Let Yourself Shine!

Scripture Passage

Matthew 5:13-20
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.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither 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. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Sermon Script

You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Not you ‘were’. Not you ‘will be’. You are. That’s what Jesus said. Do you believe that?

How encouraging are those words! They empower us, despite our insecurities. They help us see ourselves differently. They tell us how important we are in God’s sight.

We tend to live with a very distorted image of ourselves. We have a hard time seeing ourselves clearly. We either think too much or too little of ourselves. We are rarely happy with who we are. The image that we have of ourselves isn’t very attractive. It is very different from the image that we show to the outside world.

Yet Jesus gives us the image of the salt and the light. Like last week, he shatters our assumptions about who we think we are. He says to us – that is who you are!

What’s so amazing about salt? On its own, it doesn’t seem all that special. It’s just salty. Yet when it’s used in a dish, it elevates the taste. Can you imagine having 설렁탕 without adding any salt? It’s often used as a preservative, keeping things fresh. When we have sore throat, we mix it in warm water and gargle with it to soothe the pain. During winter, we sprinkle it on our driveways and sidewalks to melt the ice. Salt edifies and enriches our life.

What’s so amazing about light? Do we think about how much light we get each day? We take it for granted. We don’t even notice it. Even with our electricity, we are so used to having light that we choose to sit in the dark during the day – especially in our Hi-C room. Yet when we experience total darkness, even a small ray of light can change everything. It can help us see what is around us and get our bearings. We can even see each other clearly. Light brightens our life.

That’s why Jesus calls us the salt of the earth and light of the world. They were both very important in Jesus’ time. People considered them precious. Even though we may not see ourselves as special or feel like we are invisible, our presence can make a great difference in people’s lives.

We don’t need to try to ‘be’ like salt or light. We simply are. We only stop being salty or bright when we hide ourselves from others.

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.

Matthew 5:13

A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither 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.

Matthew 5:14

When we constantly hide from others out of fear, we become no good. When we let others see us for who we are, we become truly effective.

I know – it is easier said than done. We all have the desire to be seen for who we are. We all want to be the salt and the light, as Jesus said. But our fears often paralyze us and hold us back. So what are we supposed to do?

Hear again what Jesus said. “You are the salt of the earth.” “You are the light of the world.”

You are enough. I believe that is Jesus’ heart behind those words. You don’t need to be anything else. You are enough. You are precious. You are loved. Have faith and live boldly. I am for you, so who can be against you?

When our sense of self is firmly rooted and built on Jesus’ love and acceptance, we can overcome our fears and live confidently. We can be the salt and the light for others. We can share the same love with those around us. Our presence can be a source of empowerment and encouragement.

That is how Jesus lived. His confidence wasn’t rooted in what others said about him. His confidence was built on God’s love for him. At his baptism, he heard that he was God’s precious child. He never forgot that. He was able to live boldly because of it. He enriched and brightened people’s lives. He empowered them to live confidently as well.

Let others see you for who you are. So what if you are a little weird? So what if you are a little awkward? You are unique and precious. Let your presence be a blessing to others. Through you, people will experience glimpses of God’s love. They will see who God is. I shared this verse with you last week.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

There is a popular song called ‘This Little Light of Mine’. It’s a gospel song and it’s often sung during Christmas. The first verse goes like this—

This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, oh let it shine!

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law didn’t let their light shine. They didn’t know what it meant to let themselves shine. They thought they had to be ‘perfect’ before God and others in order to be accepted. They measured their worth by how well they kept the Law (the Torah). By doing that, they ended up presenting a false self on the outside and hid their true self from others. They couldn’t accept that they already were the salt of the earth and light of the world.

You, however, are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Not you ‘were’. Not you ‘will be’. You are. Do you believe that?