Sometime around 30 years old Jesus started his ministry on earth. You can find his first major corporate teaching in Matthew 5, the famous “sermon on the mount.” Right after he goes through these revolutionary ideas called the beatitudes, he narrows things down and tells the people what will happen when they live this way. He spoke of how when someone chooses to live life in the way that his God has uniquely designed them to, they become this humanity preserver, like salt for humanity. These “kingdom people” (if you will) have been around for centuries, as committed followers of Christ (probably not much the ones we see on TV), they bring out the good, the pure, the funny, the exciting, the artistic, the beautiful, the magical and majestic, all that is true, everything that reeks of love and grace, they bring that out in the world. Just as light illuminates something that is there, and brings it to life, so do they. They breath hope into souls when there is despair, they speak gently yet with an assurance and boldness that we long for. There is a certain leadership in them that we want to follow because it is accompanied by such a unique humility. Just as salt and light are not the focus, they too can fade in the distance, but their impact is undeniable. Yet every once in a while, probably more often these days then they like, they have to defend their faith because others have given them a bad name.

Have you ever taken a spoon full of salt into your mouth?…

Have you ever had a flash light pointed right in your face?…

There is an appropriate way to live this radical life that Jesus called us to over 2,000 years ago. I don’t assume to know exactly how to do it, but I long to walk in the world the way he did! It is not easy to strive to do that in today’s culture, but I am certain it has always been that way, and always will be for every part of the world. Sometimes I feel uneasy about other peoples experiences that they associate with Jesus, because I know that sometimes people can come off much more like a spoon full of salt rather than a pinch of it in your dinner. Salt and light are vital in our existence, maybe salt is not as much now as it used to be, yet it certainly adds a lot to our lives. I hope that the Christ followers you know would personify what it means to be salt of the earth and light of the world, just as Jesus longs for them to be.

If you think things don’t look this way now, may it start with you…