Morning Message Text: Matthew 5: 13-1
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Morning Message:
Salt has a number of characteristics that illustrate the Christian’s role in the world. It hinders the spread of corruption; salt has wonderful healing power and can be used as a preservative as it was in ancient times to keep food from spoiling. It creates thirst. If you have ever over-salted your food, you know that the first thing you do after taking a bite is reach for something to drink. It enhances flavor. This is one of those things that you don’t miss until you can’t have it. Anyone who has been put on a low sodium or no sodium diet will tell you how bland everything now tastes without salt. I have learned to not add salt to most things except for fried eggs. I just can’t eat them without salt.
The verses right before this text are the Beatitudes. We should know them well. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Blessed are the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted because of righteousness. When we connect these scriptures, we realize that as Christians, when we live out these
Beatitudes, we are the salt of the earth. Think about it, we hinder the spread of corruption, sin in our world, when we live like this. When we are poor in spirit, when we are mourning and allow Jesus to be our comfort, we are an example to the world. Being meek and merciful, thirsting for righteousness, being peacemakers, being pure in heart. All these characteristics leave no room for sin to enter in. When we live out the Beatitudes people take notice, and they begin to thirst for what we have. The whole world thirsts for the peace that we have found in Jesus. Not only that, but living out our faith in this way becomes very appealing to those who are hurting. They should see our joy, our perseverance, and know that something is different. Our lives are enhanced and flavorful.
I am using things from our devotionals for this week. There is a method to my madness. I hope that as you read these things you are reminded of what I said about them, and in turn, they provoke you to think. Saint Augustine once wrote in praise of God, “Thou hast put salt on our lips, that we may thirst for thee.” That causes me to think. How does God put salt on our lips? What are the ways that God can cause us to thirst for him? There are many things that happen in our lives that turn us toward God. Most of them are lessons and tests that God puts before us which cause us to seek him because we realize that He is the only solution. Our trials and tribulations can sometimes serve as salt on our lips and cause us to thirst for God. Deep in our souls the Holy Spirit causes us to yearn for and to seek God. The devotional says; “Today, we may think about whether we ourselves are truly salt of the earth and about those in our lives who might be whetting our thirst for the things of God. I think that this may be a common theme this Advent season. What we can do for each other to enhance our faith. We should be salt to each other.
Once again from our devotional. Mark 9: 50 says it this way. “Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” What does peace between people have to do with salt? According to the covenant they made with God, the ancient Israelites are to offer all things to God with salt (Leviticus 2:13). These offerings of food with salt should look to us not like a religious ritual but also an act of hospitality, particularly of table fellowship. To “have salt in yourselves” could mean to act in community according to this notion of covenant and hospitality— to be at peace because we are in hospitable friendship with one another. This is a lesson for those of us who often put worship at the center of our faith and pay little to no attention to fellowship. Don’t get me wrong, worship should be at the center of our faith, but I have to admit that many times I am weak on fellowship, and it is so important for our Christian well-being.
We may not think of being at table together, of sharing meals, as an activity in peacemaking or community building, but they often have this function in our society. There is an ancient custom in many parts of the world where bread and salt are offered in welcome or to cement an alliance. Whether it is a holiday dinner, a church potluck, or a diplomatic banquet for heads of state, “having bread and salt between us” expresses the desire for friendship and collaboration as a community. Here, Jesus calls us to put aside our division, to “have salt” and make peace.
We say we want peace. We pray for peace, but do we really seek peace? Peace seems so elusive, so hard to find. We look at the world and it seems to be spinning out of control and exploding all around us. The problems seem too big; the solutions seem so complicated. What can I do? What can we do? I guess all we can do is pray. We can do much more than that. We can be salt and light in this hurting world. We can make a difference one person at a time; one kind act at a time. We can start by caring for each other and showing Christian hospitality right where we are. Somewhere along this journey we have lost the ability to connect with each other and to be welcoming to all people. Hospitality, in speech, or in general, is a deeply Christian, deeply human act.
Peace on earth can begin with us. It can start and be as simple as breaking bread together; having the bread and salt between us. Some wonderful day we will all sit at table together. Our differences will dissolve into thin air, we will once again have salt between us.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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