Salt Sandwich

Jesus calls us to be salt and light.

Matthew 5:13 "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.

Mark 9:50 "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

Luke 14:34 "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

Colossians 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

What do you think it means? It's a strange metaphor and I've heard many sermons about the meaning. Jesus, what did you mean when you asked us to be salt?

Me, I like watching people. And I have noticed one thing: everybody likes a little salt.

A little salt. Not the whole shaker. No matter how hungry you are, no matter how much you like the sparkle salt adds to food, nobody orders a salt sandwich. Nobody eats the whole shaker.

Also, folks grab the salt shaker and do their own sprinkling. The salt doesn't jump out of the shaker without an invitation.

So let's go with the metaphor, and apply the salt lesson to our Christian walk.

First of all, we gotta be out in it. Out with the tax collectors and prostitutes. Out with the gays and the democrats. Out where the food is, where the salt is needed and wanted. Where people need Jesus, where they are hurting and lonely.

Second, we need to sprinkle ourselves, not lumpy and heavy like a big ole salt sandwich. What if the hungry folks in my life feel judged and not loved. Then all I've done was serve them a salt sandwich. Yuck.

And we gotta be who we are, and not pretend to be sugar or crack or even sweet-and-low. Be salt. God made you just that way. Sodium and chloride.

So sprinkle yourself around and love somebody. Be salt for Jesus. And if you see me out there, be sure to sprinkle some of yourself my way. I need love and salt every day.

Oh, Fudge

On Monday, my boss returned from a week of vacation at the beach, bringing with him delicious blocks of fudge in chocolate, chocolate chip, and peanut butter flavors. Monday morning, 8 am was a department meeting, where the fudge in fantastic flavors was revealed for all to enjoy. The scene inspired me to Haiku:

chocolate* fudge meeting
causes me to want a nap.
our boss, the best boss.

* 2 syllables, pronounced in the dialect of West Virginia.

Expectancy

I don't usually put out the birdfeeders this early. But this year is different. This year, I'm so ready for spring, so desperate for birds and bees and flowers, I actually got the birdfeeders out early.

This is a good faith exercise for me. I get to react to something that hasn't happened yet because I have faith that it will happen. I know it's silly but I feel like I'm putting feet to my prayers as I pray for the return of spring.

So I put out 3 feeders for hummingbirds. I put them out on the far corners of the back porch. Some lucky hummingbird male will be able to keep an eye on all 3 from the Silver Maple out back. Bright red liquid hanging in plain sight. Easy to see Easy to defend.

I have been tracking the hummingbird migration on the web. http://www.hummingbirds.net/

They fly north this time of year, up from somewhere warm and southern. The first sitings in VA were at the coast, a couple of weeks ago. According to the website, hummingbirds made it to Richmond today. Shouldn't be too much longer until some scale the mountains and come flying my way. I am ready.

I also put out a feeder for songbirds. Just one. Usually the songbird food attracts squirrels and silverfish. Bluejays and cardinals will fly up to the feeder and get themselves some food. Then as they get their own food, some will fall to the ground for the doves and finches who are ground feeders. Soon we'll have a yard full of songbirds.

Soon. But not yet.

I'm ready.