2-4-14 - Salt

Salt and light. Jesus turns to these metaphors to explain what his followers are to be:
“You are the salt of the earth…”

As we know, salt has many functions – flavor-enhancer, food-preserver, fluid-retainer are a few that come to mind. Jesus appears here to refer chiefly to the first – an agent that adds flavor to food, and brings out the flavors in other ingredients. I think he is suggesting that this is a critical function of religious communities – that they both add and elicit flavor. And if they’re bland or watered down… forget it.

Jesus sounds pretty harsh about the consequences of salt having lost its flavor.  
“…but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot." Is he talking about the lukewarm, semi-corrupt religious leadership of Israel in his day? Is he warning his followers to maintain their character no matter what comes at them?

How do we interpret this call to be “salt” in our spiritual lives and communities? 
First, we might think about where we add flavor and zest. What sectors of your life do you enliven because of who you are, and because of your connection to God? Work, school, family, ministry, play, church – these are a couple of spheres; you might name more. Are there any you can think of that need pepping up? You might ask God to show you how God can work through you in those spheres.

And how about this second function of salt, to bring out the natural flavors of other ingredients. 
How do you elicit the gifts and enthusiasms and generosity of the people with whom you interact in those spheres? How does – or doesn’t – your faith community do that within its larger context?

If you want to play with this metaphor, write out a recipe for a stew, including all the “ingredients” that are around you in one or more of those spheres. Who is adding salt to your life? Who is bringing forth your natural flavors? Does the interaction work to make something greater than the parts?

At its most basic level, I believe this teaching of Jesus reminds us that our spiritual engagements need to be full of life and flavor, not rote, dull, lukewarm, complacent, or tired. I’d go further: I think God wants our whole lives to reflect the savory flavor of God’s love and mercy, justice and peace - and we're how that flavor gets in to what God is cooking up.

So into the shaker we go - get ready to be sprinkled.