Thoughts for the Day

Jesus said: ‘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.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

In 1954 the film 'Salt of the Earth' was produced by Paul Jarrico in the USA, written by Michael Wilson and directed by Herbert J. Biberman. All three had been blacklisted by Hollywood because of their alleged involvement in communism. It was billed as 'An honest movie about American working people', and was based on a strike in 1951 against a Zinc Company in Mexico. The film was one of the first to look at things from a feminist point of view, and used actual miners and their families as actors.

When we use the phrase "salt of the earth" we usually mean that we think someone is a genuine, authentic person - that we can trust them, and they are dependable. If we ever need anything they will be there for us, they are the first to help, and they will stick with us to the end. The title of the film 'Salt of the Earth' infers that the miners and their families are just that, 'the salt of the earth'.

Jesus said that we are to be the 'salt of the earth'. Unfortunately, all too often Christians are seen as the opposite. Robert Louis Stephenson once said in his diary, "I have been to church today, and am not depressed". So can we think about ourselves and our own lives - how can we show the sheer joy of being a Christian, and of knowing that as God's sons and daughters we are loved and cherished by God? Go out and smile today, perhaps?

Lord Jesus Christ,
You call us to be 'the salt of the earth':
to enhance our life and our world;
to add flavour and joy to our community;
and to reflect Your love to those around us.
Help us never to forget this,
or to put our faith
on the back-burner.
Amen.