BUMP Twin Cities: Salt in the Shaker

Salt in the Shaker

“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. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. 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

Jesus warns his disciples about two opposite dangers: Failed salt and failed light. Salt can loose its saltiness and become useless. Light can be hidden and become pointless. As Christians, we can blend in so much with the world that we lose our saltiness, and become useless. So it is important to "keep oneself unstained from the world" (James 1:27). However, we can also remove ourselves so much from 0ur neighbors that our light becomes hidden, and we become pointless. So it is important to seek out the lost with the love of Christ.

Every Christian tends more towards one of these dangers than the others. Some are very happy to spend time with non-Christians but struggle to display allegiance to King Jesus consistently. Others are very focused on staying different from the world but insist on doing this by never coming in contact with people who challenge their faith and morals.

My personal tendency is to focus on becoming the best salt I can possibly be but to stay in the salt shaker. That doesn't feel silly on a day to day basis. However, when I think about it in Jesus' terms, I realize that it is rediculous. Salt is meant to be applied! Christians are meant to be loving and serving their neightbors! BUMP is a time to for myself and the rest of my team to be challenged. We get to pursue the blessings of greater faithfulness to our calling as salt and light.

Tonight we will do this through New Salem Church's Block Party. This is a chance for us to invite the whole neighborhood to New Salem Church , to serve them, get to know them, and show them love. This is a chance for us to let our light shine before others. This will be a goal for the whole week. Shining this light will also give us a chance to be salt. It will give us a chance to proclaim the good news and show off what is different about the church.

I love the way that BUMP embraces both sides of Jesus's command to be salt and light. I pray that our group will be formed into more matures disciples because of this week. We want to be salt and light. Servants of a different King by serving all the people he brings out way.