CAC Dean of Faculty Brian McLaren shares the inspiration for the 2025 Daily Meditations theme, Being Salt and Light:
When I was a teenager, the idea of religion making you different was not a new idea to me. Unfortunately, in my experience, religion made you different in an odd, outdated, and maybe even harsh and judgmental way. To be a Christian was to hold yourself above and apart from secular people and people of other faiths…. But one of my spiritual mentors, Rod, said something very different: Most of your fellow students are trying their hardest to be cool, but you can choose a different goal. You can make it your ambition to be warm—a warm and loving presence in the world as Jesus was. Rod believed that our calling was to be joyfully in the world in deep solidarity with our neighbors, loving them as equals rather than considering ourselves holier than thou and therefore better than them. Rather than judging them or evaluating them for where they fit on our scales or standards, Rod recommended that we compassionately understand every person we encounter, approaching everyone, no exceptions, with empathy.
Of course, Rod was just echoing what Jesus said in the most intense, concentrated example of his public teaching we call the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5:1–12). The sermon begins with a set of sayings that begin with “Blessed are …”. Most people interpret these statements as a way of saying, God blesses these people to the exclusion of others.
I’ve come to understand the Beatitudes as a way of saying something very different. The Beatitudes say, We, in this new movement, bless the very people who are usually excluded. Jesus says, In this movement, we bless the poor and the poor in spirit. We bless those who mourn, we bless the meek or gentle, we bless those who hunger and thirst for justice. We bless the merciful and the pure in heart. We bless the peacemakers and those who are persecuted for standing up for justice. And then Jesus continues: We see the world differently because we bless people who are usually forgotten, despised, or excluded. That different way of seeing the world leads to a different way of being in the world. Here are Jesus’ exact words to describe this:
You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:13–16).
Reference:
Adapted from Brian McLaren, 2025 Daily Meditations Theme: Being Salt and Light, Center for Action and Contemplation, video, 6:37.
Image credit and inspiration: Austin Ban, Untitled (detail), 2015, photo, Unsplash. Click here to enlarge image. Just like these hands move the dust of the world around them, we too, can influence the world—hopefully for good by being salt and light.
Story from Our Community:
The God we seek is both spirit and wisdom. We cannot truly know this mysterious being, but we can continue to search. And maybe that’s all we really need to do. God is warmth, energy, radiance, love, and serenity. This Christmas season, I rejoice that this ineffable being was incarnate here on earth. As an imperfect human being, I embrace this journey towards knowing, loving, and serving in the spirit of this unknowable God.
—Pat K.
