Just as we started when we talked about the purpose of worship, today again we begin with a most fundamental and basic principle on the purpose of ministry. Glorify God. Be salt and light, doing good deeds so that God gets the praise.

"Here's another way to put it, from Eugene Peterson's, Message: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a lamp stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a lamp stand - shine! 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."

Notice that Jesus does not tell his disciples how to be salt and light. He simply says, "Be salt, be light, be yourselves. Salt salts, light shines. Act upon on your nature, your identity. Just do what you are meant to do. If we are salt, if we are light, if we are who we are, we will be what we are to be, we will do what we are to do. Salt salts, light shines.

Light is an amazing thing. It has nearly unlimited power against the darkness. No matter how dark it is in a room or in a cave, no matter how great the space involved, once a light is lit, it draws attention to itself, no matter how small. That's why during air raids in WWII people weren't even allowed to light a cigarette. Someone in a plane flying thousands of feet over head might see the tiny spark of one match and recognize a target.

You are the light of the world. And Jesus puts you up on a pedestal for all the world to see. He's showing you off! He's proud of you. That's because you represent one of his victories over sin. Even back in the book of Job, God showed that he likes to brag on his faithful children. Job 1: 8 says, “The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." Brilliant!

Then there's salt. For Jesus' listeners, salt was what it is for us, a seasoning, but lots more. In Jesus' first century world, salt was best known as a preservative. No refrigerators then. Because salt was a preservative, giving long life to all it permeated, it was used as a symbol of God's eternal covenant with the Hebrew people.

Salt was also used as a disinfectant, as in "salt in the wounds." Salt finds the sore spots and it stings, but it is a cleansing agent that kills bacteria. So it's a good thing. Although I must admit I am glad that we have painless modern disinfectants, it is also good to remember that sometimes our salty ministry may temporarily hurt the one it is healing. It is for the good.

It may surprise you to know that during the time of Jesus' earthly ministry salt was used as a fertilizer. "Salt was often scattered and worked into the soil in order to enhance the productivity of the land. Indeed as recently as World War II, British farmers compensated for the lack of nitrate fertilizers by once again returning to the ancient tradition of adding salt to croplands for increased fertility."

For the salt of the earth to be of value as a fertilizer of the earth, it has to be at work in the earth, moving within and among the soil, making the land more productive and fruitful by subtly changing its very character.

And, of course, salt was a seasoning. But the trick about salt as a seasoning is to use just a little, just enough to enhance. Too much salt can ruin your enjoyment of the food. Too much salt can also ruin the land instead of fertilize it. But in the right amounts, it is beneficial. That's a good reminder that we do not want to come on too strong in our ministry. A little thing like salt, a fragile thing like light - that's what Jesus wanted his followers to be in the world. He did not say, "You are a great army marching into the world." He did not say, "You are a loud sound system, blasting my message." Thus we are told elsewhere, to speak the truth in love. But if you walk with Jesus, you are salt; you enhance the flavors of life. Jesus said "you are the salt of the earth...you are the light of the world," and he knows when we are making a difference in a tasteless and dull world.

Salt is a seasoning and as such brings out the flavors that are there. But let's face it - lots of Christians have just the opposite effect; they do not enhance life; instead they are dull, flat, insipid. This also has an effect on people. Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, "I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers." And Robert Louis Stevenson once entered in his diary what he consider an extraordinary phenomenon, "I have been to church today and am not depressed."

The earth needs salt; the world needs light, but mark well this insight, the salt in the soil and the lamp in the dark both need their surroundings in order to change them. Salt and light do not exist for their own sake, but to make a difference and to give glory to God. To make a difference they need the earth to enhance and the world to brighten.

Ministry is the way we make a difference. When most people hear ministry they think of pastors and preaching. But the experience of being called by God to serve is not just for pastors nuns and other full time church workers. Your call to salvation included your call to service. 1 peter 2: 9, says of you, “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Rom 7:4 says, “you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.”

There are no insignificant ministries. Rick Warren said that the most important light in his house is not the big chandelier in the dining room, it's the little night light that keeps him from stubbing his toe when he gets up at night. Whether your ministry is up front and visible or behind the scenes and supportive you are needed!

What happens when one part of your body gets sick? You could die! Same for church. Imagine if your liver started saying “I am tired. I want a year off just to be fed. I've got to do what's best for me. I've done my fair share. Let some other part take over now.” Today thousands of local churches are dying because of Christians who are unwilling to serve. They sit in the sidelines as spectators, and the Body suffers. Serving is the opposite of natural inclination. Most of the time you hear people say “I am looking for a church that meets my needs ad blesses me.” not “I am looking for place to serve and be a blessing.” Do you ever ask yourself, “Whose needs can I meet?”

We are commanded to serve: Matt 20:28 says it's not an option, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." To serve and to give should define your life as a Christian. Be salt. Be light. Make a positive difference. Mother Theresa said, “Holy living consists in doing god's work with a smile.”

As we grow in Christ we can't just keep absorbing truth and joy without sharing it. We grow up to give. We can't keep on just learning. We must act on what we claim to know and practice what we claim to believe. I have probably used this illustration before about the difference between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. The Dead Sea is stagnant and way too salty to support life because there is not outlet. But the Sea of Galilee is fresh water and teaming with fish because there is a positive flow through.

In the same way, if all you do is absorb Truth and never serve, your life will be stagnant like the Dead Sea. But a servant's life has a positive flow through that supports life and keeps the self fresh and delightful. We are only fully alive when we are helping others. For as it says in Mark 8:35, “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

When Jesus said, you are salt and light, he was saying in effect, "You have heard me say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. You have heard me say, Follow me. You are the salt of the earth. You are who you are. And if you lose your identity - something which by definition should not happen, there are terrible consequences. But be who you are. Be salt. Be light."

You were put on earth to make a contribution. Bear much fruit, God designed you to make a difference with your life. Christianity has brought good things to the rest of the world--schools, hospitals, orphanages--institutions that alleviate suffering and make people more independent. Christianity produced the United State's of America and made democracy possible. Christians worked hardest to abolish slavery. Although the record is spotty, it really was Christians who followed Jesus example in respecting women as persons of value. Christianity should get more of the credit for the improvements in the status of women in modern society.

Want to work on a big project? Serve in the church. Be involved in ministry together. And have the right perspective about the work we do. I forget where I heard this illustration but here's a good one. A man approached a construction site and began to talk to the workers. He asked, “What are you doing?”

The first one who answered said, “I am earning only $5/hr on this crummy job.”

The second one who answered said, “I am laying bricks, all day long one after the other, and tomorrow I have to come back and do it some more. I'd rather be fishing.”

The third one said, “I am helping to build a great cathedral to the glory of God!”

Now to their credit, each one told the truth. But which of them do you think was involved in ministry? Which one had the best perspective on his role in life? Even the most menial task, even the most mundane and repetitive work can be meaningful when viewed from the proper perspective. And the really wonderful thing about God is that when you look at your work and what it means to Him, you will employ the correct perspective. It is not just a word game to cheer yourself up by pretending that your work is more than it really is. Your work really is more important and significant than Satan would like you to think with his worldly perspective that seeks to destroy your morale and prevent your ministry.

Similarly, I wonder how each of you would answer if I asked you what are you doing in church today? The worst answer, and the one I hope nobody here is really thinking is, “A good person is supposed to go to church so I am in church because I am supposed to be. I'm just going through the motions, doing what makes me look good so every body thinks I am a good person.”

Another possible answer would be, “I am in church because I need the spiritual lift. I get worn down during the week. I also make some mistakes that I guess I have to call sin. So I guess I need to get here to be reminded of forgiveness and God's continuing love.”

The best answer I think would be, “I belong here as a part of the body of Christ. We come together in Christ. We walk together with Christ. And we work together for Christ.” Working together for Christ is ministry. Each of us ought to be able to identify his or her own particular contribution to the ministry, in whatever form it takes. Where do you volunteer your time and talent? Whatever you do for the Lord is your ministry.

Let me give you some examples. When we come in and greet each other with warm smiles and even hugs and kisses, that's a loving ministry of encouragement and appreciation. When you do something like that, you are salt and light. When everyone else is ready to give up on a teenager who is a royal pain, and you speak up for giving him another chance and suggest a fresh approach, you are salt. When someone starts up on her same dreary old pattern of gossip and backstabbing, and you quietly say, "Yes, I know very well how you feel, but I'd like either to help you solve your problem or at least move on to something else," you are light. When your co-worker is having a tough time in his marriage, and you say you'll be there for him, you are salt.

When the service is over today and you make eye contact with someone you don't know and smile and say, "Hi, my name is Jane Doe, please tell me your name," you are salt. When you tell a friend, "We're doing something special at our church. It could be fun. Want to come with me?" you are light and salt.

So if you are saved, you are called to serve. God says every member of his family is a minister. It says so right in our bulletin. We have acknowledged it for years. Ministry and service are the same thing. In some places in China, they welcome new believers by saying God now has a new pair of eyes to see with, new ears to listen, new hands to help with and a new heart to love others. How much of your time are you useful to God?

You are blessed to be a blessing. You are saved to serve, not sit around and wait for heaven. Your service is desperately needed in the body of Christ. You need to be connected to a church family to fulfill your calling. 1 Cor. 12:27 says to the church, “Now you are the body of Christ,” and to the individuals in the church he says “each one of you is a part of it.

Ministry is the work of the church, serving other people unselfishly. It is the way we get to be as otherish as possible. Note we are not saved by ministry, but saved for ministry. For as it says in Eph 2:10, “We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which god prepared in advance for us to do.” In 1 Cor. 6:20 we learn that we are not our own. “You were brought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. Serve him with gladness! A saved heart is one that wants to serve. 1 john 3:14 says, “We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” And remember love is an action verb. It's not just a feeling. Love is active in ministry. Ministry is an act of love.

Won't you consider once more all that Christ has done for you on the cross, then tell me in light of that great work of love that incredible ministry that saved your soul, how can you not be filled with joy and gladness? How can you resist they urge to do something for some else that shows that god's love is overflowing in your heart because he has pured His holy Spirit into you? And if you have not yet asked Jesus for forgiveness and grace, let me invite you to do that today. Let us pray.