2026 02 08 - Salt was Made for the Soup - Engel

That was a little different. You like that? That's good. Listen. God is calling.

That's what this is about this morning. God is calling us to do something. We've heard the gospel. We've heard children's message, very gospel centered. This message is not really going to be gospel centered.

It's going to be centered upon God calling us to do something. Because we have been blessed with the gospel. We have been blessed with salvation. We've been blessed through our baptism with the gift of the Holy Spirit. So now we have something to do.

In many, many ways, we are living the famous words of Charles Dickens. He said, one time, it is the best of times, it is the worst of times. When you think about it, on the one hand, we're living in a time of technological marvels. How many of us have facetime with a friend or a relative in another city or maybe in another country? But that wasn't possible 20, 25 years ago, was it?

We're living in the best of times. When was the last time you made a call from a phone booth or a payphone, if ever? Some of us don't even know what a payphone looks like. We don't know what a phone booth looks like, but they used to be on just about every corner. We live in the best of times.

On the other hand, we live in a time when hatred threatens our very society. Despite all the good that media provides us, social media, it has made us cranky, inconsiderate, suspicious, demanding and accusatory. If you really want to get your blood pressure to spike, spend a few moments reading the comments on Facebook or X. We live in the worst of times. We live in times where they're dangerous, where there are hot spots all over the globe.

At any moment, things could break out and spiral out of control in North Korea or Venezuela or Hong Kong or Nigeria or practically anywhere in the Mid East. And I don't think I have to say anything about politics because all of us know how divided America is and who knows what tomorrow's headlines will bring?

Almost everyone seems angry about something, and almost everyone's willing to tell you about it.

So if there was ever a time in history for the church to stand up and to be counted, I think this is the time. But if anything, our influence seems to be waning.

In the past decades, church membership has dropped significantly, and church attendance in America today hovers around the 20% level for every week. So in an increasingly secular world, we should not be surprised that the church has lost its influence in the community. And There are perhaps many reasons why this is so, but one stands out to me above the rest. The church has lost its influence because Christians have neglected the calling of Jesus. Christians like you and like me have neglected the responsibility to be the salt of the earth, to be the light of the world.

And as we have neglected to be what God has actually called us to be, the world has decided to ignore us.

So what we need is a salt and a light revolution in the church today. So let's talk about what that might be in our Gospel lesson today. Jesus speaks these words in Matthew, chapter 5, verse 13. You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?

Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. What did Jesus mean? Well, salt was a common substance in the dying of Jesus in the ancient world. In fact, Roman soldiers were often paid in salt, and they would revolt if they didn't get their portion.

Our English word salary comes from the Latin word salarium, which means salt money. And our expression that man is not worth his salt reminds us of the high value that salt played in the time of Jesus. But let's go a step further. Salt really has five primary uses. First, salt seasons food.

Almost everything we eat has salt in it. Even the cakes and pies, as sweet as they are, have a little pinch of salt in them. Secondly, salt preserves. And this, no doubt, was the main use for salt during Jesus day. But salt retards spoilage.

Meat that is left by itself will spoil, but cured with salt, it can last a long time. Third, salt stings. We speak of pouring salt in an open wound. In that sense, salt is an antiseptic that first stings and then heals. Fourth, salt gives strength.

Without salt, your body quickly weakens. And that's one reason why the Roman soldiers were given salt. That's one reason why we give athletes salt tablets. And finally, salt creates thirst. It causes you to crave something to drink, to hydrate yourself.

So how does this apply to the followers of Jesus, like you and me in the 21st century?

Well, we are to be the salt that flavors a tasteless world, and we are to be the salt that preserves a decaying world. You see, Jesus had no illusions about the world because he knew its true character. He knew that after the fall of man, we were miserable. We were like a piece of rotten meat, spoiling more and more each day. On the one hand, we have the most advanced technology in the world every day, bringing new breakthroughs in science and Medicine, communication, and mass production.

And yet, on the other hand, at the same time, the moral decadence, the moral climate grows darker and darker. So let's acknowledge that we live in a morally decadent society. It's like a piece of meat that's left out in the sunshine all day. It begins to decay slowly at first, and then suddenly the whole thing is rotten. So what can we do to arrest the spread of evil?

We apply salt. That's what Jesus was talking about. That we are to be the salt to season the tasteless world in which we live. That we are to be the salts that preserves the decaying part of this world. And the truth is, it really doesn't take that much salt to get the job done.

And that's the exciting part. Just a little bit of salt in the right places can do the trick. Do you remember the Old Testament story about Abraham when he prayed to God that he would spare Sodom because his nephew Lot lived there? He said, lord, if I can find 50 righteous people in Sodom, will you spare it? And the Lord said, yes, I will.

For 50 righteous people. So Abraham said, well, Lord, if I can find 40 righteous people in the city, will you spare it? And the Lord again said, yes. Then he tried 30. And the Lord again said, yes, I will spare it for 30 righteous people in the whole city.

But Abraham didn't think there were even 30 righteous people in the city. So he tried again. How about 20? And the Lord said, yes, for 20, I will spare the city. Then Abraham took a deep breath, and he said, lord, what if I can only find 10 righteous people in the city?

And. And the Lord said, I will spare the city for 10 righteous people.

Think of it. A whole city saved because of 10 righteous people.

Remember, Sodom was a thoroughly wicked place, evil through and through. And yet God would have spared that city for 10 righteous people. But as it turned out, Abraham couldn't even find 10 righteous people.

You see, it doesn't take much salt to do the job. According to sociologist Robert Bella, the governing values of a whole culture may be changed when 2% of its people change their vision.

That tells me that all you need is 2% of the people, and they can change an entire culture. And that applies to your classroom or to your workplace or to your neighborhood. It applies to every village, every town, every city in our nation. Jesus is saying in this gospel lesson, it's time for us to get the salt out of the shaker and into the soup.

Now, we as human beings, ever since the fall of Adam, are good Excuse makers. We can find all kinds of reasons for the salt to stay in the shaker. I don't like the soup.

It's hot in a pot.

There are potatoes in there, carrots, rutabagas. I saw a huge piece of meat floating at the top.

If I go in the soup, I'll disappear. No, thank you. I don't want to do that. I'd rather stay in the shaker. I fit in here.

I'm comfortable here. I got friends here. All the other pieces of salt, they're just like me. I think I'll stay right here and let some other pieces of salt. Of salt go in this time.

Those are the kind of excuses we make. But you see, that's not where the salt belongs. Salt was made for the soup. It's not made to stay in the shaker. As long as salt stays in the shaker, it really can't do any good.

But when the salt goes into the soup, two things happen. The salt dissolves and the character of the soup is changed forever. Think about it. You can't take the salt out of the soup once it's in there. Yes, you may disappear because of your saltiness, but your saltiness will change your environment for the better.

Just a handful of salty Christians can change a classroom, can change a neighborhood, can change an office, can change a company, can change a nation. That's what Jesus is calling us to do, to be the salt to a tasteless society. But that's not the whole story. Listen to the next three verses. You are the light of the world.

Like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father.

Now, we've already noted that we live in an evil day. It's an evil age. It's a dark age. Its darkness is raging and light is fading. But people in darkness don't really know they're in darkness because that's the only world they've known.

It's their world. And they navigate through this darkness by bumping off of things that kind of steer them and direct them. But lo and behold, usually it directs them into even more darkness. But the truth is, they don't know they are in darkness until what? Somebody turns on the light.

The dictionary defines light as a source of illumination, and that provides us the key to our definition. What does light Do. It penetrates, it reveals. It exposes.

Many people don't like to be alone in the dark, especially when they're in a strange place. We might lie in our bed at night trying to go to sleep, when suddenly you hear this odd sound in the darkness and you strain to see, but you can only make out vague shapes because the darkness distorts reality. Everything looks different in the darkness. It's only when you turn on the light that you can really see things the way they are. Look at the simple application that Jesus uses in verse 16.

He says, Let your light shine before men. The key is in that little phrase, before men. If you turn on a light in an empty room, it will dispel the darkness, but no one will see it. And likewise, you can live the Christian life in secret. You can live it behind closed doors, you can live it in your closet, but no one's going to be helped.

No one's going to see the light. But if your light is going to make a difference, it must shine before men. Somebody must see the light before it will do any good.

And Jesus said that there will be two things that will happen when you shine your light. Number one. Others will see your good deeds. They will see your kind acts. They will see your behavior.

They will hear your gracious words, all of them done in the name of Jesus. People will be attracted by the beauty of your life, and they will be drawn to Christ by the way you live. Secondly, they will give credit to God. Verse 16 says, they will praise your heavenly Father. That's how much influence we have.

By being the light of the world, we can point men to God. By our witness, by our lives, by our behavior, by what we say, we can lead people out of the darkness into the light. It's so simple. It really is simple. We do the shining and God gets the credit.

And here's why. Light does not call attention to itself. It provides illumination so that other things can be seen as they really are. When you shine that flashlight in the dark, you're not looking at the flashlight. You're looking at what it exposes.

When you gather around that big table, thanksgiving table, all spread out with all this delicious food, you don't comment about the light that allows you to see the food. You comment on the cook who prepared. And here's the most exciting fact about it all.

If we are believers as we claim to be, and we are Christians and we're followers of Jesus, we have been baptized, we've been filled with the Holy Spirit, then you already are salt and light. Where you live right now, you don't need a bachelor's degree of salt. You don't need a doctor of light degree. You have everything you need right where you are.

When I began this message, we noted how bad our world is, how immoral, how dangerous, how dark it is. And I think you can probably agree with me that the world doesn't want salt in life, but the world desperately needs salt and light. And I think you'll also agree with me that the world will not give you a medal for joining the salt and light revolution. Takes a lot of courage. It takes a lot of boldness.

But here's the good word for people like me, and perhaps people like you who despair sometimes over the overwhelming cultural darkness that we live in. And we just say, what can we do? Well, the truth is we can't do a whole lot in and of ourselves to stop this cultural slide, but we can let our light shine. This little light of mine. Remember we used to sing we're going to let it shine all the time.

This little light of mine. We can live for Christ. We can serve others in Jesus name. We don't have to brag about it, we just do it and let that light shine. And as they see the light in us, they will see the great light giver and they will be attracted to our God and to our Savior.

God will get the credit. So let's not despair, let's not give up. As the saying goes, it's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness as some of us would like to do. Yes, the world is dark and it's getting darker. It's time to shine the light.

It's time to be salty saints. It's time to be bright light believers because Jesus is calling. It's time to put the salt in the soup. It's time to shine the light in the darkness.

Lord God, you have made us and placed us in a time just like this. We live in this culture that is decadent, that is immoral, that is evil. You placed us here. Now give us the courage to be what you have called us to be. Salt and light in Jesus name.

Amen. Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.