A Moment Aside ---- 30 July 2020

A Moment Aside ---- 30 July 2020

     I really like this photograph. It speaks to me of creation, of simplicity and gentleness, of peace, and of Francis of Assisi. However, it is a fantasy. It’s a photo of a stature with a blue bird caught just at the right moment. The bird is not listening to Francis nor is the statue speaking to Sister Bird (as that man would call the bird.) It is an artful photo caught at an opportune time.

     And it speaks to me still. I love it. It may not be the truth, but it points to the truth and it may be what I want to be the truth. Much that goes on around us speaks of the Divine if we tune our ear to it. It is faith that can see the thumbprint of the Creator in creation. Without faith, it’s all just “stuff” in the truest sense of that word. What beauty exists in creation pulls at the human spirit to go beyond itself.

     These words were written in about 1247 by a friar of the Franciscan order who wrote the first biographies of Francis of Assisi:

In art he praises the Artist;
whatever he discovers in creatures
he guides to the Creator.
     He rejoices in all the works of the Lord’s hands, [Ps 92:5]
and through their delightful display
he gazes on their life-giving reason and cause.
In beautiful things he discerns Beauty Itself;
     all good things cry out to him: [Gen 1:31]
     “The One who made us is the Best.” [Ps 100:3]
Following the footprints imprinted on creatures,
     he follows his Beloved everywhere; [Job 23:11, Song 5:17, Matt 12:18]

     out of them all he makes for himself a ladder [Gen 28:12-13]
     by which he might reach the Throne. [Jb 23:3]

He embraces all things
with an intensity of unheard devotion,
speaking to them about the Lord
and exhorting them to praise Him.

-      ( From Thomas Celano’s 1247 work about Saint Francis of  Assisi “The Remembrance of the Desire of a Soul”)

God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.                               -- Martin Luther

     So look out the window once in a while.

A Moment Aside ---- 27 July 2020

A Moment Aside ---- 27 July 2020

      The picture at the top of the page is of a man, a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church (called a “Metropolitan”), who wrote a book I cannot recommend highly enough. It’s called Beginning to Pray. I’m sure it’s available in various places.

     In any event, the quote from Metropolitan Anthony reminds us of a few things:

·        First, only God saves and we cannot save ourselves

·        Second, God can save us and bring us to Godself despite our sins. Paul writes in his first letter to Timothy: The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners… (1 Timothy 1: 15) This is what we count on.

·        Third, what God cannot save is the false self we pretend to be – whatever that may be. Metropolitan Anthony says we pretend to be saints, but that is who we are. Our pretense, our false self, the “strawman” we want others to see us as is un-savable. No matter how we build it up, it just isn’t real.

·        Fourth, God deals with what is real. We may want to be saints and we may not want to be sinners. The question is which one is the reality. It is the real us that God can work with. No pretense, no camouflage, the real thing in the harsh light of day. God can heal, but a person needs to know that they are sick first. God can forgive, and a person first need to know that they need to be forgiven. That is one hard lesson.

     So there we have it. This is how we stand before God and how we receive the grace and mercy of God. How blessed we are!

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  

(John 3: 16-17) 

A Service of Word and Prayer ---- 26 July 2020

1 Kings 3:5-12

5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you." 6 And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?" 10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.

Romans 8:26-39

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

31 He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." 33 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 "Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." 52 And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

§  In a time like the one we’re all enduring now, it’s easy to think that we are somehow and often cut off from God’s love. Friends, family, and acquaintances fall sick and some pass away. Governments on many levels appear to be more interested in riches and privilege than the common good.  Might makes right seems to be the rule. Even the weather is wacky. We feel helpless and unable to take care of the situations we find ourselves in and unable to help many around us.

§  It’s a hard thing to say but we all know that things like this have happened before, although possibly not to us. In any event, where is the love of God through all this?

§  Paul engages this in his letter to the Romans. He sent this to introduce himself to a community of Christians that didn’t know him. In a way, he was offering his credentials to them. They all knew that Christians were in trouble in many places and the Roman congregation might have been enduring the same trouble. To tell the truth, we just don’t know. Paul speaks of hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword as examples of things that Christians endure. He also says that these things, these actions or troubles, do not and cannot separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. He goes on to list a number of other things that are unable to separate those Christians from the love of God - Death, life, heaven’s angels, earth’s rulers, present or future (the past isn’t mentioned.), “powers”, and physical things such as height and depth, which may mean Heaven and Hell.

§  Paul personifies things like life and death, heavenly or earthly powers, even the present and the future, as a way of acknowledging that such things influence the minds and spirits of people. I like the fact that the past is not mentioned. We often see our past as an obstacle to God loving us. In that is how we see it, I’d say to remember how Jesus treated Peter, Mary Magdalene, Thomas, and even Paul himself. Our past is not hindrance to God’s love… unless we make it one.

§  Paul includes angels because angelic beings could often be seen as powerful heavenly go-betweens having some say over who might receive the love of God. In some cases, human rulers as rulers of the earth – emperors, kings, governors, drill sergeants – might decide who was in or out of God’s graces by political power or divinely delegated authority. Of course, that never happens in our time, does it?

§  The word “powers” may refer the mysterious cosmic or mystical forces often seen as hostile to human life. We may say we don’t believe in such things, but people are known to believe in astrology and numerology and lucky charms among other things in our own day.

§  Many among us or many known to us have experienced the pains of the things Paul lists. We all know of many who have received more than enough of hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword. Some have despaired of the love of God and many others have not.

§  Paul assures the Roman Christians that nothing in all creation can cause us to be separated from God’s love. Where is the proof of that you ask? Paul provides it: He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.

§  What about deserving? Paul says nothing about that in this passage, but declares the grace of God as the groundwork of all we are: If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?

§  Much trouble, crying, pain, and misery remains in the world. It’s sometimes tempting to assume that such misery will have the last word, especially in a world that knows so much of it. There is much to be done to alleviate that pain and misery. In this, God never gives up. In speaking of God’s love, one of the commentators on this passage used the word “tenacious”, a word that reminds me of a bulldog that will not let go. It is God’s tenacious love, and not misery, that always – always - has the last word.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A Moment Aside ---- 24 July 2020

A Moment Aside --- 24 July 2020

Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?" It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. (1 Kings 3: 9-10)

     The first reading for this Sunday is from the third chapter of the First Book of Kings and tells of the reign of Solomon and the prayer of Solomon for wisdom to rule your great people. The passage calls such wisdom “discernment” and that certainly is a part of wisdom. To discern means to judge well and to go beyond the surface appearance of things to get to the real meaning. This would be true wisdom. The ancient Church included wisdom in the “gifts of the Holy Spirit”, namely wisdom, understanding, council, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

     Wisdom is telling right from wrong, good from bad, but it is also knowing when to speak and when to keep quiet. It looks beyond simple actions to motives and intent. Wisdom helps to know what to do and when to do it.

     There is a story about the mayor of New York City back in the 1930’s, Fiorello LaGuardia, who was said (the story is unsubstantiated) to take over for the judge in the night court that dealt with petty offenses. An old woman was brought up on charges of theft of a loaf of bread to feed her sick daughter and starving grandchildren and the shopkeeper wanted her punished. The mayor said he had no choice but to find her guilty and sentence her to a $10 fine or 10 days. He then took $10 from his wallet and said the fine was paid. He then ordered that a fine of 50 cents was to be levied against everyone present for living in a town where an old woman had to steal bread to feed hungry children. The bailiff was to collect the fines and turn the money over to the old woman. As the story goes, almost $50 was collected, and all but 50 cents, which was given to the shopkeeper, was given to the woman.

     Is this story true? I don’t know… but I wish it were.

     We could all pray for wisdom in our lives. We may not be as great or wise as Solomon and we still can be wise in our own place.

     Wisdom is knowing what to say when speech is needed.

     Wisdom is knowing when to keep silent when speech could be a problem.

     Wisdom is knowing right from wrong and works to find the best of many possible right things. People rarely choose what is known as bad for them; they always choose what appears to be right to them.

     In any event, praying like Solomon for wisdom to discern what is right would be in itself a point of wisdom. Besides as Proverbs 9:10 says…

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

A Moment Aside ---- 21 July 2020

A Moment Aside ----- 21 July 2020

     I know that this photo looks as if someone dropped the sign. The words on the upper board are all wiggly and squiggly, all messed up and incomprehensible. The second sign might be even odder to us. It has God responding with “I know. I love you.”

     This is the truest understanding of prayer I may have ever seen. We often don’t know what we want when we pray or we may not really understand what we’re praying for. We may think it’s for our best and we could be all wrong. We can sometimes pray for things that are bad for us or for those we care for. We can pray in a spirit of ignorance, of arrogance, of vain-glory, or of even selfishness. We could spend a lot of time “crafting” our prayers so they sound good in our own ears or tickle the ears of people who might hear or read them. We could be jealous of “spiritual writers” who say such wonderful and inspiring things. Truly none of that really matters unless we pray from our own hearts, even as confused and mixed up as the letters in the first board.

     We do not pray alone. Paul the Apostle assures us in his letter to the Romans that Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. (Romans 8:26) Our words may not be our own for we can borrow words from the Scripture or from books of prayers. There may not be any words at all! The Spirit of God dwells in each of us and leads us to prayer and leads us in prayer. Even if we have no words, this would be enough.

     I’ve told the tail of a Christian teacher who taught me the best way to pray. I asked “How do I pray?” He responded “Want to.” I’ll remember that lesson as long as I live.

     A woman of our congregation (who has since passed on) told the story of the man riding his wagon through the woods on a dark night. In his fear, all he could remember was the alphabet. He prayed “Lord, you know me and you know the alphabet. Just take my letters and make a prayer here and now! Amen!”

     Who could do better?

The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost ----- 19 July 2020

Isaiah 44:6-8

6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 7 Who is like me? Let them proclaim it, let them declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from of old the things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be. 8 Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.

Romans 8:12-25

12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. 18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

24 He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' 28 He answered, "An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, "Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he replied, "No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.' "

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

"Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?”

§  We all know that the Gospel is to be a word of grace and hope for all of us, don’t we? It is what we want and need and indeed listen for. One of my exercises in preparing a sermon is to ask “What is the Good News here?” Some days, it’s obvious; other days, less so.

§  So then, what is the Good News here? We might find this parable with wheat and weeds and delay and fiery judgement disturbing? There seems to be no way out. A closer look might help some.

§  The servants working in the field could tell the weeds from the wheat. As they report it to the householder, they offer to pluck out the weeds. Older translations of this passage call the weeds “tares” or “darnel”, two names for the same semi-poisonous counterfeit wheat that could make a person sick. (I sort of wish that had been left in; here it sounds like dandelions or common reeds are causing the problem.) The master is concerned (“An enemy has done this.”), but not so concerned as to demand the immediate weeding of the entire field. (Let both of them grow together until the harvest…) Is this good farming practice? You’d have to tell me; I just don’t know.

§  It is good spiritual practice however and good practice for the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. I know that sounds silly; I just makes sense to me in its own peculiar way. In the end, grace is uplifted.

§  You see, the parable really is one of grace and mercy. The weeds (whatever we might call them) are given a reprieve until the harvest, not because they might have time to repent of their “weedy-ness” but because the mature plants of either type are easier to tell apart. (Let both of them grow together until the harvest…) Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus uses this farming idea to make a point about discernment of people, things, and motives: You will know them by their fruits.  (Matthew 7:16) The master of the farm might also be concerned that his workers might be too hasty or too eager at pulling up the weeds.

§  We as hearers of this Gospel passage might hear more judgement than hope and grace. We might feel we are on the short path to the fiery oven rather than the barn. On the other hand, some of us might feel we are the ones who deserve to be in the barn of the good harvest. At this point, it’s worth pointing out that we are not the ones to do the judging. If we were to say that we are the field, there’s both good wheat AND nasty weeds there. Luther wrote that we are all “simultaneously righteous and sinful…”and that’s how we’ll remain until our harvest day. That being the case, the judging is best left to God who is not only holy and just, but also wise and merciful. Besides, we really have nowhere else to turn.

§  We are often bothered by the reality that justice appears delayed, since the old saying has it that “justice delayed is justice denied.” In many situations, that is true. However, in situations such as we’ve been talking about, judgement permits the process of discernment and understanding to continue. It‘s understandable that this will not make some people happy. And that is how life is. To quote Martin Luther again: “This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness, not health, but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it, the process is not yet finished, but it is going on, this is not the end, but it is the road. All does not yet gleam in glory, but all is being purified.”

§  We all have a way to go and much within and outside of ourselves to struggle with. The parable, in its parable way assures us that both judgement and harvest are coming. What is good will be gathered and what is not good will be removed. Through it all, it is the grace of God, God’s favour, that guides things and has always been our salvation. Jesus is the embodiment of that grace and this parable – as all parables – shows God’s kingdom of grace and mercy.

§  "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?”

A Moment Aside ---- 17 July 2020

A Moment Aside ---- 17 July 2020

 

     These two quotes are separated in time by about 400 years and come from two sources that might be seen as opposed. Martin Luther was the 16^th Century Reformer of the Christian Church while Thomas Merton was a writer who found his vocation as a Trappist monk in the mid-20^th Century. (The Trappists remain a very strict order in the Roman Catholic Church.) However, they appear to be on parallel tracks with their understanding of how God will lead us.

     In our present circumstance of pandemic disease, emergency proclamations by governments, controversies over masks and other preventive measures, and living in semi-quarantine, we probably all have to say we’re tired of it. We wonder what is next. (Comets? “Murder hornets?” Kangaroos on the loose in Florida?) None of us is sure where this is all going.

     “I know not the way” wrote Luther. “I have no idea where I am going” wrote Merton. This sounds familiar to me. We too are frustrated and tired and maybe cranky with the strangeness of what is going on. What might make the difference is what follows in each man’s statement.

     “… but well do I know my guide.” is Luther’s phrase. Merton was more of a poet in what he wrote “Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem lost and in the shadow of death.” I know that this is what I’d want to do and I hope, by the grace of God, I will be able to.

     Trusting God is not always easy. We always want God to do what WE want God to do. To go along with God’s way can be tough… but it is for the best. Maybe over time, we can be converted to being more of what God wants us to be. However, don’t be surprised if you get cranky about it now and again. Especially in quarantine and “social distancing.”

“I know not the way God leads me, but well do I know my guide.”

“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going….

Therefore will I trust you … I will not fear, for you are ever with me.”

A Moment Aside ---- 14 July 2020

A Moment Aside ---- 14 July 2020

     Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables… which we all must admit were not always understood. The Gospels have an explanation/exposition of the Parable in a few cases, so that the disciples who followed after the people who knew and saw Jesus could understand.

     Jesus took his parable from the everyday life of the people he was speaking to. They saw and understood sowing and reaping, fishing, walking from here to there, a treasure in a field, and even “the birds of the air.” These were common things in everyday life used for the uncommon purpose of proclaiming the Kingdom of God.

     What could Jesus use were he to spin a parable today? For many of us, sowing, weeding, and reaping are common enough. All we have to do is look around. Walking and watching the birds is something most of us do often enough. Some of the images have become distant. For instance, I was born and raised in an area where agriculture was not too common. Mining was the historical occupation and huge holes in the ground were all around. (“strip mines”) Our next-door neighbor operated a power shovel in a strip mine not too far from where we lived. From the front steps of my house, I could see mountains of shale, the unusable left-overs from the mining operations. Later light industry was the main employer. Sowing and reaping would be hear-say to me as a youngster.

     I’ve included the photos at the top of the page since – as far as I know – all of us like to eat. Potatoes are quite common on many tables… and there seem to be so many ways to cook them. The photographs illustrate (clock-wise from the top left) shoestring potatoes, “tater-tots”, Gnocchi (O, so delicious!), mashed potatoes, potato chips, baked potatoes, potato “skins”, potatoes cubed and boiled, and home fries. The note at the top states “If you can do this with a potato, think of all God can do with you.” There’s a lesson and parable for you! Really now; consider the potato for a moment (rather than the lilies of the field.) If any of us can make a tasty dish… in at least nine ways!... from a potato, just what can God do with any of us? (We’ve left out scalloped potatoes, pierogis, and many others.)

     No matter what our circumstance, God can use us to bring in the Kingdom… even just a few inches! Maybe we’d never notice it, but if we can be open to the working of the Great Chef… well, what a buffet could be served!

♫ All God’s children have a place in the choir.

Some sing lower, some sing higher,

Some just sit on the telephone wire,

Some just clap their hands. ♫

The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost --- 12 July 2020

Isaiah 55:10-13

10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 12 For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Romans 8:1-11

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law—indeed it cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears listen!"

18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

"Listen! A sower went out to sow.”

§  What’s going on here in this parable? We know it, front and back. We’ve heard it. But now, there’s a difference. We’re asked to listen, not just hear.

§  Good soil is necessary. This reminds me of stories I’ve heard of farmers who could pick up a handful of soil, smell it, run it through their fingers, and then say how the crop planted in that soil would come up. Through experience and intuition, they just “knew.” It’s the same way with people who can smell the rain before it come or smell the snow before it begins to fall.

§  The un-named sower of the seed seems to be rather wastefully generous in sowing. The seed goes where it goes – on the pathway, in the rocky patches, among the thorns, and in good soil. Each shows some sort of loss or gain. The path is too hard or too busy for the seed to take root. The soil around the rocks is too shallow to sustain the plants. The thorns and weeds choke out the crop, while the good soil yields a crop. Jesus goes on to add that the yield of fruit varies even though it is always a true crop.

§  We can take this parable as addressing various types of people who receive the Word and vary as to what they do with it. Distractions, attention elsewhere, or even a sort of rootlessness in the people who hear the Word of the Kingdom all lead to no growth. As we look at it now, this appears to be the way Jesus addressed it originally. However, we could also take it as speaking of the various types of “soil” within one of us.

§  We all have places in our heart, in our mind, and in our spirit that receive the Word of God in different ways. Some are fertile places, craving growth while other places within us are beaten down, or so thorny or rocky that it is difficult for the seed to take root. As there are a lot of variations in people, so it is within people as well.

§  In my own life, I’ve wondered about this and sometimes taken myself to task over my lack of growth. I don’t recommend this. Instead of becoming worried and discouraged by this, we may be helpful to remember a few things.

§  Plants can still grow on rocky or beaten down soil. We’ve all seen things grow up through openings in driveways, parking lots, or sidewalks. We’ve even seen plants break up the walls or foundations of buildings! It’s amazing what growing things can do. Plants are patient things and will eventually find a way to break through. In a similar way, God is patient with us and the Kingdom can still break through.

§  The harvest may vary but Jesus doesn’t seem to be worried about each “plant” yielding the same. One hundred-fold, sixty-fold, or thirty-fold are all growth. It is absolutely worthless to compare ourselves (even if we might do it all the time.) Growth and the harvest is given as it is given. It all comes from the same source and it builds up the same Kingdom. Paul used the example of the body to remind the Christians that each part has its function even if they are not the same. So it goes with the Kingdom’s harvest; each gives to the harvest as they are given to grow and none are refused.

§  Lastly, it is well worthwhile to remember that the sower will continue to sow. The sowing is not a once-and-done thing. As long as the word is preached and shared, growth can be given and received, season after season. As the prophet Isaiah said For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

§  God’s purpose will be accomplished, never fear.

"Listen! A sower went out to sow.”

A Moment Aside ---- 10 July 2020

A Moment Aside ---- 10 July 2020

     I’d like to live my life this way… singing and finding new songs to sing. I can’t always do this. There are days when I feel I have nothing to sing about. There are days when I have a song, but health, duty, or something else takes precedence and I don’t sing. There are days when the song seems distant. This strange time in our history is not made for songs, although people will sing of it later… just not right now.

     That’s the human condition, I suppose. Humans in general like to sing. One of the disappointing things about any plans to open churches for public worship is the recommendation that no congregational singing be done. Singing pushes the breath further out than simple conversation, and the breath propels droplets that can carry the virus. So the recommendation against singing is for the public good. I understand this and I agree with it.

     Just because I agree doesn’t mean I like it.

     Still there are many ways to sing. We hum to ourselves for comfort, for entertainment, or to join in music that has no words or to join in a piece to which we don’t know the words. Nothing can stop a song in our hearts. That’s where all music begins.

     I’m going to take this some with me today and tomorrow. I invite you to do so as well. It’s not my song… I didn’t write it. Maybe David the king did. Who knows?

     If I sing it though, it becomes my song! Go ahead and make it yours as well. If you can’t sing, sing anyway.

O sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
    tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous works among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
    he is to be revered above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before him;
    strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.   (Psalm 96: 1-6)