February 8th

““You are the salt of the earth; . . . You are the light of the world,” Matthew 5:13-14

listen, it is not a bumper sticker—
salt doesn’t shout in our ear,
it simply sticks around,
protecting what is precious from going bad
when we sweat fear through the day
and when truth is left out
on the kitchen counter.
salt has that quiet faithfulness
like folks gathering to bear witness
in places of worship and in streets,
like those hearts which refuse
to lose the tang of gritty grace.
listen, it’s not a slogan—
light refuses to debate the shadows,
it simply walks as far into it as needed;
a candle in a cellar as the missiles
land all over their neighborhood;
a porch light turned on
for the wayward to find home.
listen, they are not meant
to be commercials for sporting events—
Jesus didn’t say, ‘try to be’
he challenged us, “you are!”
already glowing like hope
in the shadows of despair,
already to be poured out
into the lives of God’s precious ones
so season today with grace
turn on a lamp for the weary.
the world is exhausted
the shadows seem to expand
and God has trusted us
to never let the light go out,
God has poured the cost of justice
into us so it might not decay.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman