"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."
Some questions to get us going:
What is your first impression?
What does it mean to be salt/light?
Are you/we salt? How?
Are you/we light? How?
What does this look like in our world today?
What does Jesus want?
What questions would you like to ask others regarding this text?
What about the Amish community vs. Westboro Baptist Church in the recent tragedy?
11 comments:
The salt of the earth has always for me shown just how powerful God can be. From the stand point I have always believed that we are born as being that salt; but through our own actions as we get older we loose that saltyness per say. Yet when we accept our actions and ask for Christ to forgive us we once again become that salt that we were meant to be. The light aspect is very hard to do much of the time; I see it as that this is a directive of the Lord for us to be proactive in our community.
I think to be "salt and light" means to add flavor or preserve. I once heard someone say that the church is to be salt and light by making the world tolerable, by preserving it, in a sense. We're to be Christ's presence in a fallen world, making it more tolerable, and slowing the inevitable decline of a fallen creation.
Donna
I am overwhelmed at the witness that the Amish community has shown the world. They are in a unique situation to be a light for Christ in that the media has not yet looked at them as fair game for "christian bashing." I have many close Amish friends. People who come to my home and eat at my table. It is an incredibly humbling experience to look in their eyes and realize they, too, would forgive. The Amish are not simple people. They have a deep understanding of what it means to live for Christ. It crushes my heart to look inside and realize that my reaction to such a tragedy would be anger and hatred and the haunting "why!!!" Yes, I think I would eventually come to the place that I could accept what God had allowed, but it might take a very long time. The Amish on the other hand because they choose to look different deal with being persecuted from the time they are young children. This gives the parents personal examples to use with their children to teach them that there is a price to pay for shining your light among men. When I look at the Christian church I see people who are so homogenized into our society of self that there is very little room left for serious light.
Your comments concerning the Amish are so ensightful and so full of truth. I much like you would find it hard to accept this situation and forgive so quickly. Your comment about the modern church is true also; I believe that is why it is so hard for many to be a little until to world.
Salt flavors, preserves and creates a thirst. It brings out the flavor in something that is bland and without alot of it's own flavor. It makes something we would pass by and not be interested in taking into our body something we seek out and cannot get enough of. It makes us thirsty. We want water after we have it. Water becomes a need and not just a want. It preserves something that would spoil in just a short time to something that will last and be useful for a long time--even forever. He brings out our flavor by the fact that we all are unique and each brings a special flavor to those around us. Each of us with our own personalities bring something unique to our relationships and acquaintances. Salt is appealing and will attract others and enhance ours and other lives making more of less. It should make those we are in contact with thirsty for more of what we have found. It should create such a thirst that it preserves a soul for God. Something that will last forever. Light illuminates. It is a path in the darkness. It gives the perception of warmth. It draws things to it. It is what we focus on in a picture or from a window. We seek it out when we don't have it. We seem desperate to find it when we need it. We want clean windows to let all the light in that is possible. Noone craves total darkness. There is light in everyone that God has created but sometimes it hides deep inside of them. We need to be the kind of people who draw out that light. We need to make sure the thing that draws others to us is the light of Christ and not our own desire for acceptance or popularity. If our focus is truly on Christ it will reflect in how we live, how we treat others and how we react in our own times of darkness. By doing that we can be a path to Christ in the darkness of this world. Sherron Fields
Put ten people from MCOC in a room with ten people from the world. Could you tell the difference? Could you tell who was "salt" and who was not? Why not or why so?
All I have to do is look at Elizabeth Root and Maxine Pridemore, Phyllis Mundy and so many more and I see all of that. We are so blessed to have so many to look to for salt and light. Effie Inman was a dear friend of ours until her death and was salt and light for our family and we just look to her memory and see God in action. I see so many with smiles and positive attitudes and love in their hearts for others. It is an inspiration to me to get through the week and to try to be what I should be for Him. We are all a work in progress. Sherron Fields
I, too, was touched by the Christ-like reaction of the Amish to the tragedy and the compassion they extended to the family of the disturbed man who killed their children. There's much about the Amish to admire and emulate. But, let's also remember that they do very little (if any)evangelism. They've chosen a lifestyle so insular and so separate from society, that they're not really an effective witness for Christ. I agree that we need to be different and, to a certain extent, counter-cultural. But, to separate yourself from the culture to such an extent that you're an oddity may not do much to serve Christ. I suspect the reason the press doesn't criticize the Amish is because they're so quaint and do so little (usually) to impact society. (DON'T misunderstand me. I'm not bashing the Amish. I'm just trying to look at the whole picture.)
Donna
The Amish community grieving the loss of five girls shot in a schoolhouse say they have been overwhelmed by gifts from the outside world — about $700,000 in donations so far.The money is expected to go toward short- and long-term medical bills, transportation costs, counseling and other needs. At the request of Amish leaders, a fund has also been set up for the gunman's family.Members of the Amish have not sought the gifts, in part because their religion teaches them to care for themselves. But they also believe that giving is a way of grieving and say they do not want to deny others that experience.They believe "it would be un-Christ-like to deny other people the blessing that comes from giving," said Herman Bontrager, a Mennonite businessman who is serving as a spokesman.
The above are lines from an MSNBC story about the out pouring of people outside of the Amish community to the Amish themselves. I understand what is being said about them being so seperate from the world that they may not be a little; but I believe that these acts at this time may be the brightest little that they have ever shown.
Bill services the Amish in Montgomery and the surrounding community with fuel and supplies for their equipment. He has found them to be people who deal honestly, work hard, love their families and extended families, are very creative and have a great sense of humor. Even though they don't make much noise out there in our world, their quiet ways teach us what an impact silence and forbearance have on the world. We may think noone is watching us for an example to follow but each person put on this earth exudes something. I am so glad for their example of Christ-like living in the past week or so, at a time when all we hear is negative reporting about religion. In no way do I think we have to resort to their ways by staying out of the world but sometimes I think we are a little too much a part of it without knowing or even realizing what is happening to us. (I include myself too) Simplicity of the gospel proves that faith is very simple and basic and it all boils down to our hearts and how we treat others and our commitment to our Lord. I too think that the news looks for quaint and unusual things to report and I am sure they find this faith of theirs and ours a curiousity and not something most of them would embrace. Most of them are looking for a story and little more. The recent death of Steve Irwin and how he was dedicated to the cause of wildlife and commited to his family had an effect on me. He used outlandish tactics to get his message across but he was effective, though his focus is not what ours would be. I think of John the Baptist, and how much more unusual could anyone get than him. I think each of us has a purpose here and God has a plan. We each have our own way of spreading salt and light in large and small ways. Sherron
From Diane Slone (earlier today):
Okay..................so I don't know how to "blog" :) but I agree with Sherron and I would add her name to that list. I can't tell you how many times I have looked at her and prayed that God would make me more like she is, kindhearted, loving and more able to forgive and see the good in those around me.
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