There's a good chance that............

........you'll be persecuted.  Or at the very least, things are not going to go the way you had planned.

This upbeat message (of truth, I might add) was brought to us by Pr. Chris Boerger at the Upstate NY Synod assembly.  It is easy to see why the church is not in the advertising business. This kind of motto won't sell anything to anyone.

Pr. Boerger was preaching from the gospel of Matthew, beginning here  "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account......."  (Matthew 5.11)

Thousands of people were gathered 'on the mount' as Jesus delivered this, the final beatitude.  Blessed are you when people revile you......."  No one ever thinks that this is good news.  I can't imagine anyone feeling blessed as the dust storm envelopes them.

Perhaps that is because we have a skewed definition of 'blessed.' We tend to equate blessed with 'happy' ("I'm so happy").   Perhaps it's because we fail to realize that what Jesus is teaching and preaching in this famous Sermon on the Mount is founded on his very presence as the Son of God.

We are not blessed by the world.  We are not blessed because of the world.  The world is very stingy when it comes to handing out blessings.  No, we are blessed because of Jesus, present in our world in the most real way, and continually present in our world today.....when the persecutions come.

Blessed are you because of Jesus, the one who is source of light and life, the one who can mend the broken places of our bodies, our minds, our relationships and our lives.  Blessed are you (and me too!) because of Jesus leaning into us, carrying us and leading us toward the light.

But we are not just passive recipients of this blessedness; we are at the same time 'the salt of the earth.'  Salt is essential to life.  Without enough salt, the heart stops beating.  With too much salt, the body becomes water logged (a non-medical term).  Now, through Jesus, we are the salt of the earth and are called to be salt wherever we are and whatever befalls us.

The truth is: things are not going to turn out as you had planned.  What are you going to do then?  How are you going to face the trial or persevere into the future?  How could you be salt in that place?  How will your presence bring light into a dark situation?  How will you point others to a life giving relationship with Jesus?

You are blessed; you are salt.  Shake it out for the good of the world!

"You are the salt of the earth"

Before we begin taking bows for this accolade, perhaps we should be clear about what salt is all about.

Let's start with table salt.  Makes stuff taste good, especially chicken soup.  Too much contributes to high blood pressure but it is critical for continuing health.  Around the world, various compounds are added to salt as an easy delivery system for iodine, folic acid, iron and fluoride which address a variety of health issues.  It can preserve fish and meat, it can purify water.  In the Old Testament, it was offered as a sacrifice.

The salt trade was an important source of wealth especially during the Roman Empire when 'salt roads' were built to get the commodity to the market.  Now a days, a salt road means safer driving in the northern climes.

You are the salt of the earth.  So which one is Jesus pointing to?  Purification?  Sacrificial offering?  Chicken soup seasoning?  Road salt?  Valuable commodity?

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is teaching about the kingdom of heaven.  It is a place where the poor in spirit are blessed and the meek inherit the earth.  It is a place like none we know now; for many of us it is a place where we would like to dwell.  That is where the salt comes in.

We are to function like salt - bringing a new taste, a better taste to the world we all know.  We are to protect the weak as a preservative and offer ourselves as a sacrifice when necessary.  We are to be purificators - focused on living as Jesus' followers, insisting on the right and the just.  It won't take a whole lot of us to make a difference in the world - a difference that can bring health and wholeness.

Being salt in Jesus' eyes equals being that bit of seasoning which can turn a dull dish into a delicious one.  We are to be the active ingredient in this world to carry the truth of the world that is coming.

We are to follow 'on the way' as children of God, our own salt road which will bring the treasure of heaven to those who join us.

So, what happens when salt loses it saltiness?
Exactly.