In a world that feels increasingly broken and dark, we're reminded of our profound calling to be salt and light. Drawing from Jesus' declaration in Matthew 5, this message confronts us with a powerful truth: we are not merely suggested to influence the world—we ARE the salt of the earth and the light of the world. This isn't optional Christianity; it's our very identity. The sermon challenges two common errors we make: either retreating into isolation from a culture that makes us uncomfortable, or assimilating so completely that we become indistinguishable from the world around us. Instead, Jesus calls us to a third way—to live distinctively, visibly, intentionally, and courageously. The imagery is striking: salt that loses its flavor is useless, and a lamp hidden under a basket serves no purpose. We're confronted with sobering statistics about loneliness, mental health crises, and the decline of faith in America—a mirror shattered by sin, greed, and despair. Yet in this darkness, we're called not to despair but to action. This message from Pastor Tommy Carr beautifully illustrates how individual broken pieces of glass, when brought together and illuminated by Christ's light, create something breathtakingly beautiful—a disco ball effect where light scatters in every direction, touching the darkness wherever we go. This is the collective power of the church: alone we flicker small, but together we become a shining city on a hill that cannot be hidden.