Page 7 - Sojourner Newsletter-Spring 2023 v.3

Volume 100, Issue 2 7

NATIONAL CHAPLAIN’S MESSAGE

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer
good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put
it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine
before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew
5:13-16

A couple of years ago I was driving home down Reynolds Street. It was dark and as I was getting closer to
the Augusta Commons I became apprehensive. Something was not feeling right. Soon, I could barely see a
mass in the road. I turned on my brights so I could clearly see what was ahead of me. Was it debris that I
would have to avoid, would it damage my car? Soon I saw it was probably some homeless person sitting in the
middle of the road gathering up something that had fallen out of his cart. I dimmed my lights and drew closer,
turned on my flashers, and sat there until he was finished repacking his load and moved out of the street.

Jesus in the middle of the beatitudes comments that we are the salt of the earth and to light our lamps and
keep them burning brightly so that all may see. This is probably something we don’t think much about. We
may compare this to being an old salt. We have seen it all, endured it along the way, and may no longer wish
to do it again. We may feel rather crusty and stand-offish. We probably have a whole lot of things running on
autopilot. We are in our little box and very happy with the solitude.

Salt in Jesus’ day was a preservative, used mostly with fish and other meats. A few times Diane and I have
been given salt-cured bacon. What we did not know is that we needed to boil the salt out so it was edible.
Many of us have been out in the yard working, and we begin to sweat, and all of a sudden, our eyes start
burning. Sweat has gotten in our eyes, and they are burning. We may also have a cut or scratch, and salt acts as
an antiseptic. Being in the south, most of us enjoy our grits, but without the salt, pepper, butter, and maybe a
little bit of cheese they are not worth eating.

Was Jesus simply discussing mundane and meaningless things with his friends? The religious authorities
were also among the multitude. Jesus was warning his disciples about the stumbling blocks that lay in front of
them, many of them put there by those authorities. They were being called to a higher calling. They are
experiencing new levels of faith that need to be preserved. There will be many obstacles in front of them,
which they will have to get beyond by not straying. They must also keep the faith pure, after all, salt in its
purest form is simply sodium chloride, a simple compound. Salt can also be used as a fertilizer, which will
allow our faith to grow strong and straight like the mustard seed. Finally, salt in its most diluted form can be
used as a sealant. Our faith, our character, and our integrity can be sealed away from infection and pollution.

The light of Jesus can shine in our lives, searching out all the impurities, the cancers that might be secretly
eating away at our commitment to our living Lord. We are also called to shine our light on the world around
us. There is no telling what may be, an unseen mass, that must be brought to light, otherwise, it may end up
tarnishing or destroying our message. We are the salt of the earth who have a message to be shared with the
world with the light that shines in our lives.

Blessings and shalom my brothers and sisters.

Thom Davies
National Chaplain