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5-Feb-23 (Matthew 5:13-20)

"You are the salt of the earth." "You are the light of the world."
This "you are" language reminds me of another "you are" that the Apostle Paul wrote: "You are the body of Christ."
They all mean the same sort of thing. As imperfect as we are; as hard as we struggle to be more, we are each, right now, part of the presence of God in this world. It's a tremendous responsibility and we need to strive to live into it.
Part of living into it begins right here at the table. As we remember Jesus, we also commit to be more like him. As we think on and see our fellow members of the body of Christ here with us, we commit to be one body; to let go of the divisions and factions between us.
"We are the body of Christ."
Let us pray.

Prayer:

God who sent your son to us to show us how to be one with you and how to truly love each other, we thank you for the great example we have in Jesus. We thank you that your love is not limited by our waywardness. We thank you that your love shines through us, even sometimes in spite of ourselves.
As we take the bread and cup, fill us again with your Spirt, that we may become more fully the body of Christ and be your presence in this world.
In the name of Jesus, our Risen Lord, Amen.