This sunday's sermon

September 26. 2021

        At the end of today’s gospel, Mark’s Jesus tells his disciples—AND US!—“Salt is good; but if salt has lost it’s saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

        The next part of this sermon will be a lecture on Sodium Cloride—what we call “salt”. You might want to take notes.

        (Just kidding….)

        Salt is one of the most marvelous and useful substances on earth. It comes from salt mines—usually where a salt lake has dried up. There were lots of them, eons ago.

        Salt prevents fruits and vegetables from turning brown by putting them in salt water. You can also peel potatoes the night before them and save them in salt water and they won’t lose their color.

        Salt is an excellent exfoliant and deodorizer—that’s why your skin feels so good when you come from the ocean beach.

        Salt water relieves itches from bites and stings.

        Salt is great oral care—salt and baking soda make a great organic toothpaste and gargling salt water heals sores and freshens the breath.

        Keep salt nearby you stove or grill for grease fires.

        You can scrub with salt on burned on debris.

        Salt removes stains from fabrics—even blood and wine. Salt in washer keeps clothes fresh and bright by removing sweat stains and odors.

        Salt down your sink ends odors.

        Remove water marks from wood with salt water.

        Put old sponges in salt water overnight to give them new life.

        Of course, we all know, salt removes ice from roads.

        Store cheese in napkins soaked in salt water. Cheese makers have done it for many decades.

        Salt sets colors in fabrics when ¼ cup is added to first few washes—also prevents them bleeding on other fabrics.

        Put salt on paper and run your warm iron over it to clean smudges from the iron.

        Many plants and creatures live in salt water that couldn’t survive in fresh water.

        Finally, though it’s not for everybody—salt Tastes Great! It gives flavor to everything it touches.

        How wondrous salt is!

        And Jesus tells his disciples—and US, my beloved—to have salt in ourselves and be at peace with one another. But we must not lose our saltiness for we won’t be able to re-season ourselves.

        If we have salt in ourselves, we can give healing, we can clean up messes, we can preserve what is good, we can give flavor to the world and give life to others who need it.

        We must keep our saltiness to do all that and be at peace with one another.

        We must keep our salty faith to do all that and be at peace with one another.

        Be salty, my friends. Be salt for the earth.

        Shalom and Amen.