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The Salt of the Earth by Rev. Tina Blair 6 May 2007 Texts:  Matthew 5:13-16; 13:33-35; Colossians 4:2-6 © 2007 Tina Blair

Once upon a time, there was a king who had three daughters; he wanted to know if they really loved him. So he called them together and asked: “Do you love me?” “Of course we do!” they exclaimed. “Well then, how much do you love me?” The oldest exclaimed, “Oh, Papa, I love you as much as all the gold in the world!” The second replied, “Papa, I love you more than all the diamonds and rubies and emeralds in the world!” The king turned to his third daughter and said, “You have been very quiet. What about you?” Now this daughter was his favorite and she loved him very much. After a long pause, she replied, “Papa, I love you as much as meat loves salt.” Well, the king thought this was a very poor response. In disappointment and anger he cast her out of the palace.

The fairy tale continues with her many adventures, but the day comes when she has found her prince and invites her father to her wedding – not revealing to him who she really is. Instead, when he arrives she remains hidden. That night at dinner, every dish that is served is prepared without a bit of salt. By the end of the meal, the king is complaining bitterly. “Oh what I would give for some salt in my meat!” he exclaims – and then realizing what he has just said and how unfairly he had treated his daughter, weeps bitterly. At that point, however, the daughter comes out of hiding, they embrace, and they all live happily ever after.

This story was a favorite of mine when I was growing up and I am grateful to it, for it helped me to grasp quickly some of the meaning of Jesus’ little parable about salt. “You are the salt of the earth,” he states to his followers. In today’s world, it may be hard to grasp how significant this is -- today salt is plentiful, available in all sorts of forms, and we are using too much of it in our food, thereby causing a variety of health problems. But in ancient times, and until fairly recently in human history, salt was precious. Salt was so precious that the Greeks called it the substance of the gods; it was so precious that it was used for money, considered more valuable than gold. We need to understand the importance of salt in order to understand what Jesus is telling us with the words, “You are the salt of the earth.”

First, salt is essential for life. We humans need salt to keep our bodies from losing water; without some salt in our bodies, we will die. Second, salt is essential in order to preserve food. Think of what fishermen would have done without salt to preserve their cod! Third, salt, which is made up of shiny and bright crystals, was a symbol of purity in and around the time of Jesus. And finally, as we have seen in our fairy tale, salt is necessary to bring out the best flavors in food. It is used as a metaphor for earthy speech or clever thought since it brings flavor to verbal conversation. Given all these properties of salt, what does it mean for us to be “the salt of the earth?”

An easy way to remember what it means to be salt of the earth is to take each letter of the word “salt,” and use it as an acronym: “S,” for example: it stands for salvation. Just as salt is necessary for our physical bodies to live, so is salvation necessary for our souls to live. Human beings are desperate for love and acceptance – a necessary ingredient in order to live. We long for meaningful and abundant life in this life and eternal life in the next. We yearn to use our gifts to make a difference in the world. And that is exactly what we have to offer: all that human beings yearn for the depth of their souls – love, meaning, purpose, and eternal life – in other words, salvation, through the love and grace of God in Christ Jesus.

How are you, as the salt of the earth, sharing this good news of salvation with others? You don’t have to use big words or “churchy” words, you know. You don’t have to hit people over the head with heavy biblical quotes. But are you able to put into contemporary understandable language why you are a Christian, if someone asks you? Across the years quite a few people have said things to me like, “Are you still into that Christian thing?” Or, “I don’t know about God; no one can understand who God is.” Or, “I don’t really think it matters what we believe.” How do we respond to statements like that? How can we communicate that big word “salvation” in a simple, heart-felt and loving way, sharing our personal experience of knowing and feeling the love of God through Christ Jesus? Can you do that? Have you practiced? You are the salt of the earth! Offer life to those you are with in your corner of the world!

Next let’s take the “A” of SALT. I have chosen to have this represent the phrase “ancient texts” – salt, as you know, preserves. We are preserving and passing on the most precious set of texts in existence – the Bible – the Old and New Testaments. Through these ancient texts we encounter God and hear God’s voice. Through these ancient texts we join the communities of the faithful followers of God, from the time of Abraham to Deborah, from David to Malachi, from Elizabeth to John, from Peter to Phoebe, from Priscilla to Paul. Immersed in these ancient texts we know that we are on the right path, the good path, as followers of God and of God’s Son. And so, as salt, we are preservers of a very precious, ancient tradition.

Do you know these texts? Are you plunging into these writings on a daily or weekly basis? Are you in conversation with a study group to understand them, guided by the Holy Spirit? Because these are living texts, and the Spirit of God works through them. And therefore you can’t simply memorize them, once and for all. God’s Spirit speaks in both old and new ways through these texts in each generation. They have to be studied, prayerfully and with a group to help us confront and counter our cultural prejudices and our personal blind spots. That’s why Bible study in this church is rich, even as it is challenging: with so many cultures represented in one group, we bring many different insights – and God’s voice is less limited and we are able to grow in faith in exciting ways. God’s Spirit speaks through the Bible, through these ancient living texts, to bring in God’s new creation. Are you preserving these ancient texts? Are you listening for God’s living Word speaking through them to this generation, here and now in the year 2007? Hold on to this ancient treasure and pass them on to the next generation: you are the salt of the earth!

The “L” in SALT stands for “living” and “loving.” How we live, how we treat others, how we do business – how we live life, day in and day out, makes a difference. Such living means listening to God through prayer and study. Such living means acting as children of God, as Jesus describes in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in heart,” he says. “Blessed are the meek; blessed are the peacemakers; blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” he states. Salt, shining bright white crystals, symbolizes purity: are we poor in heart, putting God first, rather than ourselves? Are we meek, in other words, are we gentle and kind and thoughtful? Are we peacemakers, rather than sources of conflict? Do we hunger for what is right – acting honestly and justly and working for justice and mercy for others – all in the name of God’s love? That’s how we, salt of the earth, are to act.

In China, I have been told, Christians are not allowed to evangelize by publicly preaching or sharing their faith. But the church has grown. It has grown, apparently, because Chinese Christians are so honest and ethical on a personal and on a business level that people have asked them why they behave in this astounding manner. And then they have been able to share their faith with those persons.

Are we so honest and ethical that people want to find out what motivates us to act that way? Are we so on fire for justice and peace that people see Christ working through us? It has often been church people who have worked for social transformation and for just causes: the care of the poor and hospices for the dying have come from the church; the push to abolish slavery in England and in the United States was led by church groups; equality for women has grown out of biblical traditions. In the 1980s Presbyterian and Methodist-led church groups in the United States worked and prayed to stop their government’s involvement on the side of oppressive governments in Central America. Marvin and I joined these people of faith to work for justice, linking up with our Christian sisters and brothers in those countries. I visited some of these Christian people in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Their profound faith in Jesus gave them the strength and vision, drawn from the Bible, to struggle for justice and freedom from oppression for their children and themselves. Their faith and their courage were overwhelming – meeting and worshipping with them was a life-changing experience. As a result of encounters with these people who were the “salt of the earth” my faith took even deeper root.

Honesty, integrity, kindness and gentleness, works promoting justice and peace – the good and righteous work that God requires of us -- that is what the salt of the earth should sparkle with! “Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” said Jesus. Sparkle and shine with your loving goodness! You are the salt of the earth!

But we most love salt for the way that it enhances the flavor of our food. It brings out the full flavors in good cuisine; it transforms what we eat from bland to tasty; it brings out the true flavors of the dishes. So the “T” in SALT stands for transformation. That’s what God is doing for us through Christ Jesus. God is bringing out the best in us. As God reshapes us through the Son with his love and forgiveness, with his grace and truth, God brings out the full flavor in us – our true flavor as beings created in God’s image and likeness, as God’s children and heirs, as at the beginning of creation before sin invaded it. Furthermore, through God’s transforming power in Christ we are given the power and grace to bring out the best, the image of God, in other people. And this transforms lives.

Is your love of Jesus Christ helping you to treat the people you know in a way that will help them to change for the better as they mature in faith? Are we being Christ-like enough that others want to be Christ-like also? We are the salt of the earth and we are called to help the Master Cook bring out the true flavor of God’s creation.

These are the tasks we have as salt of the earth: S -- bringing the good news of God’s saving love in Christ, A -- preserving the ancient living texts of our faith, L -- living a life of shining good works, T -- helping God to transform this world into its true good flavor. As I ponder these it strikes me that there is a central ingredient that adds the bright sparkle to our saltiness: the ingredient of joy. Jesus talked about joy, didn’t he? As when he taught his disciples, saying, “Ask and you will receive so that your joy may be complete.” Jesus also spoke of joy when he prayed to the Father, hoping that his disciples might have his, Jesus’, joy made complete in themselves.

At the heart of our faith is joy which springs from God’s joy in all that God has created. God loves this creation and takes joy in it. Jesus carried this same joy and passed it on to us, the salt of the earth. We have his joy, the joy of knowing ourselves accepted and loved and held forever in God’s good hands. So let’s open ourselves up to the joy of the Risen Son. Let us fill ourselves with the joy of knowing God’s redemption and love. Let’s sparkle with joy. Let’s pour the flavor of joy into this sad bland world. Then we will truly be the salt of the earth. Amen.