Thursday, February 9, 2017

                Where’s the salt of the earth when you need it?

                Having been away yesterday I have had to scour the city to find just a single bag of salt or even some ice-melter. After the ice storm on Tuesday our front sidewalk and steps are caked in three inches of rock-hard ice. The drive way is not much better. So this morning, I was on the hunt for anything that could put a serious dent in the ice. I really wanted to go ‘old school’ with those big, yellow bags of Windsor salt, meant for sidewalks. I am not sure that praying to find just one bag of salt is kosher but God was good. After my third try I found a store that still had the bags of the salt I was looking for and I bought three. One bag, for now, is, I hope, working its way through the ice.

                Allow me to remind you that in ancient times salt was once used as a measure of payment, hence the word “salary”, from the Latin “salarium”, being the stipend, or originally "salt-money” as a soldier's allowance for the purchase of salt. The ancients might be very shocked and surprised, I think, how we simply toss salt under foot to be trampled on.

                Of course, salt has many other uses, especially in cooking. I love a little salt on a fresh, just-picked-from-the-garden tomato, or salt on my popcorn, or salt on my French fries. Although one of my all-time, favourite lines comes from the comedian, the late John Pinette, who wondered aloud why they gave extra packets of salt with a KFC meal. “Who has ever tasted some KFC,” he asked, “and then said, ‘Hmm; needs more salt'?'”

                Salt has a sacred quality among its many uses and characteristics, especially as an agent for purification or cleansing.

Moses was commanded to make an incense to be used in the temple, “seasoned with salt, pure and holy,” (Exodus 30:35). In Leviticus, the people are told to “add salt to their offerings,” (Lev.2:13). I believe the actions were to be symbolic of the purity and cleanliness of what was being offered to God.  The covenant between God and his people was sealed with salt (Number 18:19).

                Then of course, there is the interesting saying that comes from Jesus, “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other,” (Mark 9:50). But I appreciate how The Message unpacks the same saying out of Matthew: “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.” (Matthew 5:13).

                I love that bit about bringing out the salt-flavours of this earth.

                Our salty language is not to be filled with curse words, biting and stinging words, insults, name-calling, rudeness, criticisms, complaints and the like but we are to season the world around us with the salt of loving actions, to be sacred and powerful agents of positive change, and to be a tasty enhancement of what God is doing in the world through and by the followers of Jesus. “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone,” (Colossians 4:6).

                This world, now more than ever, needs salty Christians and anyone who will melt the world’s icy hatred and cold hearts, the world’s frosty reception toward outsiders or the poor or the needy, the world’s chilling biases against each other, the world’s sub-zero fear of who or what is different.

                Where’s the salt of the earth when you need it?

Dale