Secret & Hidden

A Children's Sermon for the 5th Sunday after the Epiphany (RCL A) 2-6-2011

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts: Isaiah 58:1-9a; Psalm 112:1-10; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; Matthew 5:13-20

Title: Secret & Hidden


God speaks to us today. And we are listening.

I lift my voice and I speak to you this morning in the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

I invite all of the young people here today to come forward and sit with me to discuss the Gospel. All of the adults, please, may be seated.

Did any of you hear what Jesus had to say to us today in our Gospel reading?

Jesus said: “You are the salt of the earth! You are the light of the world!”

Wow! That’s awesome! That’s wonderful. The salt of the entire earth! The light of the whole world! Jesus tells us how wonderful and excellent it is to be his people, the community of those who love him and follow him.

That’s a wonderful thing, but what do you think it means to be the salt of the earth? What do you think that means?

Well, to help us all understand this teaching a bit better, I have a taste test for you. Maybe our mouths can help us to understand this better.

Here is one potato chip. And here is another. Please taste each one at a time. Pay attention to anything that might be different.

Do you notice a difference? Which one do you like better? What is the difference? (One batch is unsalted potato chips, and one is flavored with sea salt!)

What difference does the salt make? Let’s talk about the salt. Do you see it? No! It’s hidden. It’s secret! Kind of like God’s wisdom! The apostle Paul teaches us today that God’s wisdom, God’s teaching, is also secret and hidden. Not everyone sees it! Only those who know where to look!

But what else about the salt?

Let me ask you this: when you’re eating potato chips, what’s the most important part? Is it the salt, or the chip?

It’s the chip, of course! A little bit of the salt makes the potato chip better to eat. But it is the chip which matters the most, right? Would you eat just the salt, by itself? No, of course not! You only need a little bit of the salt added to the chip to make it taste really good!

And that is what Jesus teaches to us today! Even though the church is small, what we do is vitally important! We follow Jesus, and he sends us out into the world to make the world better!

The salt is here on the chip to make the chip better. We are here as God’s people to make the world better! After all, Jesus said that we are salt of the earth, and light of the world!

The special flavor and the light that we bring are not for ourselves, but for others! They are to be given away and shared with the people around us every day – people in school with us, our friends, our family, our neighbors.

So, back to the chips. Which one do you like better? Good! Then give one away! Here is an extra chip! Take it back to your seat with you and give it away to someone else! This is practice for what it means to follow Christ. Don't eat this one yourself, but rather give it awy and let someone else enjoy it.

This is Jesus’ idea of what we are to do! He feeds us, and teaches us, and blesses us, so that we might be able to give these things away to others!

This is the goodness that Jesus gives to us when we are baptized, when we learn to live with him every day. Amen.