The following homily was shared at our Sunday Evening Eucharist service 2/8/26.

Jesus said to his disciples:
"You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father." (Matthew 5:13-16)

If you look throughout the world today, you’ll find a lot of two things: salt and Christians. Now, the former, the salt, comes in many different varieties, from different places, and with different shapes, sizes, and even colors. Though salt, however you may use it, does one thing: it makes things better. Salt on food? It enhances its flavor and can prevent it from spoiling. Salt on roads? It prevents ice from forming, allowing safe passage from one place to another through treacherous storms. But, as the gospel said, tasteless salt isn’t good for anything. And, funnily enough, it works in the same way with Christians.

We all come from different places, and have different testimonies that have led us here both physically and spiritually. You may have been heavily involved with the Church throughout your life, or perhaps just established your faith, either for the first time or again. But regardless of where you stand or how long you’ve been there, it is important that you keep moving forward in your relationship with God, and working to show that relationship in everything you do. Because why would you sit on the sidelines? Salt is only useful and flavorful if you use it, and so the “Salt of the Earth”, as told by Jesus directly, should go out and be useful for Him.

Now, I’ve done a lot of talking about the why, the “why should we strive to be better," and “why the salt of the Earth.” But, what I have neglected to mention is the “how.”

How does one put this into action? Well, the reading alone tells of a half-dozen direct ways to help, such as feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless, and there are even more out there. Another one is guiding others to Christ and his love. Going back, I mentioned salt on the roads and how it helps keep roads clear through snow or ice storms. If you stayed on campus during the ice storm a couple of weeks ago, you also probably saw Tech put some salt on the sidewalks, too. So, it seems perfect that we, as Christians, who are disciples of the Lord, to whom the Son said, “you are the salt of the earth,” can help clear the road to God. And isn’t that great? You may not be able to fix a lot of problems. There are just fleshly limits, and you can’t circumvent that. But you could help anyone fix any problem by seasoning their life with God.

That was a lot of words, but if you take anything away from this speech, hear this: whether it is directly or indirectly, take action to improve the world and lead others to God. There are many ways to go about it, because as servants of God, we are versatile and have been made able to help, much like salt in the world.

Thank you.

Salt of the Earth: Austin McDonald

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