Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
1st Reading: Isaiah
55:10-13
2nd
Reading: Romans 8:1-11
While I was on vacation, my
neighbor watered my garden. I just
noticed Thursday morning that I had 2 volunteer tomato plants growing in the
bed devoted to kale, where I grew tomatoes last year. One is almost 5 inches high and the other is
just a little thing at about 3 inches.
Now I have a debate going on with myself about whether to pull them out
or let them continue, even though they probably won’t have time before the
weather cools down to make tomatoes or at least to make red tomatoes. So many gardeners have such trouble
“thinning” their plants. We begin to
have empathy for that little runt of a plant, that little tenacious, rebellious
little tomato, smelling so good, looking so confident. But if you leave everything in there, that’s
not going to be good for the garden, either.
How many of you think I should pull them out? Oh but that plant is so beautiful and full of
life right now! It worked so hard to get
where it is! How many of you think I
should let it grow and give it a chance?
Oh, but what good is that to me and what good does it do that
plant? It will never produce fruit in
time and it will take nutrients from my other plants.
Last month at the Council
meeting, in light of the tree donation, I asked the council members if they
were a tree, what kind of tree would you be.
We got some pretty interesting answers!
Maybe some of you think that’s silly, but sometimes we separate
ourselves so much from nature, that we forget that we are part of it. We are God’s good creation, too, just as the
trees are, and the frogs, and slugs, etc.
Apart from all of them, we wouldn’t exist. Yes, there are some key differences between
us and the other creatures. We have a
bigger brain, but I’m not sure if we could be considered smarter. We have a lot of power. The truth is, we are part of God’s good
creation, not separate, and the whole of creation was made to work
together. And there is a lot we can
learn from the rest of God’s creation.
For instance, in Isaiah, rain
and snow teach us about how God’s word is distributed. The earth is watered by the rain and snow,
and if you’re in Oregon, the drizzle, the downpour, the hail, and the liquid
sunshine. It evaporates into clouds that
dump the rain or snow on the mountains, which then flows down streams, creeks,
and rivers, to the sea. And along the way evaporating again to take the journey
again.
We can learn from this passage
that just as rain is life-giving, so is God’s word. Just as rain is distributed over the whole
earth, so is God’s word. God’s
life-giving word brings peace and joy.
It isn’t meant to be pooled all in one place, but shared and cared for
and passed along to the next living thing that is as much in need of it as we
are.
In Isaiah, too, we learn to
praise God as the rest of Creation does, by doing what each does best, what
each was created to do. The mountains
and hills shall burst into song, and the trees will clap their hands! These are clearly not Lutheran—too
exuberant! What holds us back from truly
praising God and giving thanks with all our being?! How did we get so self-conscious?
We can learn from the plants in
the Gospel reading, too. Maybe they can
help us understand why some people don’t receive God’s word and others do. But
then we put ourselves in the place of God and start sorting people into
categories, which doesn’t do us or them any good.
More than that, this parable can
challenge us to be good soil. If we
don’t understand, like the seed that fell on the path, do we sit passively by,
or do we do something more to understand?
Do we do some personal devotions, or take part in a discussion group to
help us understand? Do we take some time
to ponder difficult passages? Do we take
time in prayer for God to open our hearts to understand?
Are we like the seed that fell
on the rocky ground? Are we immediately
excited and full of joy, but when the hard times come, do we become
disillusioned and go away or give up? Do
we just blame the kind of soil we fell on and move on, or do we work on
developing a thicker skin? Do we
practice going to someone who has hurt us and talking it out, or do we let it
fester? Do we find role-models in our
faith community and learn from them, how they got such deep roots and learn
what we can do to be steadfast and strong?
Are we like the seed that fell
among the thorns? Do we let the lies of
this world choke out our faith? Do we
value what the world values, thing like things, fancy things, shiny things,
money? Are we selfish? Do we need to be important? How can we change our values? Can we set aside time for God? Can we spend some time volunteering? Can we do some random acts of kindness for
someone in need in secret? Can we do
without that new thing and instead invest in some weed-whackers for those
darned thorns?
The reading from Romans doesn’t
use any symbols from nature to teach us how to live, however Paul lets us know
that something that sets us apart from the rest of nature is that we are not
governed only by our instincts, but that we have responsibility, choices, free-will. Maybe it is because we have a conscience, or
because we have so much power and the choice of how to use it, and we know the
consequences of our actions, how they impact everyone and everything around
us. Paul is saying we can live one of
two ways. We can live as a hostage to
corruption, under the rule of sin, in the flesh, selfishly, hurting the rest of
the community of Creation, or we can deny this death-dealing way, and live in
the new reality God is handing us, live in the Spirit, under the rule of God,
with a new set of priorities, a new focus on the whole, with the big picture in
mind, sharing life in community and peace.
Sometimes all I see in myself
are rocks, thorns, and hard compacted soil like that on the path! There are so many ways to go wrong! Sometimes it seems like life in the flesh is
all I can focus on. But there’s Good
News! Are you ready for it? God’s word is going out in every
direction. It is full of life. It is freely distributed! It is abundant! It
is guaranteed to be fruitful! It is a
free gift of God’s grace! Remember the
passage from the Gospel of John, “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of
wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it
dies, it bears much fruit.” That’s what
Jesus did for us, he died and the seed is sprouting in the community and in the
world, and we can learn from him, that it isn’t about us as individuals, but it
is about us as the community of Creation in Jesus Christ. We need each other for the thriving of
abundant life. Because of Jesus’ love
for us, we have the free gift of God’s grace and a place in God’s family. The Kingdom of God is near!
Do you want to participate in
it? Then go ahead. The seed is good, the soil is prepared, and
God is the one who provides the sun and rain, all we need for growth.
Whether you participate in it or
not, it is happening! God will produce a
harvest, beyond any of our expectations or hopes. With or without us, there will be joy and
peace. There will be thriving life,
eternal life for all God’s creatures. In
fact, it is happening even now! 100 new
trees are growing in our neighborhood because of God’s generosity! 9 kids know the story of Noah’s ark and are
on the lookout for rainbows reminding them how much God loves them and all of
Creation. 57 Families are enjoying meals
they received at this location, with the help of 5 partner churches and many
community members. Through Metropolitan
Alliance for Common Good, people from this church are telling our County
Commissioners what we need to help the homeless in a zoning change that could
allow tiny houses on some properties.
Who knows if they are going to listen to us, they might be rocky soil,
they might be thorny soil, or the seed may lie for some time before sprouting,
but it isn’t going to keep God from sewing the seed.
The point is, it is God’s
work. And God’s work is assured. So let’s take our focus off our distractions
and fears, and look around us at this beautiful world we live in. Let’s praise God for it! Let’s learn from it. Let’s go out in joy and come back in
peace. Let’s be part of something that
matters and lasts and is life-giving.
If I look at the whole of my
garden, the big picture, I think the little tomato plant has got to go. It will give its life so that others might
have abundant life. May the others take
root and grow and produce fruit, and may we learn from the story of the sewer
how to receive God’s grace and respond in joy.
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