“If salt were to lose its savor, how can you restore its taste.”
In these words from the Sermon on the Mount, we see Christ outlining our problem today in proclaiming the message of Christ. We have heard it all before, so-ooo many times. It is all stale; it has lost its savor. So, I think, that is the problem. What is the solution? How do we restore its flavor?
I can suggest two ways to make the Word of God mean something to us today, to give it taste in a world gone flat. For one, we could clear our minds and listen to God’s Word as if for the first time. Could I pretend that I have never heard this before. If that were true, how would the first hearing effect me? I might be astonished, I might be comforted, I would certainly be impressed with the love of God. I think that I can get in that “for the first time” state of mind. I would have to cut out all the other voices that have described the love of God as conditional on my actions. This might be a great experiment, to cut thru the static and hear only the pure unadulterated voice of Jesus.
Secondly, we could hear the Words of Scripture as a personal message. Jesus is not giving a message to the whole human race. He is speaking only to me. He is speaking of His love for me. He is speaking of His hopes for me. When it is personal, I always listen. It is never stale.