“Jesus said “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 underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it 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
Back in May of 1983 when I was a very young pastor… the great Russian author and political dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion and in London in front of Prince Phillip… husband to then Queen Elizabeth he shared these words…
“Your Royal Highness: Permit me to express my appreciation to you for taking part in this ceremony. Your participation lends special dignity to these proceedings. This is the first time that the Templeton Prize has been awarded to an Orthodox Christian. With gratitude that our share in the religious life of the world has now been accorded notice, I remain acutely conscious of my personal unworthiness to receive this award as I look back upon the venerable line of outstanding Orthodox churchmen and of Orthodox thinkers.”
He then went on to explain about the state of Eastern Slavic Orthodoxy, which, during the 65 years of Communist rule, had been subjected to persecution even fiercer and more extensive than that of early Christian times and how unworthy he felt receiving such a prestigious award… and as I read his words… I thought of the prophet Micah… do justice… love mercy… walk humbly with your God… and then Solzhenitsyn went on to describe how the Patriarch of Kiev had been shot outside the walls of the monastery and how the intrepid priest Gleb Yakunin was enduring torments under current Russian rule… being forcibly deprived of all outward symbols of his priesthood, and even of the right to have the Gospels and that Father Yakunin had for months at a time been held in a freezing stone cubicle, without bed, clothes, or food. The truth matters.
And then he continued… sharing how Orthodox churches were stripped of their valuables in 1922 at the instigation of Lenin and Trotsky. In subsequent years, including both the Stalin and the Khrushchev periods, tens of thousands of churches were torn down or desecrated, leaving behind a disfigured wasteland that bore no resemblance to the Russia which had stood for centuries. Entire districts and cities of half a million inhabitants were left without a single church as the people were condemned to live in a dark and mute wilderness for decades, groping their way to God and keeping to their course only by trial and error… finishing his description by saying… “The grip of oppression that we have lived under, and continue to live under, has been so great that religion, instead of leading to a free blossoming of the spirit, has been manifested in asserting the faith on the brink of destruction…”
And as he painted a bleak picture of this faith life… he gave one simple reason… “More than half a century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of elders offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: ‘The people have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.’”
Jesus said to anyone who has ears… BE SALT… BE LIGHT! We cannot live without them. And so… instead of going looking for salt and instead of going looking for light … Jesus reminds us we already are… called to be salt and light for all… going into the world to help others see the goodness of God… adding flavor and to help preserve the goodness of God’s world…
Mr. Solzhenitsyn told of terrible circumstances. He was right. This happened because the people forgot about God. Maybe it’s happening again. But you are salt… you are light! Be Salty. Stay Lit! You are. Now! Today! Trust Jesus! Faith matters!
