Salt and Light Jesus told his followers they were to be like ‘salt and light’. And he did not add ‘until you retire’. Indeed, when the time comes that we are ‘after work’, there are even more opportunities to live out what Jesus had in mind. Speaking to his followers, Jesus put it this way: ‘You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? . . . You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. A lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so everyone will praise your heavenly Father.’ (Matthew 5.13-16) Jesus’ words are not a suggestion but an expectation. So, at this stage of life, just how tasty and bright are we? The move away from regular paid work brings a fresh challenge to take this call to be salt and light seriously in our new environment. Of course it is good to enjoy well-earned relaxation after a lifetime of work. But now is not the time to lose our flavour or hide our lamp. Instead, we have the potential to flavour the lives of others and hold up a light that shows the way. And so make a Christian difference; in our family, our church and our community.
