Lent

Salt & LIght

 
Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16
Lent is the time of the church year where we are intentional in straightening out our priorities. We focus on personal spiritual inventories. We ask Jesus to show us areas of our lives not like him, then ask God to heal these areas.
In our scripture today, Jesus is trying to help us see what and who we are…
You ARE the salt of the earth.
You ARE the light of the world.
The language of our passage is telling us who we are as Christ followers and as the Church.  This is giving us our identity. So, before we get to the Sermon on the Mount with its commands, Jesus first tells us that we are blessed, and we are loved. This is grace.
Salt: preserves, flavors and seasons.  Christ followers are called to do the same to the world. By our difference in living Jesus, we are to flavor our community with the life of Jesus.
Light: No one hides a lamp. The very purpose of a lamp is to give light so that we can see. Christ followers are called to reflect the life of Jesus. The church is called to catch the attention of a world full of disorder and brokenness to shine the life-giving love of Jesus.
When we read Matthew chapters 5-7 we see what this salt and light life (the “good works” mentioned in v16) will consist of: the radical life and ways of Jesus. For us to live this life we must get the foundation right. That foundation is: Jesus loves us before he sends us. And when he does send us we believe that his “yoke is easy, and his burdens are light” (Mt. 11:28-30).
This is about what we do, but its also (and more so) about the condition of our hearts – as in, are allowing Jesus to make us flavorsome salt and are we allowing Jesus to make us bright lights? The warning in this passage is blunt. Don’t be tasteless salt and don’t be invisible light or “Christians are in danger, if they do not live as Christians”.
Jesus makes us salt and makes us light. Your purpose in life is to simply and genuinely follow Jesus.  In following Jesus, your life will call attention to God and He will be glorified.
May we, during this Lenten season, empty from our lives of all things that hamper and hinder the saltiness and brightness of our witness. May we live the radical life of Jesus.  May we be disciples of Jesus that are tasty salt and bright lights that live God’s kingdom values on earth.