Light & Salt

The most beautiful thing about Christians these days, as I see it in most churches of every tradition — except a few — is that we are afraid to shine outside our own places.

Service happens inside the church. Meetings build up believers. Media and websites are mostly for believers.

Do you know what we are like? Like salt poured on food that is already too salty — it tastes worse than food with no salt at all. Like a lamp switched on in a one-meter room that already has dozens of spotlights.

All day we complain that someone is not coming, that someone is drifting away. Sometimes we are even afraid to shine in a church other than the one we go to, because “this is my place.”

All day: retreats, schools, conferences — 90 percent of them for believers.

When Jesus spoke to His disciples at the end, He said, “Go.” He did not say, “Stay in your churches, build each other up, and make life complicated for the people outside.” We have become so intellectually elevated that ordinary conversation about spiritual things is no longer understood.

I want us to understand that our simple light will only shine in the dark. It will never make a difference in a room already full of spotlights. Salt is put on food that has no taste; we should not pour it on the best dish. A little salt is what preserves food from rotting.

I want us to go outside our churches and see the people who are dying for a word from Jesus. With the change happening in our country, I want us to know how to shine in the right places — not only inside the church as before.

And I dream of seeing light and salt everywhere, even in the world — not a mountain of salt and a locked room full of light.

Jean Girgis — 27 February 2011