You are important. You are here for a purpose. Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth!” You all know people that you consider to be influential. But Jesus says YOU are his influential people. Every Christian is a person of influence. For even as salt influences the foods we eat, so also Christians influence the people they meet. But for salt to serve any good purpose, it needs to come out of the saltshaker. I. OUT OF THE SALTSHAKER means taking time to notice people!
Jesus was good at this. There are many examples in the gospels of how Jesus noticed people and their need. One of those times was when he noticed a small person who climbed up in a tree so he could look over the crowd to see Jesus, but “When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5). This is not a small detail. This is huge. We all know how easy it is to come here on Sunday, see someone we know, walk over, and talk to them. But in the process, you might walk by a person you don’t know, who may be off in a corner, and who may need a listening ear. But you didn’t notice. It can happen in any crowd at church, at a party, at a ball game, at school.
Think about this: Throughout the course of your life, you’re going to give yourself to something. Everybody does. People give their lives to pleasure, things, success, popularity, hobbies—but always to something. Why not give your life to people! What I mean by that is to notice people—people who cry, people who look angry, people who look confused, people who smile and laugh but are actually empty inside, people who are alive but don’t know why, people who need to be connected to God but might never be unless someone notices them, and walks across the room and … and then what? That’s probably where most of us get stuck. If I walk across the room to someone I don’t know, then what? What’s the next step? Well, there is one thing we can all do—tell our story. But before that happens, we need to listen first.
II. OUT OF THE SALTSHAKER means taking time to listen.
We first need to listen to is the prompting or the guiding of the Holy Spirit. If that sounds a little vague, let me just say that when I notice someone I’ve learned over the years to look at their eyes. We can hide things, but very often our eyes reveal that we are confused, troubled, worried, upset, or distracted. When I see something like that in someone’s eyes, that’s when I listen to the Spirit. I know when the Spirit gives me that nudge to ask something as simple as “Is everything OK
You don’t have to be a pastor or theologically trained to do this. Just listen, and when the Spirit nudges, walk across the room and then listen some more. Only now you are listening to the person. Listening! Listening is never offensive to people, not even to a stranger. But, there will be times when the Spirit opens the door wide and clear. That’s the time, the right time, to tell your story and to tell His story.
III. OUT OF THE SALTSHAKER amounts to taking the time to tell your/His story!
Telling your story is nothing more and nothing less than telling the significant difference that Christ has made in your life. We all have a story. If we know Jesus, we have a story. It doesn’t need to be dramatic. What’s the Jesus-experience in your life that humbles you the most and gives you the greatest sense of peace and joy? That’s your story! You have a story and it’s a powerful story because it’s HIS story in you.. Think about it. Write it down. Do it in one short paragraph. Have it tucked in your mind. You never know when the Spirit nudges you to notice someone, to listen, and then, be ready to tell your story.
This is how you and I give life to the next generation. I know many of you must be telling your story because people keep coming here who want a closer walk with God. These are people you have noticed, people you have listened to, and people who have heard your story. And now they are part of our community in Christ here at St. Paul’s. In the next few weeks you are going to be hearing this word regularly in our worship services: CONSECRATED. That’s a Bible word with a big challenge. It means literally to set your life apart from the ordinary ways of the world in order to use your life for the extraordinary ways of the Lord! Consecrate your life to being, in Jesus’ words, “The salt of the world.” How do you do that? Notice people. Listen to the Spirit; listen to the people. And tell His story. AMEN.
