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We are the salt of the Earth. We are the "spice of life." As we are the salt that flavors the Earth, how would we ever alter the world if we were to lose our flavor? If we were to lose our faith, how would we ever flavor the Earth? We do so by sprinkling our faith and believe. Without us, the salt of the Earth, the world remains bland. It is up to us to share beliefs, and the word of God with others. We must use our flavor, to change the "taste" of the Earth, and we must share our faith with others to help them see the light. If we share with others in the world, they will begin to see and understand God, which further adds flavor to the Earth. We are the light of the world, shining brightly with our faith. We shine bright, for all to see that we are not ashamed of our beliefs. As a city sits atop a hillside, it is visible for miles, to all. as a believer in Christ, we should be as the city atop the hill, letting all whom question, know our beliefs. Do not hide your faith from outsiders. As you would not hide your candle under a bushel, you should not keep your faith hidden. As you light the candle, place it on the nightstand, sharing light with all around it. Go, and be as the candle, shining your light, and let that light act as your faith, penetrating the darkness in the hearts of all who do not believe. The light of the body is the eye. If your eye is true, your body shall be full of light. But if your eye is evil, all your body will be dark, and how dark it will be. With our eyes, we must see the truth. By seeing the light and seeing the truth, and by accepting God in our lives, the light inside us, our faith, will shine bright. If we shun, and choose not to believe, darkness will envelop our hearts, and it shall be dark.. We must use our light to help those who cannot see the light, and to help them remove the darkness from their hearts and eyes, accepting God, and bestowing the light of faith in their lives, so that they may go out into the world and continue to shine.

All my life, my family and my friends have been the light of my life. They have taught me many things, and have helped me get through the hardest times imaginable, and it is because they shared with me their faith in God, and because of this, I will be eternally grateful to them, and will let my own light shine though, in honor of them, and the Lord.

 by Anndria Martin

Good morning. The Old Testament lesson today has several important messages intertwined within its text.

The first four verses describe one who is the chosen servant of the Lord. This passage can be interpreted in two different ways. The first is the more obvious of the two, quite simply, the Lord Jesus Christ is "the chosen one" who is said in Isaiah to be the one to come and bring justice to the exiled Jews through faithfulness in the Lord. The second can be directly related to this wonderful occasion which we celebrate today, the blessing of having mothers to guide us through our lives as Jesus guided the exiled people of God.

At the very second a child is born that child's mother develops and immediate bond that sustains the love between the child and mother for the rest of time. If one were asked, "Who is the most nurturing figure in your life?" One would immediately answer, "My mother is!" The word nurture, because of its common connotation, is immediately linked with mothers or one who acts motherly, but mothers do much more than simply nurture their children. Throughout the duration of childhood, teenage years, and even adulthood, one relies on the wisdom and guidance of their mother. Mothers are truly wonderful examples of ultimate servants of God. They instill the knowledge of the light God has given us. My mom loves to tell me about how she thinks I got my singing voice from her because she used to sing children's church songs to me when I was a young child. Mother's seem to do everything! Even though we may disobey them or even become rebellious, they unrelentingly show their devotion and love for us. I am about to embark on my own journey. I know I'm ready to face the challenges college will put before me because I have been given light form the Lord and taught how to face new tasks and obstacles from one of the strongest females I've ever met, my mom. She stood strong holding our family together through my father's accident. She provided for me when our house was taken by natural disaster. She helped me with schoolwork, put up with my endless piano practicing, played backstage mom throughout my years of dance class, and came to almost all of my swim meets. Her efforts to be the best mom are unending. She is a servant of God, a teacher to not only me, but hundreds who have been fortunate enough to know her.

The second part of the lesson from the Old Testament is a degree of God's promise to give light and love mankind and how mankind should respond through the action of being a servant to the Lord. God promises to uphold us and take our hand. He has prepared eternal life in heaven for us. All we have to do is be a servant to him by spreading God's word and providing for others, even strangers, just as he has provided and cared for us. College is going to be a big step for me. All my life I have been an only child and a child who is extremely close to her parents. Leaving my small family is going to be one of the hardest things I've ever done. Even though we are small in number we are unmatched in love for each other. Though I know leaving will be difficult, I'm prepared for the challenge because not only will my parents always be there for me, but I know that the Lord will be holding my hand and guiding my feet and mind every step of the way.

In return for God's love and guidance all I have to do, all we have to do, is share that love and that knowledge of eternal life with every passerby. We all have been blessed with the opportunity to seek education, to obtain a sustaining career, to have a loving and supporting family, and to make wonderful friends who help us throughout life's magnificent journey. I praise the Lord and give thanks to him for providing me with a mother full of love and joy, a family of caring, friends who guide me, and a church family full of support. All of these people have been a spark to add to the flame of life from God which sustains me each and every day and will sustain me for the days to come.