Declared to Be Salt

Called to Bring Out the Flavor of Jesus in the World

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Knowing What Kind of Salt You Have

Some of you know I like to cook. Today, I’d like to talk with you about a very important tool in cooking … salt.

I’ve got several different kinds of salt in my kitchen: table salt, kosher salt, sea salt, Himalayan sea salt, and a smattering of other smoked salts and finishing salts. Some of you may also use salt for a water softener. This time of year, we are also familiar with the salt we use to melt snow and ice.

It helps to know what kind of salt you have in order to know how best to use it. I don’t want to use de-icing salt to make bread, for example.

The salt we use for food has a purpose. It gives flavor. It preserves food. We salt pasta water to make really tasty pasta.

You can use the salt—or you can choose to leave it on a shelf. That doesn’t mean it stops being salt; it just means you’re not using the salt for one of its intended purposes.

A Declaration, Not a Condition

Jesus says to his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth. Notice that Jesus is making a declaration of fact. He didn’t say: “You might be the salt of the earth,” “You might become the salt of the earth,” or “If you’re really, really good and do all the right things… after an as-yet undetermined probationary period… then you’ll be salt.”

Instead, Jesus simply tells us, “You are the salt of the earth.” Jesus also says, “You are the light of the world.” Both of these are declarations, not questions or conditions.

Salt and light—these words function as both noun and verb. The noun describes what something is. The verb describes what it does.

Different Salts, Different Purposes

So, does Jesus declare that you and I are salt? Yes. But we know there are different kinds of salt. Does Jesus need all of us to be the same kind of salt, the same amount of salt, and serve the same purpose?

When I add salt to something I’m cooking, my goal isn’t for my guests to say, “Oooo… that’s some good salt!” No. I want the salt to bring out the flavors that are already there. Salt isn’t about itself; it’s about enhancing something else.

When we are salt of the earth, our goal isn’t for people to say, “Wow! Now that’s a salty Christian!” Our goal is to so season the world around us—and the circumstances we’re involved in—that people taste and see the goodness of God. We want people to be able to taste the presence of God in every aspect of life and see how God’s presence enhances life.

Salt on the Shelf—or Salt in Use?

We have the ability to choose whether we’re going to use our salt in the world or leave it on the shelf. I wonder if this what Jesus meant when he talked about salt losing its saltiness—simply that it’s not being used?

Salt for the Sake of Others

At the opening ceremony for the Olympics, IOC President Kirsty Coventry referenced the African concept of Ubuntu, which means, “I am because we are.” She said “we can only rise by lifting others, and that our strength comes from caring for each other.”

We’re all tired of hearing people divide into sides. It is precisely for such a time as this that the Church exists. It’s for such a time as this that you and I are declared to be the salt of the earth—and called to use it. We are declared to be the light of the world—and therefore called to shine.

What Kind of Salt Are You?

So, what kind of salt are you? In other words, what are your gifts and passions for bringing out the flavor of God’s love that’s already present?

Then, find others with similar gifts. We add our teaspoon of salt to another person’s half-teaspoon and another person’s tablespoon. Before long, we’ve got a good bit of salt—and you can really do a lot of seasoning with that.

As a noun, we are salt. As a verb, we season the world with the love, mercy, justice, grace, humility and faith of Jesus.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.