The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to Mark.

John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”   (Mark 9:38-50 )

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Christians are expected to be salty.

Jesus uses the term ‘salted with fire.’  Before being offered as sacrifice, meat had to be salted. It was the law.  Fire is used here as a symbol of purification. Christians who have been tested, tried, held to the fire, are those who do great work for God.

Have you seen pictures of American marines in Iraq. They have been drilled and trained, and worked over, until they are lean, mean fighting machines. A marine who is overweight would be a contradiction in terms. 

Being a Christian doesn’t mean that you never have to face hardship, tragedy, or defeat.  God doesn’t want us to suffer, but coming through such testing, with the help of God, makes us better Christians. We have been drilled and trained, and worked over until we are – spirit-wise – also keen, mean fighting machines.

And we need to be, because Christians are supposed to make a difference in this world.

It was my duty to be the minister at the hospital memorial service.  There were about  twenty-five people there, all of whom  had lost a loved one in the past few months.  When I was talking to them, I talked about how when someone passes away, they are not just gone, like that, forever.  They are still a part of us. I said, “We leave a footprint in this world. ” 

I wonder how many of us Christians will, by the life we have led,  leave a footprint. 

I wonder if in time to come, people will know we were here.

And I wonder, if as individual Christians, we have made a difference in the world.

And I am not talking about being  famous.  I am not talking about everyone knowing that we may have made a difference. I wonder if there is anyone whose life has changed for the better because of something, some kind deed, some word spoken.

Because that’s what Christians do, They make a difference in the world. In the lives of other people.

Just as salt makes a difference in food.

Did you ever taste cooked cabbage which hasn’t been salted? 

What about a boiled egg?  A boiled egg is insipid until it has been salted.

Salt adds taste to food. Christians add spirit to life

One day, as  a woman was crossing a street at London station, an old man stopped her. He said, “Excuse me m’am, but I want to thank you.”

She looked at him and asked, “Thank me?”

He replied, “Yes’m. I used to be a ticket collector and whenever you went by you always gave me a cheerful smile and a good morning. I knew that smile must come from   inside   somewhere. Then one morning I saw a little Bible in your hand. So I bought one too, and I found Jesus.”

That lady was salty.

Salt makes things taste better. A Christian makes people feel better. Helps them to be better.

But there is something else that salt does.

These days we prevent food from going bad by freezing, or refrigerating it. But it wasn’t so long ago, that the only way to prevent meat from turning rotten, was to salt it.

Salt halts corruption.

Salt prevents things from going bad.

Right there , is another role for Christians in society. We are mingled in the general population as salt is mingled within food. We should be having an effect on society. We should be helping to stop corruption. Helping to make things better. Making sure that those who can’ t help themselves are taken care of.

We should be speaking up when we see things that are wrong. We should be informed about our politicians and should vote for those who are not beholden to special groups, but rather govern for the good of all.

We should be noticed – not because we ram our faith down the throats of people, but because we care for people, and we care for a just society.

‘Salt is good,’ Jesus says, but if it no longer tastes like salt, how can it be made salty again?’

In Palestine salt was derived from the evaporation of sea water,  and there would often be other minerals mixed in with the salt. It was possible for the white grainy crystals to look like salt, but not to have the taste of salt.  It was thought that was salt which had lost its saltiness. 

If we have lost the essence of what it means to be Christian, that is,  we  may look like Christians  but don’t act like Christians, then we have lost our saltiness.

This is a big world with lots of pressures.  It is hard to always do what we know is right.

Will Rogers knew this, He said, “Income tax has made more liars out of Americans than  –  golf –  has.”

We want to hang onto our money, even though God made our hands with fingers so that money could slip through.”

We stand by while others run down the church. We look the other way when friends commit petty larceny.  Anyone who has had a car repaired under their insurance policy, and has had work done that wasn’t caused by the accident, has committed petty larceny, and incidentally, is partly responsible for the high price of auto insurance today.

But it’s more than not doing wrong. It is more like being seen as someone who is faithful.

As a priest I have married a number of couples, and as part of what I do to prepare a couple for marriage, I talk about what it means to be a faithful husband or wife.

A faithful spouse is someone in whom you have faith. As simple as that.

You know they will do the right thing, act the right way, be what you expect them to be. Because they are faithful.

A Christian is also someone in whom you can have faith.  You know they can be trusted. They will do the right thing. They will be there for you.

Otherwise we will go through this world having made no difference, leaving no footprint, forgotten almost as soon as we are dropped into the ground.

How does it happen, that we lose our saltiness?   Is it because we get bored living life as a Christian?   Have we lost the spark that was once there? Do we even know why we call ourselves Christian?

And what is to be done  about it?

First thing to remember is that church is not here to entertain us.  It is a place where we go to be part of a community of other Christians and to share in praise and worship, and in its ministry.

Notice, it’s a place where we get involved and do stuff. It is a pro-active place, not a passive place.

It means being engaged, with the community. But being engaged with something means being a part of it. It means trying to find the treasure that is in the worship.

It also means educating oneself. Read books on faith. Don’t be afraid to be challenged. Be part of a Bible study group, or a prayer group, and if there isn’t one, ask for one.

Pray regularly, even when you don’t feel like it.

Look for ways to reach out. Ask a friend to come to the ladies’ or men’s dinner. Be concerned about people.

But you have to be sincere. You can’t fake it.

There was a knock at the door. The lady opened it and came face to face with a man who had a very sad countenance. He said, “I am sorry to disturb you, but I am collecting money for an unfortunate family in your neighborhood.”

He went on in a very sympathetic tone, “The husband is out of work, the kids are hungry, the utilities are soon to be cut off, and worst of all they are going to be kicked out of their home if they can’t raise the rent money by this afternoon.”

The woman replied with great concern, “I will be happy to help, but who are you?”

He replied, “I am the landlord.”

Being salty may require a re-think about our idea of what a Christian is, and should be doing, and if we aren’t  measuring up, the willingness to do something about it.,

Amen.