Salt and Light (Matthew 5:13-16)

Jesus tells his disciples that they are the salt of the earth and they are to be the light on the hill.  This sounds like Jesus is giving us very strong directives, but what does it mean to be salt and light?  What do these commands imply about our Christian life?  What does it look like for us to live out this ethic? 

Sojourning Under the Sun: Sabbath Citizens (2) (Matthew 5:1-16)

Christ takes his stand to teach his disciples after doing great things like healing people.  Why would Christ waste time teaching like this when he could heal people of their infirmaries?  What is the point of this teaching?  What is this teaching communicating to us regarding our Christian Sojourn?