Identity Revealed – Salty is a reminder from our Lord that we are an influence on the world. Consider these deep thoughts from Peppermint Patty.
A Better Influence
“Guess what, Chuck? The first day of school and I got sent to the principal’s office. It was your fault, Chuck.” To which Charlie Brown replies, “My fault? How could it be my fault? Why do you say everything is my fault?” And Peppermint Patty responds, “You’re my friend, aren’t you, Chuck? You should have been a better influence on me.” Before you defend Chuck, consider what our Lord say in our text from Matthew 5.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
Rotten to the Core
Saturday is a very special Hallmark Holiday. With the advent of that special day just hours away, let me introduce you to a happy couple. This is John and Anne. They knew each other long before they divorced their spouses for each other. In their early forties – both with children, they realized that they were both in love with each other. Anne said, “I didn’t want to sneak around and sleep with him on the side. I wanted to get up in the morning and read the paper with him.” Both John and Anne feel terrible for how they have hurt their ex-spouses, but they realized they didn’t have any choice. Neither believed in soul mates, but now they do. The problem is that John and Anne are relatively normal. The New York Times is not a font of morality. The article closes with Anne commenting on the circumstances – This is life. This is how it goes.
Be Mine
While it’s fun to point out sin in society it doesn’t really help us. There is plenty of room for our Christian witness, but the focus needs to be on our rot and deficiencies. In exchange for the bouquet of our moldy lives that reek of our sin, in exchange for a box full of assorted sins – God gave us the best Valentine gift ever. He gave up his Son who was as perfect as he was. He comes and says to us – Be Mine. I want you in my family – he can say this to us not because he doesn’t know about our past or the sin in our lives – he says this because he has mercy on our sinful souls.
Want to hear more? Watch this week’s message taken from Matthew 5, Identity Revealed – Salty.
Book(s): Matthew
Series: Identity Revealed
Tag(s): Epiphany
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg