Exodus 32:21-34
Psalm 45
1 Thessalonians:1-10
Matthew 5:11-16

Matthew 5:11-16

Salt

Did you, on this side of the Atlantic have Smith's Crisps? I suppose not because you would have called them Smith's Chips and that just does not sound the same. Smith's Crisps came in individual packets- Brits were not into large quantities - each with a little twist of blue waxed paper and in that paper was the salt. As a treat I would occasionally be allowed to buy a packet of crisps from the travelling grocer who came down our street. After opening the bag I would search for the little blue treasure, carefully untwist it and sprinkle the contents on my crisps then go away to a safe place and enjoy my treat. Crisps were never the same after they came ready salted. Ready to be eaten, no individual salt, if you did not sprinkle it all on your crisps you could lick some of the grains off the blue paper with the tip of your tongue- not so tasty but exciting. Or crisps without salt - neither tasty nor exciting.
Does that mean that Jesus is saying that we are the excitement in the world? He is keeping us screwed up in a little blue packet ready to be released on a dried piece of potato, ready to transform it into a tasty delight. A smile can brighten a day- both for the giver and the recipient.

Do I have to brighten somebody's day today, to give them a smile and a place in my life, however fleeting our moment of meeting may be?

Jesus, having been around at Creation knew that some sodium is necessary for our well-being. Sodium helps us to maintain the water balance in our cells and helps our nerves and muscles to function. This is the answer.