By the Rev. Matthew D. O’Rear
Revised Common Lectionary reflection, Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A
February 8, 2026
Key Verse: “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.” -Matthew 5:13–14
This week’s Lectionary texts are not subtle. Isaiah refuses religious performance that leaves injustice untouched. Jesus refuses discipleship that stays private, polite, or disconnected from real life. Paul insists that God’s wisdom does not arrive dressed as power. And Matthew places these claims squarely in the Sermon on the Mount, before anyone can pretend that following Jesus is mostly about believing the right things rather than living faithfully.
Jesus looks at a gathered crowd and says, “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” These are not compliments. They are callings. Salt and light exist for the sake of others. They are not self-contained. They do not draw attention to themselves. They change what they touch.
Salt flavors, preserves, and resists decay. Light reveals what hides in the dark and helps people find their way. In both images, Jesus assumes disciples will be embedded in the world as it is, not withdrawn from it. These are not communities formed for spiritual escape. They are communities sent into a complicated, unjust, contested world for the sake of its healing.
Isaiah names what happens when faith forgets that calling. People pray, fast, worship, and still ignore the suffering at their doorstep. They talk about God while exploiting workers and turning away from neighbors in need. God’s response is not gentle. “Is this not the fast that I choose?” Loose the bonds of injustice. Share bread. Welcome the homeless. Attend to bodies, not abstractions. Isaiah insists that worship without justice is empty noise.
Jesus does not lower the bar. He raises it. “I have not come to abolish the law,” he says, “but to fulfill it.” Fulfillment, in Matthew’s Gospel, does not mean tightening rules or guarding boundaries. It means interpreting scripture in a way that produces life. Justice, mercy, and faithfulness are the measure. Anything less, no matter how carefully defended, is salt that has lost its saltiness.
This is where stewardship presses in. Stewardship is not first about what we give. It is about how we live. What we preserve. What we illuminate. What we are willing to disrupt for the sake of life. The church is not called to be impressive. It is called to be faithful. And faithfulness, in these texts, looks like communities shaped around justice that actually changes conditions on the ground.
Paul’s words to the Corinthians underline this truth. God’s wisdom does not arrive through domination, rhetoric, or control. It arrives through vulnerability, through the Spirit, through a crucified Messiah. This wisdom cannot be managed or possessed. It must be received, trusted, and lived.
Together, these texts ask a hard question. Not, “Do we believe the right things?” but, “What kind of presence are we in the world?” Are we preserving life or protecting comfort? Are we illuminating truth or hiding behind religious language? Are we practicing a justice that costs us something, or one that leaves existing power untouched?
Jesus’ words make clear that discipleship is public. Salt cannot help if it stays in the jar. Light cannot guide if it is hidden. Faith that does not touch the world’s wounds is not the faith Jesus describes.
In Worship
Worship this week can lean into visibility and embodiment. Hymns that name justice, light, and calling can reinforce the theme. Prayers of intercession can explicitly name places of injustice, hunger, displacement, and violence, echoing Isaiah’s insistence that worship engages real suffering.
A simple ritual action involving light can help worshipers reflect on where God might be calling them to shine beyond the sanctuary. Confession might be framed not only around personal failings, but also communal patterns of silence or avoidance. The sending can emphasize that worship does not end at the door but propels the community outward as salt and light for the sake of the world.
Worship with Youth
Youth often have a strong sense of justice and fairness. Invite them to explore what “salt” and “light” look like in their schools, teams, and online spaces. Where do they see harm being ignored? Where do they see courage making a difference?
Discussion can focus on everyday stewardship, how voices, time, and relationships can be used to protect others. Emphasize that faithfulness is not about being perfect, but about being present and willing to care, even when it is uncomfortable.
Worship with Children
Concrete images work best. Bring salt and a small lamp or flashlight. Ask what salt does to food and what light does in a dark room. Help children see that both are meant to help, not just sit on a shelf.
You might say, “Jesus tells us we are like salt and light, because God uses us to help people and make the world kinder.” Invite them to name simple ways they can help others. Keep the focus on God’s love working through them, not on pressure to do big things. God’s light shines even in small hands.
Previous reflections for Epiphany 5A:
2023 – Let your light shine through neighborly love
2020 – Stewarding and speaking truth in love
2017 – Salt, light, and the fast God chooses
2014 – Fasting God’s way
2011 – Salty saints
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