As we pass through the seasons of Lent and Easter, and move ever closer to spring and warm weather, it is worthwhile for us to consider what we will do with what we have learned. After spending time during Lent in contemplation of our need for forgiveness, and celebrating the arrival of that opportunity at Easter, we must consider what we will do with what we have learned, and more importantly who we will be, as we go forward.

A visual analogy that has stuck with me for many years has been to ask the question of whether you are a marble, a sponge, or tea. If we imagine that the world and the culture which surrounds us is a big pot of water, lemonade, or soup, what happens because we are in it? If we are marbles, we take up space, we displace the water, but our presence changes nothing. If we are sponges, then we absorb so much of what surrounds us that we take on the flavor and essence of what surrounds us. But, if we are tea, what we are, and who we are, steeps into every drop and every crevice of the culture around us so that its flavor is irreversibly changed to reflect our morals, ethics, and values.

According to scripture, our calling is to be tea. Or, in the language of the bible, salt.

In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus said:

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

If we are salt, we don’t just take up space, or absorb the culture around us, but our saltiness flows the other way, like tea, and flavors the world around us. Likewise, as the people of light, we don’t just take up space, or even navigate through a world filled with darkness, we bring light into the darkness. By our presence, and the light that we bring, we show the people around us where the pitfalls lie and reveal a path of safety as we move forward together.

As we consider the lessons of Lent and Easter, and think about who God calls us to be, both as a church and as individuals, let us think about who we will be in the days ahead.

Will we be marbles, sponges, or tea?

 Blessings,

Pastor John

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