We Are Salt

Short Talk (SHT190) We are “salt” to those around us © Jane Hulme 2020 Aim of Short talk: Use of Short talk: Main themes: Biblical references: Lectionary: Props: Before the service: To encourage people to be “salt” to the people they meet each day. This is a short All Age talk picking out one issue from the Lectionary Gospel reading of the Sunday main service. The talk stands alone and assumes that the Gospel Bible reading may not yet have been read to the congregation. It could be used for example, for the whole congregation before the children go out to their age specific groups, leaving the adults with a full sermon later. Jesus, Salt, Character, Love Matthew 5:13-20 Year A – The 3rd Sunday before Lent You need a table on which you have laid: • A plate, on which there are some chips. (You may wish to cook these just before the service, so that they are still warm when they are tasted by your volunteer. A box of microwave chips would work.) • A tub of salt Choose and brief a volunteer who will give you the responses SHORT TALK: “We are “salt” to those around us” that you need! .................................................................................................................. Who likes chips? (Response) • I have a plate of chips on this table, that I have recently cooked. N (name of volunteer), would you like to come and taste my chips? (N joins you at the table) • What do they taste like? (N takes a chip, eats it, then says: “It is rather tasteless”) Let’s add some salt to the chips and see if they taste any better. (Pour a small amount of salt over the chips). • Try one. (N takes a chip, eats it, then says: “That is really tasty”) Thank you N. Would you like to sit down? Chips without salt are tasteless aren’t they, • whereas when we add just a few grains of salt (Pour out a very few grains of salt into your hand) to them, they become really tasty. © Jane Hulme 2020 2 A tiny amount of salt (hold up hand with salt grains in it) can make a great big chip (pick up a chip and hold it in your other hand) taste really good. • Salt adds flavour to things, making them taste better. (Put down chip and salt grains) Jesus once said to His disciples: “You are the salt of the earth....” (Matthew 5:13) • I wonder what He meant by that. I think that part of what Jesus meant is that when you and I follow Him, we are to live a life that is distinctly different from everyone else around us. • We are to make the world a better place to live in. We do that by doing the things that Jesus would do, • and being like Him in our characters. So, for example, when other children say unkind things about another child, • you choose to say something kind about them. • You are being “salty.” (Hold up salt tub) When other people in your office take home paper and stamps for their own use, • you choose not to. • You are being “salty.” (Hold up salt tub) When other people can’t be bothered to go and visit someone in your class who is in hospital, • you choose to make time to visit them. • You are being “salty.” (Hold up salt tub) When other people at college get drunk and make a mess in someone’s home, • you choose to be careful how much you drink and help clear up the mess. • You are being “salty.” (Hold up salt tub) Our saltiness is about living a life of love. • We will make life “taste better” for other people, by loving them and serving them, • and it will be noticed. Just a very small amount of salt was needed to make my chips taste good. (Pour out a few grains of salt into your hand and hold your hand up) • The small acts of kindness and love that you do each day will make a difference to the people around you, and they will see Jesus through you. • Let me encourage you this week to be really “salty!” © Jane Hulme 2020 3