Today we commissioned the Parish Council for 2020. They have a special ministry as leaders and decision makers in this year of transition. The Gospel reading today from Matthew reminds us that we are like Salt and Light. Salt has long been used to preserve food. It was also used in Jewish Temple services to cleanse the clergy. Ancient peoples used salt to cleanse wounds. Jesus challenged his listeners to understand that when salt was used with no cleansing result, there was a death in the spirit.
Our challenge is to understand that Jesus calls us to be salt that cleanses our wounds and we are to go into the world to cleanse and lead the world to new levels of love and care. If we use the salt of Jesus to preserve the past without a look around at the present and a moving forward to the future-then we have lost our "Saltiness"
We are called by Jesus to challenge the power around us with truth and action. We are not to sit idle as evil takes hold. We are called to bring light to darkness and challenge the falsehoods in our surrounding society. Light and salt is our mission simply put. We know it and we must live it. It is our challenge!
