Salt. Light. Hope

You are the salt of the earth; 

but if salt has lost its taste, 

how can its saltiness be restored? 

It is no longer good for anything, 

but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.

(from Matthew 5:13-20)

As I watched portions of Tyre Nichols' funeral, I was touched by a sense darkness pervading my soul. 

That darkness was not simply the type that often accompanies a funeral, but a sense of "we've been here before and we going to be back here again".

Emphasized at the funeral was the need for national laws to control a culture of violence by police and intending to reducing racial profiling. 

To the crowd gathered around him, Jesus talks about a whole other set of laws.

Jesus' talk about salt losing its flavor and being trampled underfoot refers to the 10 Commandments and the writings of the prophets.

This isn't a new idea, but a reminder, that, like Jesus, his followers are to stand for a righteous hope and transforming justice which can be seen in God's faithfulness for generations.

Jesus calls us to be salt, to serve in the way we were called to serve.

Jesus tells us to be like a light on a hilltop or an uncovered lamp reflecting the goodness of God so others see what God’s goodness is like thank God.

When we serve as “the light of the world,” we are a channel for the light pointing to God's light which the darkness cannot overcome.

It's this type of light that brings hope to those in a dark night of the soul.

For me, the light on the hilltop or the uncovered lamp came as the Rev. Al Sharpton spoke at the funeral.

He spoke from his unwavering call to discipleship based on his Christian faith.

To those who were mourning, he brought the comfort of one dedicated to the light of justice in an unjust society.

Rev. Sharpton was the salt bringing the light of God's hope into the dark place of racial injustice.