion.
Anthony: That is so good!
Jane: Isn’t it?
Anthony: I’ll put that in the show notes. Thank you. You didn’t ask for permission, but I’m sure glad you went for it. Jesus said, “Let your light shine so others may see your good works, and then give glory to the Father.” But it seems to me that we’re so often shining a spotlight in such a way that it’s giving glory to ourselves. It just seems that the spotlight isn’t a very good guiding light at all. So, how do we shine a light, Jane, in such a way to give glory to the Father?
Jane: It’s a really tricky one, isn’t it, Anthony? Because the Gospels and Christian history are full of God giving us examples. So, seemingly, God putting the spotlight on particular people so that we can see a Christian life lived in the realities of this world.
I’m doing some work on the great women mystics of the Christian past. And they are sort of heroes, that we know about them because people have needed to see the spotlight on them, to give us a sense of what we’re capable of, what with each other’s help we are able to do in our life of faith.
So, we do need some spotlights, I think. But I think what’s interesting about that process is that on the whole, those people didn’t shine the spotlight on themselves. They offered themselves and their life and their teaching and their prayers to others, and others thought, I really need more people to see this.
So, the spotlighting came from others rather than from the individuals themselves. And so, I suppose that’s what I would suggest to us — that what we are trying to do always is to look at people who help us to see more and more what a human being, living in the love of God looks like. And so, the best way we can do that is that all of us, with our spotlights, shining it on people who’ve helped us to be where we are, who helped us in our journey of faith.
And then, perhaps, trying to shine the light forward, back, whichever way you’d want to think about it, so that the people who come after us can see that light, see that there are patterns of living that are lit up with the love of God. I think, yeah, I suppose my reservation would always be somebody who spots spotlights themselves.
Anthony: Yeah. I think a proclaimer of the gospel, especially those that preach in a local church setting, you have a choice each and every time. Who’s the hero here?
Jane: Yeah.
Anthony: Who gets the attention.
Jane: Yeah.
Anthony: And I just believe if it’s done well, the congregation doesn’t leave talking about the preacher. They’re talking about God.
Jane: Yeah.
Anthony: Look what God did.
Jane: Yeah.
Anthony: And like you said, we see those patterns of Christlike living in others, and we want to spotlight them. But like you said, it comes from someone else, not themselves.
Jane: And it’s so difficult to get that balance, isn’t it?
Anthony: Yeah.
Jane: Because preachers rightly tell stories about themselves because they want people to see the lived life. But if you come out of church, as you say, and all you remember is the story about a preacher, probably that didn’t work so well.
Anthony: Yeah. Yeah. This is a side conversation in some ways, but one of the mistakes I made early on in preaching ministry was if I told a story about myself, Jane — and I hate to confess this — but I was always the hero. I was always doing things well. And it took a long time to realize, who am I pointing the light to when I do that? And so, I don’t do that anymore. And we’re works in progress, are we not, Jane?
Jane: We’re all works.
Anthony: Maybe you’ve arrived, but I haven’t arrived.
Jane: I have not arrived. I always take great comfort from the fact that Augustine of Hippo got into great trouble for writing confessions, because people around him thought, that’s not what a church … that church leaders shouldn’t show themselves, warts and all. Church leaders should show heroic Christian living. But Augustine’s work has lived on, because he showed himself in pursuit of God and God in pursuit of Augustine. And that’s what we need to see.
Anthony: Yeah. That’s so good.
It reminded me of … a mentor said this to me once, and I think it’s a good way of thinking about mentorship and discipleship. People need to know far more than your ministry highlight reel. They need to know where you’ve struggled.
Jane: Yeah.
Anthony: And just be let into, to kind of pull the curtain back so they can see really, what does the life look like in faithfulness to God, as God is faithful to them.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- How do these images (salt and light) reflect what God has already done in Jesus, the true Light of the world?
- Jesus doesn’t say “try to be light,” but “you are the light.” What does that reveal about who God has made us to be through the Spirit?
- How might seeing kindness as something God does through us (rather than something we perform) change the way we live and serve others?
- Where do you see opportunities for your group or congregation to embody God’s kindness in practical ways this week?
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