“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16 NIV Who are you? Why are you here? What is your purpose? As we began the year 2022, these are the questions many of you are asking yourself... your pastor, perhaps your counselor. Or maybe these are questions that you have in your mind, but would never let them part from your lips. God is so amazing. He sometimes answers our questions in one passage. You Are The Salt of the Earth. Not "you were". Not "you will be". Not "there's a good chance you will turn out to be"... but YOU ARE. Who better to call us into who we are than the One who created us Himself. We are here to bring the world flavor. We bring joy. Happiness. Encouragement. We bless those who need it. We are the ones who change the atmosphere in the room with the Jesus that lives in us. We are light because in Him there is no darkness. And we are never to hide who we are, but ensure we bring light to "everyone in the house." We shine so that others can first, see what God is doing in us and through us, and second, give glory to our Father in heaven. The Message Bible puts it this way: “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." If we become discouraged and "lose our saltiness", how else will people get a taste of what God is like? If we fail to allow our God-colors to show, placing all of our God-given radiance under a basket, how can people know that there is light in the darkest of circumstances? So...Who are you? Salt and Light. Why are you here? Because the world needs to see Jesus. What is your purpose? To be salt carriers and light bearers.