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The best part about Thanksgiving this year is going to be that it's at my in-laws! That means no dishes to wash (my sister-in-laws do that; I get to carve the turkey) and it means no leftovers! I can't eat cold turkey leftovers; turkey cold-cuts, yes, leftovers always smell "funny" to me. So my wife sneaks them in every dish she can.
Growing up, my grandparents had high blood pressure, so as a result, there wasn't usually salt or pepper on the dinner table, even on Thanksgiving. But even salt can't help cold turkey for me! But, as one who didn't use it, I'm amazed at how salt can change the flavor of things and give taste to the somewhat bland.
Bland is what many of us become in our faith. We engage in the same traditions, we are never challenged and we don't talk about things like sin and the need for change and new life. As a pastor, when I do, people often wonder why I don't love them just the way they are. I do love them, that's why I want to shake some salt on them; spice them up, give them a flavor that is different from the rest of the world, and wake them up in their faith!
Jesus warned us about becoming bland, tasteless and blending in with the world. He said that if we lose our saltiness, our healing, preserving, saving and distinct flavor; if we are no different from the world around us, we are no longer useful for the kingdom of God.
As Christians, we retain our distinctness and saltiness when we act differently; when we look out for others, rather than for ourselves. When we live for others. When we are part of something larger than ourselves. When we give a listening ear to the lonely, food to the hungry or even just the mercy of a cup of cold water to the thirsty, we are being salt; we are pointing the world beyond themselves to something larger and more maginficent, and we are inviting them to be a part of it!
5:13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men. |
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