No worries, I will walk you through it. Today's Gospel lesson is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount (from last week). Jesus goes on to tell us that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world! You will need to gather a few supplies before you begin.
Here is what you will need: a plate, a piece of ice, a piece of string (yarn) that is wet, salt and a flashlight or a candle.
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Okay kids, I have a problem for you to solve today. I need you to pick up this piece of ice with this string. You can't tie it around the ice. Just take the string and lay it over the ice cube and pick it up. Maybe you can try pushing the string and holding it on the ice. (Hopefully they won't out-clever you and figure it out). Do you think that I can do it? (Take the string and lay it on top of the ice and liberally sprinkle salt over the part of the string that is on the ice.) Okay, now we have to wait a minute.
(While you wait) What kinds of things to we use salt for? Why do we use salt?
Okay, let's try it. (Pick up the ice cube with the string; but, just before you pick it up, make sure the ice has not stuck to the bottom of the plate or your string will tear off the ice.) Wow! It worked. How did I do that? It was the salt. The salt made the string freeze to the ice.
In today's Gospel lesson Jesus tells us that we are the salt of the earth. Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16
What do you think Jesus meant when He said that YOU are the salt of the earth? Here is an interesting way to look at it. The string is like God - He holds the world. The ice is like the world - the world can be a cold and lonely place and desperately in need of God. So, who is the salt? You and I are the salt. The church is the salt. It is our job to help the world come to God. That is our mission in life - to be like salt - helping our friends and our neighbors to understand who God is, how God loves them, and how that they can come to God, too.
Jesus also said that you are the light of the world. We are lucky that we didn't loose our electricity with this snow storm, but what if we did? What if our house was all dark and we couldn't see - what would we need? A flashlight or a candle. And even just one candle would have made the difference in the darkness. Jesus said, "YOU are the light of the world." You can make a difference in other people's lives. When they are sad or hurting, lonely or afraid, you can brighten things for them by sharing Jesus' love. Just like one candle can make the difference in a dark room, your light can make the difference in someone's life, too.
Let's pray: Dear God, thank you for sending Jesus to be the light of the world. Help us as we try to live out His call to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Extra Credit: Sing "This Little Light of Mine" together!
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Good job, friends! Let me know how it goes with your family. Since we won't get to see all of the cute things those kids say and do in front of the church, you'll have to share it with us.
Blessings to you and yours!
