{"id":10837,"date":"2026-02-04T08:40:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T14:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=10837"},"modified":"2026-02-03T21:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T03:30:09","slug":"february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/","title":{"rendered":"February 8, 2026 &#8211; Salt, Light, and the Life of Discipleship"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Prepare<\/h4>\n<p>As Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount, he shifts his focus from God\u2019s character and wide blessing to the character of disciples. He proclaims they \u201care the salt of the earth\u201d and \u201cthe light of the world\u201d and encourages them to act accordingly (Matthew 5:13-14, NRSVue).<\/p>\n<p>Verse 16 is commonly used in Lutheran baptismal liturgies as a way of proclaiming that this same identity and calling, first given to Jesus\u2019s earliest followers, now belongs to those who are newly baptized and to us as his followers today.<\/p>\n<p>But Jesus also reminds his disciples (ancient and modern) that what he is preaching is nothing new. He did not \u201ccome to abolish the Law or the Prophets\u201d (Matthew 5:17, NRSVue). He points us to the commandments, and not just the Ten! There are actually 613 commandments in the Torah. Jesus famously mentions the two most important in Matthew 22:35-40.<\/p>\n<p>These two might be considered one because one can\u2019t fully love God without loving your neighbor and vice versa. Martin Luther might agree, as he starts each of his commandment explanations in the Small Catechism with the same phrase: \u201cWe are to fear and love God, so that\u2026\u201d But regardless of how these are numbered, we are called to follow the guidance of the past.<\/p>\n<p>Which brings us to today\u2019s assigned reading from Isaiah. Chapter 58 is part of what scholars call Third Isaiah, which means its original historical context is the return from exile in Babylon. The people\u2019s ancestors were sent into exile after they strayed from God and God\u2019s ways, failing to live in accordance with God\u2019s commandments. They did not heed the warnings of God\u2019s prophets. So God \u201chit the reset button\u201d by allowing Babylon to conquer them. Upon their return, they had to rebuild and make decisions about how to order their society, and here the prophet shares words of wisdom from God.<\/p>\n<h4>Opening Exercise<\/h4>\n<p>1. Icebreaker Question Options:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Which of the five basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami) do you think is your favorite? And what is your favorite food that highlights that taste?<\/li>\n<li>Tell about a time when you fasted (it doesn\u2019t have to be from food or for religious reasons).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Text Read Aloud<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?passage=Isaiah+58:1-12\">Isaiah 58:1-12<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=352199644\">Matthew 5:13-20<\/a><\/p>\n<h4>Salt, Light, and the Life of Discipleship<\/h4>\n<p>This week\u2019s assigned Gospel reading is a continuation of Jesus\u2019s Sermon on the Mount, which began last week with the Beatitudes. In that opening passage, we heard about how wide, and at times seemingly illogical, God\u2019s blessing truly is.<\/p>\n<p>Now Jesus\u2019s teaching shifts to focus more on the life of discipleship, that is, who we are<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10838 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731-300x167.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731-1024x569.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731-768x426.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731-250x139.png 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731-630x350.png 630w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731.png 1493w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> called to be in light of who God is. Jesus tells his followers that they are salt and light. But he also warns them that one can be those things and not fulfill their intended purpose. You can be salt, but not preserve and flavor food, maintain healthy bodies, or melt ice.<\/p>\n<p>Chemically speaking, any neutral compound made up of an anion and a cation held together by an ionic bond is a salt. But for simplicity, going forward, when I say salt, I\u2019m going to be referring to table salt (sodium chloride NaCl). As the proud owner of a BS in Chemistry, I hope you will believe me when I tell you: salt CANNOT lose it saltiness.<\/p>\n<p>When you grind salt, you break down its crystalline structure, but you don\u2019t break the ionic bond. Crushing salt does not cause it to lose its saltiness. When you dissolve salt in water, you do break the ionic bond and are left with Na+ and Cl- ions floating around in solution. But when the water is removed\u2014evaporated away\u2014the ions simply recombine back into salt. Water does not cause salt to lose its saltiness.<\/p>\n<p>What you can do is render salt not useful by mixing it with impurities. If you mix salt with the wrong things\u2014for example dirt\u2014then you aren\u2019t going to want to use it to flavor your food or balance your electrolytes. However, it is still salt.<\/p>\n<p>Same thing with a light. You can be light, but not usefully illuminate anything. A light doesn\u2019t stop being bright just because you block the photons from getting to your eyes. Yet, what is the point? It is simply a waste of electricity or fire fuel.<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, Isaiah gives us some guidance on what exactly Jesus means when he tells his followers to be salt and light. God is not as interested in personal piety and ritual as God is interested in mercy and justice. God yearns for us \u201cto loose the bonds of injustice [\u2026] let the oppressed go free [\u2026] share [our] bread with the hungry [\u2026] bring the homeless poor into [our] house,\u201d etc (Isaiah 58:6-7, NRSVue).<\/p>\n<p>That is how God wants us to shine our light. God\u2019s word, including the commandments, are not meant to be a grading rubric for us to use against others to see if they measure up and are worthy of God\u2019s love. All humans are beloved children of God, made in God\u2019s image. We are all salt and light, and we are called to act accordingly. And when (not if, but when) we fall short, we can trust that God will still love us and welcome us into the kingdom, for the \u201cleast in the kingdom of heaven\u201d are still in the kingdom (Matthew 5:19, NRSVue)!<\/p>\n<h4>Reflection Questions<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>What work does Jesus call his disciples to be about?<\/li>\n<li>What does it mean to be \u201cthe salt of the earth\u201d and \u201cthe light of the world\u201d?<\/li>\n<li>What things get in the way of you being salt and light? What might we need to fast from?<\/li>\n<li>Which commandment is the hardest to keep? Which commandment is the most commonly broken?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Closing Activity<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Make a two-column chart. At the top of one column write \u201cFast\u201d and at the top of the other column write \u201cFeast.\u201d Work as a group to fill in the two columns with specific examples of what God calls us to fast from (aka give up, avoid, divest from, spend less time\/money\/energy on) and what God calls us to feast on (aka prioritize, invest in, spend more time\/money\/energy on). If you need help getting started, look up William Arthur Ward\u2019s poem \u201cFasting and Feasting.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Final Blessing<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Give each participant a candle to hold or light one candle in the midst of the group (be careful around open flames). Then go around the group and say to each participant: \u201c<strong>(Name), you are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world.<\/strong>\u201d<\/li>\n<li>You could have the whole group say it to each person, the leader proclaim to each, or pass the message from one person to the next, sort of like a game of telephone.<\/li>\n<li>End by announcing \u201c<strong>(Local slang for the plural you ex: y\u2019all or youse) are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.<\/strong>\u201d And the group responding \u201c<strong>We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.<\/strong>\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Bio of Author<\/h4>\n<p>Leslie Weber is a pastor, spouse, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and ally. She serves at Grace Lutheran Church (Chesapeake, VA) and Holy Communion Lutheran Church (Portsmouth, VA). Her favorite salty snack is soft pretzels served with warm cheese dip and her favorite sweet treat is a chocolate-covered caramel with plenty of sea salt on top.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-10727\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-300x162.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-1024x551.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-768x414.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-1536x827.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-250x135.png 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt-650x350.png 650w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/FaithLens_logoalt.png 1950w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prepare As Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount, he shifts his focus from God\u2019s character and wide blessing to the character of disciples. He proclaims they \u201care the salt of the earth\u201d and \u201cthe light of the world\u201d and encourages them to act accordingly (Matthew 5:13-14, NRSVue). Verse 16 is commonly used in Lutheran [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":310,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[16671,5943,16728,1006,5954],"class_list":["post-10837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post","tag-discipleship","tag-light","tag-matthew-513-20","tag-salt","tag-sermon-on-the-mount"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>February 8, 2026 - Salt, Light, and the Life of Discipleship - Faith Lens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What does it mean to be salt and light? This Faith Lens reflection explores discipleship, justice, and mercy through Matthew 5 and Isaiah 58.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"February 8, 2026 - Salt, Light, and the Life of Discipleship - Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What does it mean to be salt and light? This Faith Lens reflection explores discipleship, justice, and mercy through Matthew 5 and Isaiah 58.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-04T14:40:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1493\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"829\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"pastorcogan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"pastorcogan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"pastorcogan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9dcc3c02c079750230320b7b3965472e\"},\"headline\":\"February 8, 2026 &#8211; Salt, Light, and the Life of Discipleship\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-04T14:40:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1258,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731-300x167.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Discipleship\",\"light\",\"Matthew 5:13-20\",\"salt\",\"sermon on the mount\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Post\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\\\/\",\"name\":\"February 8, 2026 - Salt, Light, and the Life of Discipleship - Faith Lens\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731-300x167.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-04T14:40:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9dcc3c02c079750230320b7b3965472e\"},\"description\":\"What does it mean to be salt and light? This Faith Lens reflection explores discipleship, justice, and mercy through Matthew 5 and Isaiah 58.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731-300x167.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731-300x167.png\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"February 8, 2026 &#8211; Salt, Light, and the Life of Discipleship\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/\",\"name\":\"Faith Lens\",\"description\":\"Weekly Bible studies that engage youth and young adults in connecting world events with the Bible, faith, and everyday life.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9dcc3c02c079750230320b7b3965472e\",\"name\":\"pastorcogan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9573c60d2369ef371d448769919db3c42f1f1b734b69ecd40d9f7142bd268dd4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9573c60d2369ef371d448769919db3c42f1f1b734b69ecd40d9f7142bd268dd4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9573c60d2369ef371d448769919db3c42f1f1b734b69ecd40d9f7142bd268dd4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"pastorcogan\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/author\\\/pastorcogan\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"February 8, 2026 - Salt, Light, and the Life of Discipleship - Faith Lens","description":"What does it mean to be salt and light? This Faith Lens reflection explores discipleship, justice, and mercy through Matthew 5 and Isaiah 58.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"February 8, 2026 - Salt, Light, and the Life of Discipleship - Faith Lens","og_description":"What does it mean to be salt and light? This Faith Lens reflection explores discipleship, justice, and mercy through Matthew 5 and Isaiah 58.","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/","og_site_name":"Faith Lens","article_published_time":"2026-02-04T14:40:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1493,"height":829,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"pastorcogan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"pastorcogan","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/"},"author":{"name":"pastorcogan","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/9dcc3c02c079750230320b7b3965472e"},"headline":"February 8, 2026 &#8211; Salt, Light, and the Life of Discipleship","datePublished":"2026-02-04T14:40:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/"},"wordCount":1258,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731-300x167.png","keywords":["Discipleship","light","Matthew 5:13-20","salt","sermon on the mount"],"articleSection":["Post"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/","name":"February 8, 2026 - Salt, Light, and the Life of Discipleship - Faith Lens","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731-300x167.png","datePublished":"2026-02-04T14:40:10+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/9dcc3c02c079750230320b7b3965472e"},"description":"What does it mean to be salt and light? This Faith Lens reflection explores discipleship, justice, and mercy through Matthew 5 and Isaiah 58.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731-300x167.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-222731-300x167.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/february-8-2026-salt-light-and-the-life-of-discipleship\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"February 8, 2026 &#8211; Salt, Light, and the Life of Discipleship"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/","name":"Faith Lens","description":"Weekly Bible studies that engage youth and young adults in connecting world events with the Bible, faith, and everyday life.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/9dcc3c02c079750230320b7b3965472e","name":"pastorcogan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9573c60d2369ef371d448769919db3c42f1f1b734b69ecd40d9f7142bd268dd4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9573c60d2369ef371d448769919db3c42f1f1b734b69ecd40d9f7142bd268dd4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9573c60d2369ef371d448769919db3c42f1f1b734b69ecd40d9f7142bd268dd4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"pastorcogan"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/author\/pastorcogan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/310"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10837"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10839,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10837\/revisions\/10839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}