One Minute Message: Salt and Light

Notes from a One Minute Message I did at church a few weeks ago.  These are targeted to children in the congregation, but we deliver them to the whole congregation.

Part of today’s gospel according to me:  You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?  You are the light of the world.  Do people light a lamp and put it under a basket? Or do they set it on stand so that it gives light to the whole house?  (From Matthew 5)

I need a volunteer.  Will someone help me? You don’t need to sing or dance, just eat a cracker? (ask person to taste a salt-less saltine)

Does the cracker taste OK? Or is it missing something? It’s a saltine but it is missing salt.  It doesn’t really live up to its name, does it?

Steve’s grandmother always said that all recipes need salt.  Without salt, any food is going to taste flat.

So, now, look around the room.  When the sun is out and it shines through our windows, they are beautiful.  When it is gloomy or dark outside, the windows lose their beauty.

I think salt and light are analogies for love.  We are love in the world. We sang a few weeks ago that the world will know we are Christians by our love.

But when we fail to be salt, and when we fail to shine, we don’t live up to our name.

Just like in the old Wendy’s commercial where the older woman would say, “Where’s the beef!” when we don’t live up to our name, the world will say “Where is the love?”

Because we are it.  Where will you be salty today? Where will you shine?