In Luke 14:34–35, Jesus says, “Salt is good, but if salt loses its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?” It’s a short passage, but it packs a punch. Salt in Jesus’ day had two main purposes—to season and to preserve—and that’s exactly what our faith should do. We should make life better, like seasoning that brings out flavor, and we should help preserve what’s good and holy in the world. Our families, workplaces, and communities ought to be brighter and kinder because we’re there. And just like salt keeps things from decaying, we’re called to hold on to what’s good—kindness, honesty, forgiveness, grace. Jesus’ warning reminds us to stay “salty,” to keep our edge, our joy, and our witness alive. So today, bring out the best wherever you go, preserve what’s good, and let your life reflect the goodness of Christ. Stay salty, friends.

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Well, good morning! It’s good to be with you on this Tuesday morning. I hope all is well for you as we get going in this wonderful week together.

Today, we’re continuing in Luke’s Gospel—just two verses from chapter 14, but they’re packed with meaning. Jesus says:

“Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”

Now, salt shows up a lot in Scripture. Remember, Jesus tells us in Matthew that we’re “the salt of the earth.” Salt and light—that’s what we’re called to be. We’re supposed to make a difference.

So here Jesus says, “Salt is good… but if it loses its taste, what good is it?” That got me thinking about a sermon I heard years ago at a conference called Order of the Flame—a gathering for young United Methodist pastors, back when I was young. (Those were the days!) Anyway, a Bible teacher there talked about salt and what it meant in Jesus’ time, and I’ve never forgotten what she said.

She said salt had two main purposes back then: to season and to preserve. And that those two things should shape how we live our faith.

First, salt seasons—it makes things taste better. Salt enhances flavor. Food just isn’t the same without it. (Now, if I ever get high blood pressure, I’m in trouble because I love salt. Salty-sweet? Even better.)

But here’s the point: as followers of Jesus, our lives should make things better. Your family should be better because you’re in it. Your workplace should be better because you work there. Your community should be better because you’re part of it. Your school, your friend group, your church—they all ought to be better because you’re there.

That’s what it means to be salt—you bring out the best wherever you are.

And I preached Sunday about Barnabas, the “son of encouragement.” The world doesn’t lack critics, does it? We’ve got no shortage of people tearing things down, complaining about what’s wrong. You don’t have to look far—just check your Facebook feed! What we do need are more people like Barnabas—encouragers, builders, salt that makes life better.

The second purpose of salt is preservation. Before refrigerators, salt kept things from spoiling. It preserved what was good, kept it from decaying.

That’s part of our calling, too—to preserve what’s good and holy in this world. Not everything old is worth keeping, but some things are worth holding on to. Do we still value being good neighbors? Do we still have real conversations with people, especially those we disagree with? Or are we hiding behind screens and keyboards, firing off angry posts instead of face-to-face grace?

As Christians, we’re called to preserve what’s good—to hold onto kindness, honesty, community, forgiveness, compassion. These things keep the world from going bad.

Salt, in its best form, does both—it enhances and preserves. It makes things better and keeps things from falling apart.

So Jesus asks us, “What if salt loses its saltiness?” That’s worth thinking about. Because it’s possible, isn’t it? We can lose our saltiness. We can lose our edge, our witness, our joy.

So let’s check ourselves. Are we still salty? Are we still making things better? Are we still preserving what’s good?

Today, wherever you find yourself, be salt. Enhance what’s around you. Preserve what’s worth keeping. Make the world a better place because you’re in it.

And tomorrow, we’ll move into Luke 15—the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. Some of Jesus’ most beloved stories. I’m looking forward to it.

Have a great day, and stay salty, friends.