Ministry Moment With Michelle: Saltiness or Absence Thereof?
Digging my feet into the "salty" feeling of sand, and smelling the "saltiness" of the Chesapeake Bay, my soul is being elevated while my ears are being filled with words from the Pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, #sbcva. He is preaching from Matthew 13. His sermon title is "Stay Salty". My first thought is "stay salty"? I've got meds, I'm trying to stay away from salt. What can this message mean for descendants of the "African Diaspora" who suffer from too much salt intake?
Little did I know how empty my plate was of "salt" and the impact of its true meaning. I was reminded that Gen. 19:1-20-the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah-was not all about the abundance of sin, but the absence of salt. Imagine THAT!
Hearing his words, so fervently being proclaimed, displaying careful exegesis of the text, I received the message that Jesus tried to instill in his disciples, "YOU are the salt of the earth." As the Pastor preached, these disciples were flawed, yet favored & "flavored"! Jesus still worked with them. He wanted to make sure that they had the right attitude, affect and effect. The first twelve verses are about Jesus pouring into them. Remember in Matt 28:19 he sent them out to make disciples. (Our commission as well.) They needed to be ready. They needed to remain "salty".
In between the "salty waves" and feet still in the sand, I listened to him teach about the value of "salt". Salt was very essential to the first-century church and Jesus compared his disciples to that most valuable commodity. Salt was so precious, he preached, it was used for sacrificing, safeguarding, seasoning and salaries!
What a message for us today. To know that no matter how flawed or dysfunctional we are, God will still call and use us. He proclaimed, like Jesus to the disciples, that we are influential and valuable to society! Like the disciples, WE are the salt of the earth. On our jobs, in our relationships, in our families, in society...WE are valuable and esteemed! We should command and demand respect! We should walk the walk and talk the talk because others are watching us. Salt is needed for life-vital for continuance, and so are we! We have to "stay salty". Salt is power, influential, valuable...WE are sons and daughters of the King!
How "salty" are you? Is your witness weak? If so then you have no power. No power to use your influence or draw people to God. People are hurting. Are they driven away from you instead of being drawn to you? You can be a change agent. The preacher summed up his message so eloquently with suggestions on how to maintain your "saltiness". After reiterating the words of a song from the late, James Cleveland, "God Is"; he then reminded us that we need to fast and pray, watch our words, remember who and whose we are, and keep our hands in God's hand and don't forget to keep our eyes focused to the hill from whence our strength comes! Stay Salty! Hallelujah! Amen!