Stay Salty [Sermon]

As we stand on the threshold of a new year, we're challenged with a profound question: what does it mean to truly be salt in the earth? Drawing from Luke 14:34-35, this powerful message unpacks the multifaceted nature of our calling as believers. Salt isn't just a seasoning—it's a transformative agent with over 1,400 uses, from preserving meat to healing wounds, from melting ice to creating thirst. We learn that salt was so valuable that civilizations rose and fell over it, wars were fought for it, and Roman soldiers were paid with it. But here's the critical truth: salt is only powerful when it remains salty. When it loses its savor, it becomes worthless—good for nothing, not even for the soil or manure pile. This teaching connects deeply with Jesus' declaration in Matthew 5:13 that we are the salt of the earth. We're called to be purposeful salt that knows why we exist, potent salt that refuses to be diluted by worldly compromise, productive salt that's willing to enter messy places to bring transformation, and proven salt that maintains its effectiveness year after year. The message confronts us with uncomfortable truths: we can look like salt, walk like salt, talk like salt, but if we've lost our distinctiveness, we're merely salt substitutes—incapable of seasoning, preserving, or healing anything. As we enter 2026, we're invited to examine whether we're conforming to our environment like water takes the shape of its container, or transforming our environment like salt changes everything it touches.