During one particularly busy week this past December, I had an opportunity to participate in three city events. First, Neighbourlink Willowdale had their annual appreciation event, where Gabe and I had a chance to chat with Lily Cheng, our city counselor in Willowdale who we hosted a bbq event with over the summer. Second, I got to be a part of Toronto’s first Christian Heritage Month Celebration, which was a worship and prayer event held at City Hall. Third, Lifespring had an opportunity to have a Christmas celebration with Pilgrim Feast Tabernacles, a church who had housed many of the asylum seekers who were sleeping on the streets downtown during the summer of 2023.
As I thought about these events, the question that came to mind is, what is the meaning of our faith outside the walls of the church? How is our Christian faith relevant to our community, workplace, or in the city?
The passage that came to mind for me was Jesus’s teaching during the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5. In verse 13 Jesus says,
“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.”
Salt serves many important functions. We can use it as an antibacterial, or as a preservative for food, and we even sprinkle it on our roads to melt ice. But one of the most common uses of salt is as a flavoring for food. Have you ever had food without salt, when it really needed it? The food tastes bland and tasteless, like it is missing something essential.
In the same way salt adds that goodness and richness to our foods, we are supposed to represent and be a force for goodness and richness in the world. We are to bring out what is best in God’s creation and humanity. We have all been given good gifts, whether those gifts are in teaching, or people skills, or administration, or business, or service, or otherwise. God gives us those skills so that we can provide for others, serve the greater good, and make the world a better place for those around us.
In Colossians 4:6, Paul uses the imagery of salt again to talk about making the most of every opportunity we have to interact with others. He says,
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
One of the interesting things about the imagery of salt is the fact that salt is not only something we can see and touch, but it is something we taste and experience. In the same way, people should be able to taste and know the goodness of God in their interactions with us. When we reflect Jesus well to others, hopefully meeting us brings them one step closer to meeting Jesus.
Another image that Jesus uses in Matthew 5 is light. Verse 14-16 says,
“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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
The most basic function of light is to dispel darkness. Over the spring and summer, we have an opportunity to host a barbecue at 415 Willowdale near their playground. During one of our early visits, I remember a person telling me that the area where we hosted the barbecue was usually not one of the safest places in the block.
You can imagine the change in atmosphere as we have the opportunity to host a barbecue. There is a warmth in the event as we cook food and serve drinks to people at 415 Willowdale. It is almost like light coming into a place that is normally dark. What an opportunity to serve others in such a place.
Lifespring, you are the salt of the earth. Be careful that you do not lose your saltiness, and be sure to represent Jesus well in the world. You are the light of the world. Look for opportunities to be a light for others to bless them with the love of God.