Monthly Archives: February 2010

Clothed in Gladness

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“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.  O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!”  Psalm 30:11-12

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent.  We mark this day as a time of penitence; confessing our sin, seeking reconciliation, and re-committing ourselves in the pursuit of discipleship.  I write this to you with ashes on my brow, a reminder of the temporariness of life as well as a sign of my contrition for my sins.

Contrition, mourning, sorrow and lament; these are appropriate responses to our sins.  When I stop to think how I have taken for granted the grace and mercy of God, when I realize how I have scorned the gentle call of my Savior, when I am struck by my stubborn refusal to follow the guiding of God’s spirit, when I consider, as the hymn says:
                                    the wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness,
all I’m left with is terrible shame and sorrow for the way I have broken the heart of God.

But thanks be to God who has not left us alone in our shame and despair.  As the psalmist says, “God has turned my mourning into dancing, He has loosened my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.”  While we journey in the “valley of the shadow of death,” we never stop there, we are simply going through.  God transforms our mourning, our grief, our sorrow into songs of praise.

How?  By forgiving us through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.  When we were lost in our sins, God proved His love for us by sending His Son to die for us (Rom 5:8).  While we were dead in our trespasses and sins, “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us… made us alive together with Christ” (Eph 2:4-5).  God didn’t wait for us to come to him in contrition and penitence, but launched a preemptive strike of grace and mercy, saving us through the righteousness of His Son, so that when we do repent, we know the joy and peace of forgiveness immediately.

Out of the ashes we rise to sing the praise of our Gracious Heavenly Father.  The song of the redeemed is sweet in His ears.  It is a song of love, of thankfulness and praise.  It is our greatest glory join in the chorus. Even in Lent, especially in Lent, we may sing: “O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!”

SDG

The Salt of the Earth

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“You are the salt of the earth…” (Matthew 5:13)

In its modern day usage, this phrase suggests an “everyman” quality – hard working, humble, and lacking pretension.  Since salt is such a common yet ubiquitous element, it is easy to see how we would interpret the phrase in this way.  Nor would it be hard to imagine Jesus calling His disciples the salt of the earth.  They were average, ordinary guys who followed Jesus, fishermen, farmers, and tax collectors.  There were no princes in His entourage.  And this is good news for those who follow Christ today.  We don’t have to be powerful and well-known to be His disciples.

Still, I believe this common understanding of “salt of the earth” has lost something in the modern era.  Today, when we think of salt, we see table salt, used sparingly to bring out the flavor of our meal, or perhaps rock salt used to melt away the ice and snow off of our sidewalks.  But at one time, salt was a precious commodity, sold and traded in the market at high value.  Not only did salt enhance the flavor of food, but before refrigeration, it was used as a preservative.  Salt even had cleansing and healing properties.

So when Jesus said, “you are the salt of the earth,” it would stand to reason that he had these qualities in mind.  Those who know Christ and the power of His resurrection, having their sins forgiven and their guilt washed away in the blood of Jesus, are now to be the salt of the earth.  Jesus’ disciples are to bring the flavor of life to those who have tasted only the bland hopelessness and despair that a fallen world can offer.  Jesus’ disciples are to be an influencing and preserving agent in the world, a positive influence of love and grace for the world to see.

Sometimes, though, the salt of the earth loses its saltiness.  Now, technically, it is impossible for salt to be not salty.  However, when mixed with impurities the salt can leach away and thereby the salt content is diluted.  When this happens, the salt is useless; you cannot eat it, you dare not use it to preserve your food, all it is good for is being thrown out on the road to be trampled underfoot. 

As we consider the call to be the salt of the earth, here are some questions to consider:

  1. Have I polluted myself with the things of this world: godlessness, rudeness, fighting, selfishness, lying, anger, envy, gossip, passions, etc, so that I can be the salt of the world?
  2. When I am around others who don’t know the Lord, am I a positive, purifying influence in their lives?
  3. When people hear the things I say, see the things I do, do they “taste and see” that the Lord is good?

May God grant you the grace to be the salt of the earth today.

Grace and peace,

SDG