Sermon: “You Are the Light of the World” Matthew 5:13-16 , February 1, 2026

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16

Preacher: Ryan Slifka

Sermon: “You Are the Light of the World”

A few weeks ago I was listening to an interview about a famous talk given by the 20th century’s most influential economist, John Maynard Keynes.[i] Speaking in the Great Depression of the 1930’s, Keynes told his gathered audience that they had much reason to be optimistic for the lives of their grandchildren. Whereas most human beings throughout history more or less spent their waking hours trying to scratch out enough food, clothing and shelter to stay alive, their grandchildren would know an abundance of material wealth never before seen on earth. Most of them would no longer have to worry about those great devils stalking the door such as “want” or “hunger” again. All thanks to social and technological progress.

Now, some things Keynes said in that talk didn’t come true. We don’t have a fifteen hour work week, for example. But the material abundance thing is surely true, for at least those of us in Canada, and many other countries around the world. Of course we have genuinely poor, homeless, deprived people. But for the great majority of us, we have everything our ancestors could ever want. And more.

Now, as wonderful as this would be, Keynes said, material abundance wouldn’t just lead to universal happiness and joy. Rather, we’d have to deal with a host of new sources of dissatisfaction: specifically greed, inequality, and purposelessness.[ii] Material prosperity would solve the problem of survival. But it would leave us with the question as to purpose. As to meaning. The reason why any of us might get out of bed in the first place.

And Keynes was right about that, too, wasn’t he? Greed and inequality for sure. But for a lot of that purposelessness hits home. I’ll be honest, this one has hit me the hardest since adulthood. Like, considering we have what we want, what is the purpose of living? What is the meaning of my life? Seeing as survival itself is a given, why am I, are we, here? And my guess is that based on our levels of unhappiness as a society, I’m not the only one.

Of course, we’re not short on answers, are we? 

Like is the meaning of life to pursue our pleasure and desires as far as they’ll take us? Or what if it feels hollow? Which it usually does?

Is the meaning of life to hack and program ourselves into physical and emotional wellness? What happens if we’re disabled or were never healthy to begin with? Or just don’t have the interest or willpower? What happens when we get sick? Or old?

Is the meaning of life to have children, and grandchildren? I mean, I get great delight out of my children. But what happens when they move out? What happens if they cut us out? What happens if our children are disappointments or failures, or we’re disappointments and failures to our children? Or, what if we can’t have them, or wait too long?

Or is the meaning of life to be good? What happens when we fail? How good is good enough? Or if we are and we end up judgmental and self-satisfied? Or to do good? What happens when progress stalls, or is reversed entirely, even though we’re exhausted by giving our all? When we can’t change the world?

What’s the meaning of life? We’ve got plenty of answers. But if we’re honest, most of the answers we’re given to the question don’t really satisfy, do they?

Now, I didn’t bring all this up just to increase your sense of purposelessness or despair. I brought it all up to illustrate a contrast. To show us just how different the answer Jesus gives to the question. If we ask him the answer we get is today’s scripture.

“You’re the salt of the earth!” he says. “Not to be a useless condiment that adds nothing to the meal, but salt that brings out the whole world’s flavour.” “A city on a hill can’t be hidden,” he says. “It was built up there so everybody could see it! In that same way, you’re the light of the world! You don’t light a lamp to tuck it away in a rubbermaid, but you light it so it lights up the whole house, so people can see it, and can see by it. In that same way, let your light shine so everybody can see your good works and know where they come from. So they give glory to the God,” Jesus says. “The one who I call Father, the God who sent me.”

The meaning of life, Jesus says. The purpose of your life and mine, the reason why we’re here. Is to be salt of the earth. It’s to be a city on a hill. It’s to let our light shine, so people see that light and give glory to God. 

Now, let me tell you how that differs from all the other answers everybody else gives. Often, people hear this scripture passage and think that Jesus is to step up. Be salty, and memorable! Set yourself apart like a city on a hill! Work harder, throw your life into good works, get out there lighting fires to make the Creator of the universe proud (or to at least avoid judgment). Change the world! Become an influencer, one who everybody knows!

Which hey, working hard and good works, and wanting to change the world aren’t bad things at all. They’re good things. Don’t get me wrong!

But remember what Bailey pointed out in her sermon last week. This scripture is all part of the Sermon on the Mount. Where Jesus sits down like a new Moses on a mountaintop and issues forth divine instruction. Most importantly remember Jesus’ audience!

These are the poorest of the poor. The sick, the disabled. Working people, tax collectors who’ve betrayed their fellow Jews to the Romans and sinners who’ve screwed up so badly that everybody’s written them off. You think this crowd’s gonna be like salt and bring out the flavour of the entire world? You think this crowd’s not only gonna light up the whole world with good works, but that anybody’s gonna see them and say, gosh, there must really be a God and that God is good? Imagine the crowd gathered downtown at the Connect Centre, and you’ll get a sense of how crazy this sounds. These people have nothing to offer. There’s nothing about them to suggest that they are remarkable, or have the ability to become remarkable. It’s ludicrous.

But here’s the thing. Jesus doesn’t say “be salt of the earth,” does he? He doesn’t say “be the light of the world,” either. No, he says you are salt of the earth. And he says you are the light of the world. They have no salt in them, they have no fire in them. But it doesn’t matter because these things are given by Jesus. They are given by Jesus who is, himself, the light of the world. Their saltiness is saltiness given by God. Billy Joel was right when he said “we didn’t start the fire, but it’s always been burning since the world’s been turning.” Their light is the gift of God’s grace.

I’m giving you this light Jesus says. You’re a lamp, Jesus says. You don’t gotta make the light. You just gotta let it shine. So others will know my goodness. The first question in the Westminster shorter Catechism, an influential 17th century Protestant document put it like this: “what is the chief end of man?” Which is to say, “what is the meaning of life?” And the answer: “to glorify God, and to enjoy God forever.” That’s the purpose of life. Why we are all here. To glorify God, and enjoy God forever. To receive God’s grace, and to share it with the world. To enjoy light we’ve been given. And to let it shine, so the world knows how good God is. Forever.

Which, if you think about it, it’s a huge relief. Why? Because, according to Jesus the meaning of life, the purpose of living is not something we’ve got to invent or achieve. It’s not something we have to search for or seek out. It’s a God-given gift! One anyone can receive!

Have you made it in life? Have you, as the kids say, made bank? Got everything you ever wanted but find yourself saying “is this all there is?” The answer is no, this isn’t. You can glorify God by practicing generosity, by giving it away. Not only your money, but your time and your talent for the sake of God’s kingdom. Do you have influence? Use it to love your neighbour. Let your light shine and say “it was all Jesus.”

Have you tried to be good, but failed relentlessly, fallen off the wagon again and again and again? so much so that you don’t think you could ever climb back on again? Well, I’ve got news for you. Your life is a testimony to the limitless patience and relentless love of God. God’s already at work in your life, not waiting for you to get your act together. Even now you can let your light shine and say “God must be good, cuz he loves and forgives even a sinner like me.”

If you’re sick. If you’re disabled. If you think you’re too old, too tired, too weak to be of any use. Guess what? You’re still a lamp and you ain’t getting off that easy! Even just coming to church on Sunday says to everybody who walks through this door from toddlers on up that the grace of God is worth getting out of bed for! It says to everybody around that “I trust that God and God’s people are gonna take care of me, no matter what–even when I can’t take care of myself!” If that’s not letting your light shine for the glory of God, I don’t know what is!

And even when you’re dying! Even when you’re dead! After all, yesterday we gathered to give thanks for our dear departed sister Rosemary Carnahan! She’s dead, and yet her life continues to shine because it wasn’t her light but the light of the Lord, one she let shine. Don’t hide your light under a bushel by not having a funeral, either! We can glorify God without even breathing! Cuz the light of the Lord is one that will never. Burn. Out.

We’re the lamps! The light comes to us. Our job is to shine with a light already given, the light of grace. It takes just a pinch of salt to make a meal, and a single lamp to light up a whole room. It’s the highest calling there is, one for even the lowliest pilgrim! Even you!

It’s true. We live in a unique time, one where mere survival gave us instant meaning has for the most part come to an end, at least where we live. And John Maynard Keynes was right, as a result, we’ve been left whole new problems, greed and inequality, not the least of which purposelessness. What is the meaning of life? What are we here for? And it’s also true that we’re given many answer to this question. Ones that just don’t seem to satisfy.

But the good news, dear friends, is that there is indeed a purpose, a meaning to our lives, a very ancient one in fact. And the best part of this good news is that we don’t need to create it or invent it, we don’t need to earn it or achieve it. But it’s a gift from the God we meet in Jesus Christ, Jesus the light of the world, a gift that anyone can receive, any time. All you gotta do is believe it’s yours! 

You are the salt of the earth. You. You are a city on a hill, the light of the world. You, right here, right now. By grace, you’ve been given the light! How are you gonna let it shine?

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

[i] “Why Rich Societies are Breaking Down,” The Liberal Patriot podcast https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/why-rich-societies-are-breaking-down

[ii] “The Shorter Catechism,” in Creeds and Confessions of the PCUSA, 201-221. https://pcusa.org/sites/default/files/boc2016.pdf