Sermon on February 8, 2026
“Salt of the Earth”
By: Kimo Kimokeo
Readings: Matthew 5:13-20
Our gospel reading for this Sunday has us continuing in Matthew 5 with Jesus still speaking to the large crowd on the mountain side—a crowd made up of His Disciples, others who are curious, folks who may be just seekers checking this Jesus who has been preaching and healing people of all kinds of ailments in Galilee and an area made up of ten cities called the Decopolis, as well as Jerusalem, Judea and scripture says beyond the Jordan.
Though there were different reasons for those in the crowd being there we need to remember the people in the crowd had many things in common: most likely they are Jewish, they are marginalized, and seeking hope, relief and rescue while living under the oppressive grip of the Roman Empire, probably enduring not only violence but also economic hardship, and trying to live in a world where power and wealth prevailed.
Today in verse 13 of Matthew 5, we find Jesus as he continues to preach, telling them—telling us—”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 under foot.” Hmm. Jesus goes on to say, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand 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.”
Now, full disclosure from Kimo here, who is English grammar challenged, but as I was reading through some commentaries, it was made apparent to me that I missed the whole difference in the second person, singular and second person plural. Still in the fog, I was helped out by the commentary that said colloquially it was like Jesus was saying , “Ya’all.” It was he was saying “Ya’all are salt, and light. Okay, I GET IT! NO INDIVIDUAL IS LIGHT and SALT IT’S DONE IN COMMUNITY.
I sometimes like Eugene Peterson’s The Message. It is not a translation of scripture but is a paraphrase into a more contemporary language, and The Message has this paraphrase of Matthew 5:13-16: “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be the salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.
And it makes a lot of sense to me. In my cooking I know recipes never call for a grain of salt but a pinch of salt, or an 1/8 teaspoon of salt and so on.
So, I am thinking a good example of this is “Every Person, Every Week, One Food Item” that we see at the Jerry Hulbert Food Collection. All those individual donated items add up and make a difference to the various food banks that St. Martin’s helps with. Or how about that committed crew of folks who knit and crochet those beautiful prayer shawls that the rest of us can use or pass out to those we know can use a reminder that they are cared for and prayed for. In fact, Margaret Hill said they gather on the first Wednesday of the month from 9:30 to 11am. All are welcome to get materials to make those shawls.
As we heard last week, the salt and light of St. Martin’s help support the Undocumented Student Resource Center at UC Davis and the Community Harvest of Davis. These are just a few examples of opportunities to be that salt and light in our community. Today the Episcopal Church is observing Migration with Dignity Sunday, calling attention to the challenges of global migration in a new way and aligning with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This all stems from a resolution at the 81st General Convention in June of 2024.
In a lot of ways I connect with immigrants, because in 1955 when James and Ida Kimokeo took a gamble in hopes of better opportunity left the Island of Kauai of the then U.S. Territory of Hawaii and boarded an eight hour flight from Honolulu, HI to Portland, OR. Like many immigrants today when my mother, father, sister and I left Kauai, we really especially my parents, left EVERYTHING. They left family, community, and backup support of friends. They left their language, familiar foods, and climate. My father landed a low-level job with the US Army Corps. of Engineers, which seemed to offer more than a plantation job back on Kauai. Thankfully, they found a house that we could rent in a neighborhood of Portland that allowed “colored people” to live. I later learned from Sacred Ground that this area was “yellow lined,” as opposed to red lined. It was a neighborhood of declining property values.
Eventually trying to purchase a home in a “yellow lined” area was a challenge. Though my father was an honorably discharged WWII Veteran he could no take advantage of the GI loan program because banks would not finance homes in a yellow lined neighborhood. I wish I had time to tell you more about those years of transition—of how my parents navigated through incredible social, economic and cultural hurdles back then. But the good news is, we were blessed. We benefitted from a community of neighbors who were the salt and light for the Kimokeo family.
Today, immigrants face a different United States than in 1955 and this is a reason the Episcopal Church observes a day of Migration with Dignity. Earlier this week, I received an email on a webinar being offered this Wednesday, February 11, put on by the Office of Racial Reconciliation. It’s titled, “Wondering what you can do to help vulnerable neighbors? Webinar offering tips , and information. Here’s another opportunity to be salt and light.
In the meantime we can all heed the words of Craig Loya, Bishop of Minnesota, “By resisting with love, disrupting with hope, and agitating with joy!
Amen.
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