Sermon for September 27th

You are bland. You are tasteless. If you are anything like me, you can easily go through the day, through any conversation, without ever mentioning Jesus Christ, without ever having to admit that you are a Christian. But maybe that’s unfair. Not every conversation needs to involve you confessing your faith, does it. If you are anything like me, though, you can easily go through the week, through multiple phone conversations with friends, meeting a few new people you’ve never met before, without ever mentioning the love of Jesus Christ, without ever having to mention that you are a Christian. But maybe that too is unfair. We all have bad weeks. There is a time and a place for talking about faith and, perhaps, you weren’t in any of the right places at the right times.

But if you are anything like me, you can easily go through the month, the year—have you gone your entire lifetime without ever mentioning Jesus Christ, without ever having to admit you are a Christian, without ever inviting anyone to hear the forgiveness of sins? You’ve heard that your sins are forgiven. You’ve been promised salvation by your loving creator. But you don’t talk about it much, do you? Does anybody know if you go to church? Your best friends? Your best acquaintances? Do you know if your friends believe in Jesus Christ? Do you know if they are being supported in a Christian community? Are they just dying on the “do it yourself spirituality vine”? Do you care enough to risk mentioning the name? Do you dare to leave the bland life behind and be a little salty?

Jesus told his disciples, “Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness how can you season it?” In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus put it another way, “If salt has lost its taste, it is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.” Have you become a bland Christian? Jesus says that you must be a little salty: in your conversations, in your marriages, in your relationships with your children ,even in your workplace. The taste of salt is distinctive and recognizable. Would others recognize you as a follower of Jesus? Or do you spend your life trying to fit in with others, to NOT be noticed. Do you care enough for your friends, for your family and for others to actually risk mentioning Jesus’ name? To give them the possibility to hope in His words of life? Do you dare to leave the bland life behind and have a little salt in you?

Sit back and listen to the beginning of a great song on this subject, (Play opening of song until end of first chorus)



“So maybe this time, I’ll speak the words of life, with your fire in my eyes. But that old familiar fear, is tearing at my words, what am I so afraid of. Cause here I go again. Talking about the rain. And mulling over things that won’t live past today. And as I dance around the truth, time is not his friend, this may be the last chance to tell him that you LOVE him, but here I go again.’

What are YOU so afraid of? I’m afraid that I’m going to be seen as one of those freaky Christians I see on TV, who don’t seem to be able to talk about anything but when they were saved. I’m afraid that people are going to look at me funny because I’m talking about my faith, especially around this town, and they might think that I’m either offensive or confrontational or intolerant or all of the above. I’m afraid that I’ve already known a person almost my whole life and never said anything before, what are they going to think of me if I ask them if they are enjoying the church they go to. What if they’ve stopped going? What if something in our relationship changes because of what I say? So, here I go again, talking about the rain, and mulling over things that won’t live past today . . . like who won the Husker game. Or, let’s talk about health care. Or how about the weather. And so I dance around ever having to talk about Jesus or what he means to me . . . or what he might mean for them.

Some people may be affected by the possibility of hell and damnation apart from Jesus Christ, but if that’s how you start a conversation about faith it will probably be quite uncomfortable for everyone involved. And, most people will figure that they’ve still got time. They see Jesus as a last ditch life insurance policy. Others MAY want to join the crowd of church-going Christians because their grandma did it, or because they’ve met some nice ones, or because they have a hunger for spiritual things. But a lot of people will also notice that NOT everyone is a Christian and they could do just fine without it. They can sleep in on Sundays. They can live however they choose. Why, really, would they want to join another club? There are better run, more interesting clubs to join and they don’t pass around an offering plate every time you go.

But, love is powerful. When your spouse or your mother or your friend comes up to you and they say, “I love you” It’s hard not to reciprocate, isn’t it. Love destroys the walls we put up against one another. Love is blind, as they say, and you don’t get to decide what makes the most sense—whether you’d rather sleep in on Sundays. That’s why they call it “falling” in love. And, the love of Jesus Christ is even more powerful than our love because His love is unconditional. This isn’t a “Jesus is my boyfriend” love; this is a “Jesus died on a cross to save me from death” love. And every time you speak to your coworkers, your friends, your family, your children, your spouse or someone you have just met, this may be the last chance you have to tell them that they are loved by Jesus. And if they only knew, think about what that might mean for them, for their future, for their life, for their death.

Have salt in yourselves. Be salty! Be recognized as a Christian. Why? Because people need to hear. They need to hear the words of life that come from their Savior’s lips. They need to hear that they are loved unconditionally. And how are they to hear if no one tells them? They need to hear that their sins are forgiven, not simply tolerated by others, not just accepted by society, but forgiven by a God who cares enough to tell them the truth

I recently watched the movie, “The Postman” with Kevin Costner. The movie imagined a time when the country had been ravaged by wars and had fallen apart. He was a drifter who happened to pick up a bag of mail and began delivering the letters he had found. When people received the letters, they were given hope. The main character really was just pretending to be a postman, but that didn’t matter. What mattered what that he was delivering the goods. He was giving the messages to people who needed to hear them.

Do you know someone who might be struggling with their life, or their marriage, with their kids or with their jobs. They might be a family member, or just a not so close acquaintance. They need to hear Jesus’ love and right now we are going to pray for them and for you. That God might use you to “Tell them that He loves them.” (Prayer)

Every single week here at church, we could just get together and talk about the rain and mull over things that won’t last past today. But, I pray each week, that God makes me his postman, so that I can deliver the words of life to you with God’s fire in my eyes, despite my fear that you won’t like what I must say, despite the fear that the message will fall on deaf ears because I believe that, finally, the words you hear must be recognizable enough, salty enough, that you realize your need for forgiveness—forgiveness that only God can give. You are bland. You are tasteless. You have no salt in you. But hear the good news. By God’s authority, I forgive you in the name of Jesus Christ. You’ve just received your love letter, filled and overflowing with salt. And through the power of the Holy Spirit maybe this time, maybe this week, you WILL speak the words of life with fire in your eyes and salt on your tongue. Amen.