The importance of being salt and light
What would you do if you came into an extremely large and life altering inheritance? Many would pay off their mortgage, help others, invest, or in some way make a difference. Our passage from Sunday told us, “Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints of light.” (Colossians 1:12) Light exposes the darkness and reveals the truth of God. In Matthew, we are told we are light and salt. Salt was then used heavily as a healing agent and preservative to prevent rot and decay. This is not just what we have been called to be, but who we are. It is now our identity in Christ. And we have been given authority to care for others and the world around us as God’s ambassadors.
There have been many ways the church has failed to be salt and light to the world – choosing instead to keep the salt and light inside the four walls of the building where they meet. And the world has noticed, been okay with that, and has paid the price for disobedience. Today there are many secular thinkers who are bemoaning the absence of the church in its proper place of light and salt, because the world is suffering due to the influence of our absence.
I was reading James Emery White’s blog in which he relates a story told by Peter Marshall called “Keeper of the Streams.” Here is how it was related in his blog:
“The ‘Keeper of the Springs’ was a quiet man who lived high above an Austrian village in the deep forests of the Alps. He had been hired many years before by a town eager to see debris cleared from the pools of water that fed the spring that flowed through their town.
Peter Marshall
The man did his job well, faithfully patrolling the hills, removing branches and leaves. The clear water made the village a popular attraction, with graceful swans gliding across the spring, creating rich farmlands and picturesque views.
As time went by, the town council faced budgetary challenges. They saw a line item for a ‘Keeper of the Springs.’ Who was this? What did he do? Surely such an obscure role wasn’t needed. By unanimous vote they released the man from his duties.
At first, nothing changed. The water flowed as clear and free as ever. The town council felt reassured in their decision. Then autumn came and the leaves began to fall. Wind blew and branches fell into the pools. Soon the flow of water began to lessen. Then a yellowish-brown tint appeared in the spring. Soon the water grew even darker. Before long, a film covered the water along the banks and a stank odor filled the air. Millwheels ground to a halt, the tourists left with the swans, and soon disease and sickness began to permeate the village.
The town council called another meeting.
Realizing their mistake in judgment, they brought back the old ‘Keeper of the Springs.’ Within a matter of weeks, the waters began to return to their pristine state.
Marshall’s point then, even more pressing today, is that what the spring meant to the village, the Christian faith means to the world. Christians know this from the teaching of Jesus about the importance of being salt and light.”
Pressing on…
Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor
