This is the first of our
Fall Series
FOLLOW THROUGH
Living out the
SERMON ON THE MOUNT
******
Dear All of Us,
"Saints Alive!'
They sure are and they don't
keep it to themselves either.
There's a
ZESTY BRIGHT
cadence and lilt to them
and their aliveness.
And it's delightfully catchy,
invites you into the good time,
into the God Time they are having.
They take to heart and street
The Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus invites us as well
to do so, to be his,
to be spiritual,
to be followers,
to be disciples,
to be salt and light,
to be saints.
This week and next
"salt and light".
Two weeks of
"saints"
ZESTY BRIGHT.
Matthew 5: 13-16
One of the saints
so alive and enlivening
in my life was
"Craenie"
Mrs. Catherine Craenen
out there in Trenton, Michigan
back in the 40's.
Fair warning, I'm going
to run on a bit (or more) here,
but then I've been a preacher
for over half a century!!
Occupational hazard!!
The real reason, though,
is that Craenie is such
a clear seeing of sanctity.
She was down home,
right at home,
"salt of the earth"
"light of the world."
Enjoy!
With Craenie there was
always a twinkle in her eyes
just waiting for an excuse
to break out in joyous
peals of laughter.
That joy came from her heart.
Everything came from her heart.
There was this infectious
ZESTY BRIGHT
down to earth and up to heaven
realness, energy, caring, giving,
God love, life joy,
in her, from her, about her.
It just jumped out from her soul.
For sure, she had her measure
and more of suffering.
But she didn't settle.
She suffered it through
in that God Love at her center.
"Craenie"
was a perky, spiritual woman,
free of any drippy,
droopy religiosity.
The Sermon On The Mount
was her spiritual charter.
She
"got it"
and let the Holy Spirit
fire her engines
as she lived it out.
In the true and best sense,
she was a disciple.
She lived out her
FOLLOW THROUGH
where she was, as she was.
She didn't run or mount
all sorts of churchy
programs, policies and projects,
or bother with esoteric religiosity.
She was a family person on a farm.
And in that ordinariness,
extraordinary she was.
Craenie connected because
she was so dearly,
clearly connected to God
and to God's people and creation,
and that in an energetic,
happy way - truly
ZESTY BRIGHT.
As a little six year old I loved
"going over to Craenie's".
It was a ten minute walk
down the country road
to her farm and home.
I wanted to be with her
and I wanted to be like her.
She was strong of body and of spirit.
She worked hard and made an art of it.
She lived a simple spiritual life.
She lived GodOned,
vigorously GodLoving
all that touched her
and all she touched -
lots and lots of both.
We always had fun, all sorts of it.
There were stories swapped and
tons of things talked through.
We read Bible stories and
the lives of the saints.
We'd pray - simple people prayer.
It was wonderful working together
as we milked cows, cleaned the stalls,
fed the animals, hoed the garden,
picked vegetables, collected eggs,
baked bread, churned butter,
put up preserves, canned vegetables,
made ice cream, baked pies and cakes.
It was at home sanctity,
Benedict's
"Laborare est orare",
"To work is to pray".
Cranie would sometimes take me
with her to visit the shut-ins
from church and the neighborhood.
We'd bring them treats
from farm and kitchen.
And when we got back,
did we ever have
super good lunches.
I'd always go home
just before dark
with food and farm gifts
from "Craenie" for my Mom.
Without the words for it,
as a little six year old
I caught God from her.
And here I am eighty and
still catching God from her.
And I sure am not the only one.
Amazing what Jesus puts
his disciples to doing.
She simply was
as Jesus said to be,
"the salt of the earth"
and
"the light of the world".
ZESTY BRIGHT
As you and I seek
our spiritual way
here on the streets
of everyday living,
as we try to
FOLLOW THROUGH
as disciples by
living out
THE SERMON ON
THE MOUNT,
lets share
and take some
Soul Time
with the sermon.
As long ago Jesus huddled
with those first disciples,
so he does with us disciples
in our now:
"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.
No one after lighting a lamp
puts it under the bushel basket,
but 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.
Matthew 5:13-16
Salt and Light
ZESTY BRIGHT
Now, quite john frankly,
how do we pierce the poetry
of
"salt of the earth" -
do we start telling
salty sailor stories?
What about
"the light of the world" -
sure, we're bright,
but world wattage?
SALT
In Jesus' time and place
salt
was the most valued
commodity in all of society.
A bag of salt was reckoned
as precious as a man's life.
By comparing us to salt
Jesus simply, strongly affirms
that we are nothing less than
essential workers
in the his ministry.
WOW!!
So let's see self as salt.
Salt brings out the best in things.
It adds zest, frees full flavor.
Salt keeps things from spoiling.
Salt stimulates appetite.
In writing here of salt,
Matthew draws from an
evocative tradition and context
with multiple levels of meaning:
sacrifice, loyalty, covenant fidelity,
binding relationship, purification,
preservation, seasoning,
eating together ("sharing salt").
- citations below -
Jesus is using metaphor
to highlight for us
the life and effects
of discipleship.
The metaphor is meant
to be translated into
action and experience.
So lived,
it attracts and invites.
That's what disciples
are meant to do.
It's really a top drawer deal
to parse out the implications
for us in our here and now
of being
"Salt of the earth"
of
Disciple Living.
It:
- brings out the best in others
- adds zest to their lives
- frees the flavors of their uniqueness
- keeps things from spoiling in society
- stimulates appetites for God's goods,
for excellence
- supports sacrifice for fuller
- enlivens loyalty
- fortifies fidelity to God Covenant
- binds and bonds
people, peoples and places
- purifies to brightness
- preserves worth
- seasons to zip
In prayerful quiet,
it would be helpful to name
instance and way
that each of these are vibrant
in living out our right now
discipleship.
We don't and can't make ourselves
"salt of the earth"
"light of the world"
Jesus tells us we are so simply
by being his disciples,
by following his life lead,
by our union with him.
Being salt and light are givens.
What givens!!
They are givens to be given -
there's no discipleship
in a chapel of private
"Jesus and Me"
spirituality.
Following Jesus,
living the life of discipleship,
spices things up,
brightens things up for others,
invites them to join the party,
to see things - everything -
in a new way, to live a new reality.
The Message translation
puts it all like this:
"Let me tell you why you are here.
You are here to be salt-
seasoning that brings out
the God-flavors of this earth.
If you loose your saltiness,
how will people taste godliness?
You've lost your usefulness
and will end up in the garbage.
Our focus in this series is on response,
FOLLOW THROUGH
to living
The Sermon on the Mount.
In it Jesus offers us our
spiritual charter.
He starts with eight
approaches/attitudes
to being,
to being his followers,
Be Attitudes.
He then shows us that in him,
because of following him,
we will be change agents
in our time and place -
salt and light for others.
Jesus goes on to reveal
the life to be lived,
pictures it for us,
paints it in the
practical and particulars
of daily life in his kingdom,
that come and coming.
He locates us with him
in the line of
The Law and the Prophets.
He points out best practices,
he points us right and real about:
- anger, adultery, divorce,
- oaths and truth telling,
- retaliation, love of enemies,
- non-showy almsgiving,
prayer and fasting,
- real treasure,
- seeing the light ,
- choice of God over money,
- living worry free in God's care,
- being non-judgmental,
- being careful not to profane the holy,
- seeking - just ask and receive,
- the gold standard for treating others,
- getting the tight/right door to life,
- knowing the real by the results,
- tells us don't talk God - do God,
-tells us: build you living on rock real.
(Matthew 5:1 - 7:29 )
Next week let's see the light,
the light we are called to be,
"You are the light of the world."
Thanks for this chance to
Soul Share
In God's Dear Love,
John Frank
******
Citations:
Sacrifice:
Lev2:13, Ezek 43: 24
Loyalty and covenant fidelity:
Esra 4:14, Num18:19
Eating together:
"sharing salt" expressed
binding relationship
Purification:
2 Kgs2: 19-22
Seasoning:
JOB 6:6, Col 4:6
Preservative:
Ignatius, Letter to the
Magesians 10
See:
The New Interpreter's Bible Commentary
Volume VII
Page 120
Abingdon Press
Nashville
2015
******
A bright Fall welcome
to all joining us for
the first time here at
"frankly speaking"
spirituality for the street
-it is posted each Thursday,
mid-day, east coast USA time
johnfrankshares.blogspot.com
-is available for automatic
email delivery each Friday
sign up top right here
-past postings are available at
Blog Archive - right column bottom
SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!!
BE ZESTY!!
***********
Look at the Light.
Feel the communion -
"I am the light of the world"
Jesus
John 8:12
"You are the light of the world."
Jesus
Matthew 5:14
We're family!
We are made bright by the Son of God.
We are put to work in the family business,
lighting up, brightening up the world,
in our homes and across
the lands of our living.
That light makes it possible
for others to see, to see things
as they really are.
