( Matthew 5:13-16 ) - [ Deutsch ]
When I'm standing on a mountain, I've climbed the mountain and I enjoy it: having arrived, standing on the summit.
When I'm standing on a mountain, I'm at a distance from what's spread out in front of me on the plain.
Many a worry no longer seems so overwhelmingly big.
When I'm standing on a mountain, yes, I feel closer to heaven.
Many a mountain is mentioned in the Bible. Moses receives the tablets with the 10 Commandments on a mountain. Elijah meets God on Mount Horeb and the heavenly Jerusalem is located on Mount Zion.
Today, a colourful group is on its way up a mountain.
And Jesus sits down, as it says in the 5th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, and he taught them.
Away from everyday activities, there is the opportunity to reflect on his life and how it can succeed. Jesus does not teach in secret. But you have to come to him to hear him.
Jesus praises a life that is led in the rules of wisdom. This is not new. For example, the psalmist also confesses in Psalm 1: happy is the man who does not follow the example of the wicked and does not tread the path of sinners.
"You are the salt of the earth." Jesus compares the people who listen to him attentively to salt. The very fact that they have come to him changes them. He encourages them to get involved in social life, but not too intrusively. The world needs salt - people who think with us, feel with us. People who break the ice and change thoughts. People who recognize the right measure and have a keen sense.
"You are the light of the world." Again, the voice of Jesus resounds over the valley. "The city that is on the mountain cannot be hidden. Neither does one light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it shineth unto all that are in the house." (Mt 5:14-15)
Do not put your light under a bushel. This has become a common saying for someone who despises and belittles their own ability. A bushel is a vessel for measuring grain or other goods. It is pointless to hide a light under it. A candle belongs on a candlestick so that it illuminates the room.
"You are the light", Jesus says explicitly. So, the light has long been there, is part of us. Jesus warns: Do not hide it! Do not suffocate it! Pass on the light so that the world becomes bright and warm and friendly.
The first thing God created was light. Then he brought order into the chaos. But life is sometimes hectic, confusing and chaotic. There is so much that distracts us, obscures our view and clouds the light.
Today we are Jesus' listeners, the eavesdroppers, the longing ones.
We come together for worship, light the lights on the altar. They stand for God's presence. The Easter candle reminds us of Jesus' resurrection and Jesus' promise: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them". (Matthew 18:20). That we celebrate here in the name of God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is a sign that we do not give up hope. Of course, we could list so many things that make the world seem dark and hopeless. There are the dark sides, the bitterness, the cruelties and never a guarantee. Forests are burning in hot places on earth. There is war in the world. And now also, and again, the evil game of hunger, especially here on the African continent.
People are fleeing poverty and hunger and war. Many drown or die of thirst in the desert on their way.
Today is the day of the sea rescuers. They risk their lives to save the lives of others in distress at sea. On the Mediterranean and also when a cargo ship burns off the Dutch coast, the sea rescuers are the first on the scene to save people.
In grade 8 we are listening to presentations about people who have become shining examples in the fight against injustice. Among others, Sophie Scholl, Nelson Mandela and the more unknown Miep Gies, who hid Jews during the Second World War and kept the diaries of Anne Frank and was in the public eye until she died in 2010.
The lights do not go out, because again and again there are people who light lights for peace, for the victims of violence and catastrophes, lights that shine far and show compassion: Every light says: You are not alone in your need. See how many people feel with you and share your thoughts and values. This is how we can counter the cruel sides of the world. As long as there are people who care about the fate of others, there is hope. Only in the light can we perceive each other and recognise what is right and what serves the good.
And when we come down from the mountain, strengthened by Jesus, we are sent into the world. And it is important that we say this to each other again and again: You are salt, you are light for this world. That we positively strengthen and encourage one another.
"To the children, so that they, as God's children, help to shape this world and discover the light within themselves. To young people, that they may become self-confident and able to speak out for what moves them. To the adults, that they make decisions that serve others and are not influenced by power thinking. To the elderly, that their experience and wisdom is valued and their work appreciated. To the volunteers, that their work is not in vain but strengthens the community.
This assurance belongs to the dignity of every human being: You are salt for this earth. You are a light in this world! Hence the claim: “Let your light shine before the people so that they see your good works and praise your Father in heaven.”
I end with a quote from Miep Gies that a student mentioned in her presentation and that fits this end of the sermon.
I don`t want to be considered a hero. Imagine young people would grow up with the feeling that you have to be a hero to do your human duty. I am afraid nobody would ever help other people because who is a hero? I was not. I was just an ordinary housewife and secretary. But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room.
Amen
