Called Together to Be Salt and Light

From last week's sermon, we were reminded that Jesus recognized people exactly where they were in their struggles and imperfections. He knew the needs of the people around him. He knows our needs too, and he does not ask us to create our own light, just to be part of his, nor does he ask us to be salty for the world on our own. It's a communal thing, and Jesus is always alongside. [00:52:40] (48 seconds)  #JesusAlongside

Today's reading reassures us. Jesus does not say some of you are the salt of the earth. He says, yous, all of us, are the salt of the earth. He does not say, You should try to be salt. He says, You already are salt. We are, we all are the salt of the earth. [00:55:31] (34 seconds)  #AllAreSalt

so I'd like to suggest that each one of you is like one of those little dots of light, All shining away, but you don't have your own light. All the light comes from here. This is our source. So this is like Jesus being the the source, the light of the world. And then each one of these wee dots shines and shines the light of God to the rest of the world. And they all work together. [00:23:07] (35 seconds)  #DotsOfLight

Our faith is meant to influence and touch others. In closing, we know as Christians that we are called to make a difference in the world, and we do our best. Yet, quietly and honestly, many of us feel we don't do enough or as much as we would like. That sense of inadequacy can trouble us, but we do not need to be outstanding or extraordinary. We simply need to live with the awareness that Christ's own love and values are constantly radiating from us communally. Just like those little pinpricks of light that shone through the colander, in small, ways wherever we go. Never underestimate how the Lord can work through you for his glory. [00:54:20] (70 seconds)  #SmallLightsMatter

But our true ministry happens beyond this Sunday service. Our mission is to be the church that seeks to love those outside our walls in our everyday encounters with people we enjoy and people we find difficult, with those we know and those we don't know at all. In short, with everyone we meet, like salt and light, we are meant to be used. [00:53:40] (41 seconds)  #LoveBeyondWalls

In cooking, salt is used, it's added to food to enhance or preserve it. And light only becomes meaningful when it shines into darkness, illuminating what already exists so others can see. Their value lies in relationship, not in isolation. [00:48:33] (29 seconds)  #RelationshipNotIsolation

We don't all do frontline stuff. Others pray and work quietly in the background, just doing their own wee bit in communities all over the place. And the joy of that is knowing that all of this is important, and we do it for each other and for God. [00:52:11] (28 seconds)  #QuietFaithfulWork

We often say that we act on each other's behalf. We can't all do it all of the time. And while one person might be an ecumenical accompanier alongside the people of Palestine, And another might be part of a peace group risking arrest by blockading a nuclear missile site. And another might advise governments on refugee and asylum seeker policy. [00:51:36] (35 seconds)  #ManyWaysToServe