SERMONS

Painting by Edward Riojas We had to transfer our Ash Wednesday to Thursday this week. I was glad so many of you were able to come then, for the important beginning to the season of Lent. You heard the words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." I said them to you as I thumbed ash into your forehead. It's a reminder of our frailty, of our mortality. We are people whose bodies will die one day, and go back to the dirt. Modern funeral rituals and

"The Transfiguration of Christ" by Carl Bloch, 1872 Even with the record warmth this week, we know winter is not yet over. There’s snow and cold to come—but we can feel the warmth in the sun. We can see the longer light in the evenings. We know that spring is not far off as we make the turn into Lent this week, the very name coming from the word “lengthen.” And so we are brought to today, the end of the church season of Epiphany, a funny word, but one that indicates a season

“You are the salt of the earth,” Jesus says. “You are the light of the world.” These days we summon light with the flick of a switch, and if we’re at all concerned about salt it’s that the doctor said we eat too much of it. But 2,000 years ago, salt and light were rare, precious, and indispensable for life. Our word “salary” comes from the time when salt was so precious, it was used as payment for work. And in a world without refrigeration, salt was crucial for preserving per