Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.

This was the final sentence in the gospel reading from last Sunday. I was struck by how helpful these words of Jesus are to us as we enter another phase of learning to live with endemic Covid. We are to move forward with a much enhanced degree of trust in each other because the legal restrictions are being relaxed. Legislation became Guidance and Guidance is now down to individual judgments.

Whilst this has felt like freedom to some it has caused anxiety for others. How are we to know what’s the ‘right thing to do’? Risk Assessments are produced thick and fast and questions abound. How do we know?

Jesus was addressing concern and jealousy being expressed by his closest friends about what ‘someone else’ was doing. We all heard, or can re-read, the gospel reading (Mark 9.38-50). In addition to telling his disciples that it’s not possible to do good in the name of Jesus and then to oppose him he concluded by telling them that they all were salt – a preservative, a flavour enhancer, a valuable part of life. ‘Have salt in yourselves’ he said to them.

How do we ‘have salt in ourselves?’ I suggest that it’s by continuing to do our best in our communities (that’s why so many of us are feeling the strain!); continuing to do our best with regard to face covering, hand hygiene, regular lateral flow tests and anything else which keeps others as safe as possible. That’s the easy bit.

The harder part of what Jesus said is, ‘be at peace with one another’. It’s so difficult not to judge the actions of others as they, like us, learn to live with Covid. Other people may not do what we do. Others may act in a way which creates anxiety for us – on their behalf or anxiety for ourselves. Church leaders are expected to tell people what to do in order to be safe. But we can’t do this. We are called to lead in uncertainty, to name the uncertainty, to say ‘I don’t know’ when we don’t know. And we are all called to be salt and to be at peace with one another.

Let’s continue to be kind to one another, to seek to learn from difference, seek peace and be salty enough that the light of Christ, especially during this time of uncertainty, shines in us.

Dean Dianna