Salted with fire

Dear Friends,

In our gospel reading for this Sunday, Jesus is in an unusually fiery mood. It seems he has grown frustrated with his disciples for their continued self-centered concern over status, and to wake them up, he uses exaggeration and hyperbole, so as to say, stop worrying about who is in, who is out, what “others” are doing in my name, and where you stand on the ladder. Keep your eye on the ball, and focus on how you can serve others and what you can change - yourself! He concludes by saying, “For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

In the ancient world and throughout history, salt and fire have been recognized for their elemental properties and their importance to our survival. Salt not only adds taste, but it acts as a preservative, assists in healing, accelerates chemical reactions, and is an essential nutrient. Fire provides warmth and light, and is used to forge metal, heat clay, purify utensils and cook our food. But each can have destructive properties. Too much salt corrodes and can raise our blood pressure. Too much fire can destroy a forest or city in a matter of days.

All of this has made me think about what happens when salt is added to the fire. My friend who is a potter tells me that when salt is thrown into the kiln, it alters the surface of the pot in a fashion that cannot be entirely predicted or controlled. The potter has to trust that when the salt is given to the fire, it will do its work; that, blessed by the intention and focus the potter brings, the salt will make a way for the wild beauty that will come.

During this season of unpredictability that has been impossible to control, I invite us all to take a break for a day or an hour or even just a minute, from anything we are comparing or climbing or striving to tame. Then sit for a while and imagine those fiery places in your life being salted and singed with new perspectives, fresh energy, unexpected grace. You might be surprised at the shapes and patterns that emerge from the flames of your heart.

In Christ,

Amelie+