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you

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Are the salt of the earth?

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Jesus tells his disciples seated with

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him on the mountain surrounded by crowds of

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people.

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You are the light of the world.

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Today we continue deeper into The Sermon

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on the Mount in Matthew's gospel.

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Having proclaimed a blessing on the poor in spirit,

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mourners the meek,

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those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

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a blessing on the merciful and the pure-hearted, the

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peacemakers and the persecuted,

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Jesus now urges his disciples to embody

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these virtues in their living,

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and in their teaching of others.

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The emphasis is first on conduct

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and second on teaching,

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keeping God's Commandments,

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embodying what God's way of Love In Living

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is primary.

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Jesus likens this to being salt and light.

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"You are the salt of the earth"

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he tells his disciples, "you are the light

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of the world."

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These metaphors are instructive.

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Salt and light are essential but too much

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of them in the wrong places is destructive.

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Too much salt is toxic to our bodies and to

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the land.

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similarly

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as some of us know only too well in these warmer months,

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too much exposure to light damages our skin

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Reflecting on these metaphors leads us away from

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questions about our number or size as

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a church.

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to concentrate instead on matters of

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conduct

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just like salt brings out the flavor in food,

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how we live our lives can bring out the best in our

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communities,love and mercy.

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and as a light brings illumination to

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all in a house,

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how we live

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can help bring clarity and compassionate understanding to

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others.

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Mahatma Gandhi -

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That humble Hindu practitioner of nonviolence a

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himzer in Sanskrit.

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deeply loved The Sermon on the Mount.

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Inspired by its emphasis on the virtues of ethical

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living it said that Gandhi read it

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every day.

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He was especially drawn to the later parts

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of the chapter.

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Verses 38 to 48 which teach love

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for enemy non retaliation and repaying

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evil with good,

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and he insisted on the relevance of

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these teachings both in everyday living and

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in public life.

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Gandhi went on to lead a massive non-violent movement

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that resisted the British occupation of

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India and which in turn has inspired

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numerous other Liberation movements for justice.

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Peace.

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And ecological care over the last hundred

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years.

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Nonviolent resistance is controversial.

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One aspect is to bring to the surface, dramatise

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or illuminate Injustice in

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ways that cannot be ignored.

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The Salt March led by Gandhi

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in opposition to the British Raj

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drew attention to the injustices of colonial rule

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and rallied numerous Indians to the cause.

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Salt was heavily taxed and the government had a stranglehold

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on its production, which impacted on

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the poor particularly.

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The Salt March of 1930 traversing almost

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400 kilometers over several weeks.

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gathered many followers along the way

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and culminated in an act of civil disobedience.

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At the end of the march at Dandi, in defiance

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of the salt laws.

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Gandhi evaporated sea - water to make

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his own salt.

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He held the salty mud aloft and said.

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"With this I am shaking the foundations of the

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British Empire."

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There was International media attention.

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And criticism not least from Winston Churchill.

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Millions of Indians followed suit and made their

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own salt.

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Tens of thousands were arrested.

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The March was a key moment in the raising of

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consciousness and the development of the Indian independence

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struggle.

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"Salt of the earth" indeed

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Scholars of nonviolence who have examined the social

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movements of History

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struggles for civil rights

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Liberation from colonial rule anti-war movements

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Environmental Protection

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say that it takes a couple of percent of the population to mobilise

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non-violently in the name of

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justice and peace to bring about lasting change.

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And aside from any principled commitment

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to non-violence,

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such movements are more likely to achieve their aims than

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those that take up arms.

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The Sermon on the Mount would ring hollow

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if not for Jesus's own way of life in accordance

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with his teachings -

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a life lived in love and service

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offering challenge and provocation to those who profit at the

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expense of others.

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welcoming people considered to be

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unclean and unworthy

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and refusing to react with violence when

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threatened but instead to suffer the consequences.

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This is the Christ crucified,

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who Paul proclaims in the first letter to

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the Corinthians.

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Christ crucified

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the wisdom of God

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foolishness to Conventional wisdom and understandings of

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blessing and reward

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the kingdom of God, which is

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owned, inhabited

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and made real through the lives and examples of

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those who are humbled and persecuted.

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Foolishness, it might be, but deeply in

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continuity with the tradition of the Jewish

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law and the prophets like Isaiah who

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calls on the people.

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to loose the bonds of Injustice

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and let the oppressed go free.

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to share your bread with the hungry

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and bring the homeless poor into your house.

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Such is true worship of God.

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Just like salt brings out flavour in food.

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How we live our lives can bring out

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the best in our communities

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love and mercy

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and as light brings illumination to all

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in a house.

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How we conduct ourselves can help bring clarity and

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compassionate understanding to others.

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By God's grace.

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May it be so