Mind Meld of A Different Kind

MATTHEW 5:13-16

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Salt and Light

While I was in seminary I began cooking more since I was home before Karen most nights. I would watch some of the cooking shows and try to copy their recipes. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it was disaster. My favorite cooking show is Iron Chef America.

I have watched several episodes of Iron chef and at the end of the show the judges sample the food and give their remarks. The comments are all directed at the judge, whether the flavors and ingredients used bring compliments or criticism.

Jesus told the crowd, let your light shine before men so that they may see your good works and praise your father in heaven. In other words, we are just the ingredients in the world. When we respond to the preparation of the great chef (God), He should get the credit. We are only doing what we are supposed to. Salt is supposed to taste salty. Light is supposed to pierce the darkness.

So why not let the chef worry about the final presentation of the meal and how it tastes in the mouths of others and instead simply be good ingredients that respond to the chef’s preparation. The world will surely get a taste of something great.

God your recipe sometimes calls me to be an ingredient I would rather not be. Give me the grace and love to be the ingredient of your choosing in the recipe of your choosing. - Dan Jones

Pass the salt please.

I love salt I lots of food. I know, I know, my heart and arteries don’t share my delight. This summer I’ve especially enjoyed western New York tomatoes – with salt on them. Salt is all about flavor for me. When Jesus spoke these words salt also played a key role as a preservative.

Following Jesus results in a life that helps preserve the world around me and flavor it so that others not only have a better world to live in because of me, but a more delightful world. How do I do this?

I think the clue comes when Jesus shifts the metaphor to light. I accomplish my salty mission by shining the light of my good deeds on the world. Truly caring about people and doing those things that will increase their experience of justice and mercy, these kinds of actions cause others to think about things beyond themselves.

We sang a 1970’s song in church yesterday. “They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love.” The words guided all of us into the commitment to “guard each man’s (person’s) dignity and save each man’s (person’s) pride.” I think this is salt and light stuff. And I suspect this involves both actions directed at individuals and on behalf of individuals.

Salt and Light mean working for justice and mercy through helping social systems becoming more just as much, perhaps more, than it means acting mercifully and justly in my own interaction with others.

Lord, grant that the way I vote this fall contribute to greater justice and mercy in our culture. And show me ways you want me to maximize my saltiness through my own good deeds. - Mike Leamon