Over the last two Sundays, Pastor Lindsey reminded us of our purpose as the community of faith known as First Presbyterian Church Bethlehem. She wrote in reference to our mission study themes this: “Together, we feel called to be a relational church, a mission-active church, and a community-integrated church. This trio of commitments…that is our purpose…”
In reflecting on that statement, I was reminded 
of my two star words for 2026 – purpose and sacredness. In a journal entry, I wrote that my purpose was to live, promote and be the action as I am held in sacred relationship with God and neighbor. And I asked myself: How will/does God call me to live that out?
Purpose – we Presbyterians live by the chief end of man articulated in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Our purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy God forever. Purpose – the reason something is done or exists or is used or an intention or aim.
So, if our intention and aim, our purpose, is to live out our trio of commitments – those three themes, how does everything we have talked about since June 7th in worship help us stay true to our purpose? And how do these practices guide us to be salt and light for our corner of the world, giving our community an abundance of hope.
I won’t go into detail on each of those practices, but I will remind us of what they are: a sense of call as a follower of Jesus; praying individually and together in groups; learning about ourselves and one another through storytelling; being spiritual healers to a world often harmed by the institutional church; being sent out in pairs with the Holy Spirit as our advocate and teacher; understanding that gathering is a holy practice giving us permission to be honest, authentic and vulnerable, and finally seeing a deeper understanding of hospitality.
All of these discipleship/apostleship practices invite us to a more authentic way of living as followers and messengers of a Gospel message of love, grace, forgiveness, mercy and compassion. All of these practices make us saltier brighter lights for a hurting world. As Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message: Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. (The Message, Matthew 5:14-16).
We are salt of the earth Jesus tells us. In Jesus’ time, salt is an incredibly valuable and essential part of life. Salt seasons food enhancing and bringing together flavors (anyone on a salt-free diet can attest that takes some getting used to!). Salt was used as a preservative, a disinfectant, a way to treat wounds, currency – Roman soldiers might see part of their paychecks in salt – and even as a temple offering in sacrifices. Jesus tells his disciples they are the salt of the earth and as individuals and as a community of believers, to live like they know that.
As a community that knows they are the salt of the earth, their lives reflect all the things that salt can bring to a community – enhancing flavor, healing, preserving the Gospel truth, exhibiting mercy and grace but most of all bringing the flavor of God’s love to all and in so doing bringing diverse people together. The community of followers described in Acts 2 are salt as well. These followers are an incredibly valuable and essential part of spreading the good news of the Gospel.
Are we? In living out our purpose by honoring the three commitments we have made as a community of faith – to be relational, mission-active and community-integrated, how are we salt? How are we preserving the truth of the Gospel – that God’s love is inclusive, steadfast, and unearned. That God’s mercy is extended to all.
How are we preserving the truth of the Gospel – not some distorted version of Christianity that is exclusive, where God’s love is dependent on your good behavior, that you can earn that love and mercy, and that God’s judgment of you is the most important value in your relationship. It is a form of Christianity that keeps one in fear and angst. It is a form of Christianity that has caused great harm in our world today. It is a form of Christianity where its salt has lost its taste.
How are we as salt of the earth enhancing the relationships we build, flavoring the missions we seek to undertake, and bringing together the flavors of the diverse community we live in? How does being salt of the earth help us live out our purpose? Let’s continue to reflect and pray on those questions.
Then Jesus tells his followers that they are also the light of the world – the light that continues to shine everywhere – that can’t be overcome by shadow. This light cannot and should not ever be hidden – if it’s hidden how will people ever see the light? Fear cannot be allowed to hide our light! Not in this world we live in today!
Fear cannot be allowed to derail our purpose! Not in this world we live in today! The light of God’s inclusive and miraculous love has to shine through us so that those who are constantly told they do not belong to God – that they cannot be loved by God unless they conform to the rules set out my humans not God – know the truth of God’s love and care for them. Fear cannot be allowed to hide our light!
Dr. Amy Oden wrote this about being salt and light in a reflection for Working Preacher:
“We are the tastiness that adds salt to lives around us. We are light that makes plain the justice way of the kingdom of God. Jesus says we must be tasty and lit up in order to make a difference for God in the world. Neither salt nor light exists for themselves. They only fulfill their purpose when used, poured out.”
All of these practices we have talked about prepare us to be salt and light which in turn brings an abundance of hope to not only those who need it but to us as well! If we live as salt and light – we can see and be abundant hope. Paul knew this to be true when he wrote to this community of followers in Rome: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:13).
May the God of hope fill you with all the tastiness of salt and the shining beauty of light as we continue to practice being Christ-followers knit together as the community of faith known as FPC Bethlehem. May the God of hope and salt and light continue to be the voice we hear as we live out our purpose of being a community that builds relationships, is active in mission and integrated within the wider community of Bethlehem. May we yield ourselves to this God of hope and let fear go! May it be so. Amen.