Parables of Jesus - Salt & Light

I had a youth pastor that would call us piles of poop- not to be mean, and probably not in those words! But as Christians, he would tell us that we could either go be fertilizer and grow relationships beyond our comfortable circles, or stick together as "holy huddles" and smell bad. I can't tell you why this visual has stuck with me for over 15 years now, but it has, and it actually works for me.

As I got older, and began experiencing this concept of holy...poop, I would realize that this was indeed a true comparison for a lot of people. I saw impacts made by people simply leaving their circles of Sunday morning and small groups, to love on someone else in their lives that didn't attend those things, and suddenly that person was signed up for everything in church. They bought in because someone showed them there is more that a religion at stake. There is powerful relationship.

On the flip side, I've seen cliquey Christians, who never left their circles, and without even knowing it, turned someone off to that life. I've seen circles formed at churches while a lonely new person stands on the outskirts against the wall, and I can't say I've ever seen that person again. It's a hard habit to break, because the people in your circle are the people you truly love. Maybe they've gotten you through the "poop" of life and have had huge impacts on you. But we need to realize that there are people outside the circles, standing right there - whether on Sunday mornings right inside your church building, or right outside the walls of your church, somewhere in your life, who now need help getting through their "poop".


Jesus tells us in His Sermon on the Mount the following:

“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 by men.You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16)

Salt, intended to give flavor and preserve, can become useless if other chemicals get to it. Jesus uses this visual on purpose because He wants us to go out into the world, beyond our huddles, but He doesn't want us to get sucked into the world. This doesn't mean we build forts around our churches to keep the world out, but it means we rise above the temptations, worries, and desires of the world. Have a faith so strong that you don't need to worry about being pulled down into the petty things. Salt is only useful if you actually put it on food, or if you're in Michigan, on ice. It doesn't do much good sitting around in the container. In fact, it can clump up and eventually stop being good for anything. 

Light is another great visual here. I can't tell you how many times I stumble around my house in the morning and late at night, simply because I am trying to find a light switch. That flashlight feature on my phone is probably used the most. But this is similar for people who don't see the Hope of life. There is a trapped feeling in this world when the bottom falls out, but if you know Christ and if you have eternal perspective, you know that this world is not the end. There are better and more exciting things awaiting us after this life. The problem is we don't share our hope with anyone else. We clump up and get excited together in our huddles and small groups, but we fail to go beyond and share our stories of the time our bottom of life fell out, but hope prevailed with people who need a taste of hope. Don't hide your light in a church building, or at home. Share it. Let others who feel hopeless see the light. 

Scripture to Read:
Matthew 5:13-16, John 8:12

Questions to Ponder:
Who is someone you can think of that needs some hope? How can you invite them into the hope you have without overloading them?
According to John 8:12, where does our light come from? Why must we never boast about it being "our" light? How is this accomplished?
Take some time to consider your story. How does God's light shine through it?