Matthew 5:13-16
By Rev. Nathan Scholl
It has been a hot summer. Thus, my kids like to play in water. One of their favorite ways to play in water is to get out the little plastic pool and fill it with water in the front yard. What fun! But I am always careful to move the pool back to the rocks the same day that the kids brought it out. Why? Because if I don’t, the grass underneath the pool will wither and die. The grass needs light. Light is indispensible to the health, growth and life of my yard. This same principle was true in daily life in Biblical times when it came to salt. Salt was indispensible to the health, growth and life of people. It preserved, it purified, and it fertilized.
Sometimes we like to think God may not want or need us to accomplish his purposes on this earth. But that is not the message of Matthew 5:13-16. Our witness as disciples of Jesus Christ is of vital importance to the world!
Our witness to the world starts with the gracious activity of God. God the Father knows and seeks us, God the Holy Spirit works in and through us, and God the Son died for us and gives us a new life. And with this new life comes a new identity. This new identity is truly a powerful force at work in this harsh and dark world.
We are given the same identity as the first disciples in Matthew 5. We are the salt and the light of the earth. This is a big deal. The mission is to see the world glorify our Father in heaven, and we have been given a key role in that process. We are, every one of us, of vital importance for the accomplishment of God’s purpose in the world. We constitute the salt and light without which the earth cannot survive and remains in darkness. This mission of God is accomplished in the words and deeds of our daily existence. What a privilege!
When people taste and see the Kingdom at work in our words and our lives: They are amazed and curious. They want more. For this, this is real life and real love and real hope found in Jesus Christ alone.
By Rev. Nathan Scholl
It has been a hot summer. Thus, my kids like to play in water. One of their favorite ways to play in water is to get out the little plastic pool and fill it with water in the front yard. What fun! But I am always careful to move the pool back to the rocks the same day that the kids brought it out. Why? Because if I don’t, the grass underneath the pool will wither and die. The grass needs light. Light is indispensible to the health, growth and life of my yard. This same principle was true in daily life in Biblical times when it came to salt. Salt was indispensible to the health, growth and life of people. It preserved, it purified, and it fertilized.
Sometimes we like to think God may not want or need us to accomplish his purposes on this earth. But that is not the message of Matthew 5:13-16. Our witness as disciples of Jesus Christ is of vital importance to the world!
Our witness to the world starts with the gracious activity of God. God the Father knows and seeks us, God the Holy Spirit works in and through us, and God the Son died for us and gives us a new life. And with this new life comes a new identity. This new identity is truly a powerful force at work in this harsh and dark world.
We are given the same identity as the first disciples in Matthew 5. We are the salt and the light of the earth. This is a big deal. The mission is to see the world glorify our Father in heaven, and we have been given a key role in that process. We are, every one of us, of vital importance for the accomplishment of God’s purpose in the world. We constitute the salt and light without which the earth cannot survive and remains in darkness. This mission of God is accomplished in the words and deeds of our daily existence. What a privilege!
When people taste and see the Kingdom at work in our words and our lives: They are amazed and curious. They want more. For this, this is real life and real love and real hope found in Jesus Christ alone.
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