As Eugene Paterson puts it in Matthew 5:13 ‘You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God flavours of this earth.’ I like that, we are asked to be salt and light in this needy world. We all know the improvement that a pinch of salt can bring to a meal. And at this time of year we appreciate the need for extra light.
What a joy it is to be used to bring light to a dark place, light instead of darkness, hope instead of despair, joy instead of weeping. Every day we pray that God will lead us to the right place, to the right person.
But I must pose a question to which I don’t know the answer. Do we need to be Christian to bring light and hope to others? What about non-believing people who show more Christian attributes than we do? Christians don’t have a monopoly on kindness. My friend says her daughter is the best non-Christian Christian she knows. We understand what she means. I know the daughter and that comment is true.
I am led to think about the comment Jesus made when faced with a question about another person’s state of goodness. ‘Lord, what about him’, Peter asked inquiring about the future of a fellow disciple. Jesus replied, ‘What is that to you.’ John 21: 22