ExtraOrdinary Christian Things || Salted

Sunday, February 1, 2026 || 11:00am

Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol || Pastor

Matthew 5:13-20

Sermon Manuscript

“You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.”

We often hear these words from the Sermon on the Mount as suggestions, as if being salt or light is something we choose when it’s convenient or when we feel up to it. But Jesus offers no such option.

Speaking to the community formed in his name, Jesus declares what is already true: you are salt, you are light. You are a people whose very life together is meant to reveal the new world God is bringing into being through Jesus.

So the question is not whether we will make a difference, but what kind of difference we are making. Can people see Christ’s love in us? Do they encounter the urgency of his justice through our actions? Do they hear his teaching echoed in our shared life? Or has our witness lost its flavor—its bite, its brightness? Are we still a presence as unmistakable as salt on popcorn, pretzels, or potato chips? 

Lee Schriber