Scattering Seed

Sermon Matthew 13:1-23 (1-9&18-23) July 12, 2020 Communion

Scattering Seed

We are blessed people.

We are blessed people of God.

We are blessed people of God’s creation!

We have been given creativity as a gift in human nature. We have been given the opportunity to be curious, to discover, to learn, to find pleasure, and to flourish in our whole being.

When we learn about the sower who scatters the seed,

we can imagine how broad and how wide

the seed is thrown in the air

catching on to the breeze,

being carried far beyond the sower’s reach

and then slowly settling along

the various places as the breeze settles.

It’s a wonderful image of the power of God’s hand scattering goodness, good seeds, good news, good things across the fields of life.

We know its important that this parable is one of the many parables of Jesus that we find in more than one gospel account of his life and words. This parable is so simple to turn into children’s ministry programs, Sunday school lessons, and plays and songs. As it is read and heard it is often simplified into basic points of faith and salvation. Matthew’s gospel focus’ the parable on the fate of the seeds and in the interpretation the hearer’s understanding.

Like a painting or a poem, we come to it each time with new experiences in our lenses of life and we see and hear new things that nourish us and offer us fresh renewed joy and hope.

We need fresh joy and hope.

 The truth is we all had hoped we could be on with our lives by now. That we could come to church in a different way. We had all hoped that this way we are living could have passed us and we could be on airplanes, at beach houses, running back and forth to sporting, fishing, music and theater events. And yet, here we have arrived at July and there seems no end in sight to the struggle we are all facing. Everywhere we turn we realize the simple things are harder. The things we took for granted in our daily routine require more effort.

We are tired.

We are really tired.

We are wondering where everyone has gone.

We are alone, still living safer at home with shelter in place conditions. Our circle of contact has diminished to just a few.

We hear the words of Jesus to refresh our souls with a story about goodness thrown to the wind.

There are confetti bombs sold in the stores and I’ve watched several videos where graduation, birthdays, and other major life changing events have been celebrated. People have had such great creativity! During this pandemic when contact of hugs and being close together hasn’t been possible people have found other ways to spread goodness and good cheer. From car windows or from across the street they have taken the confetti bomb and let it blast in the air and thousands of pieces of colored paper are carried by the air to offer joy and congratulations.

When I see those things I think of the scattering of the seeds of the good news of Jesus.

It is these efforts of commitment that encourage us each day as we wake up and wonder how we will approach the newness of another day.

We do our best scattering the seeds as far as they can go to spread wonder and joy.

We realize not everyone is in the mood to hear another story about Jesus’ love.

We realize that we all get distracted by the real struggle of life and our ears are not focused on good news. They are focused on news reports and local gossip, on memes, and sarcasm.

But, we are also distracted by very important things too.

Our worries take over our life as our ears are focused on listening to the latest report on how to educate our children or when will our general practitioners start seeing patients again.

The ground around us is hardened and parched.

We have to dig harder than we have before and

we beg for rain to soften the soil just a bit

so the good seeds have a chance to make it.

We hope that if we are not able to be scattering the seeds of good news and kindness perhaps there is someone else who can be scattering the seeds our way.

 

Because, everyday we realize that evil continues to lurk at the door to steal away what morsel of joy descends our way. The fear of what if and what next withers away our generosity. The world of chaos seeks to squeeze our courage from us.

We learn from this story that the seed comes in contact with good soil and

with time,

with time,

it grows and grows and yields an enormous harvest of finest quality.

Perhaps today, where we can be fed and nourished by God’s word.

As we work the soils and struggle through this never-ending time, we won’t give up.

We’ll keep scattering goodness.

We’ll keep insisting on blasting out God’s love.

Because even during this time;

even when we’re so tired

even when we’re so worn out and done,

we discover the heartwarming stories;

the ones that give us courage and nourish our souls; and we can say Lord, one more day, we can do this, we will continue to spread the seeds.

It’s the simple things that we discover the goodness of God. We will continue to spread the seeds and do our part.

A grandson required to come home from college in March now sits at table with his grandfather on a Sunday and asks him if he can keep doing this.

A child who found a way to be a helper at home by just emptying the dishwasher.

Learning that in the hard times there is a harvest of good.

How we rejoice over the time we have spent with our mother and the laughter shared even though she missed being home.

Today the fruit of the harvest is the nourishment of God’s word through the sacrament of the Lord’s supper. The seeds of goodness are spread across tables everywhere as we all partake together as we reap the bountiful harvest of our unity in the body of Christ. We have the strength to continue. Living bread. Amen.

Resources: NIB Matthew, Working Preacher Matthew 2020 post; Rev. Steve Doan. 

Law of Liberty

Sermon James 1:17-25 July 5, 2020 Independence Day Celebration

Law of Liberty

Our reading today comes from the epistle James. Eusebius in the 4^th century and Martin Luther in the 16^th century wondered how this letter ever made it into the canon of the New Testament. It is here and it has some things of interest for we the people of the 21^st century.

James, you might say, is the New Testament version of wisdom literature.

It is much like Proverbs in the way that it is full of nuggets of wisdom

given to aid the way of life.

James appears to lack order or structure.

The letter rarely mentions Jesus, just twice in the whole letter.

And seems at first glance to contradict the words of grace that Paul teaches in Romans.

This first chapter sets the tone for all those dos and don’ts that follow.

It establishes the goodness of God and where all good things come from and it establishes the purpose of religion.

Every generous act of giving comes from God.

Every perfect gift comes from above.

This means ALL good acts come from God,

not just some good things

and not just Christian good things.

But all acts of kindness and love.

All acts of mercy, or advocacy, or friendship,

or support.

Acts that put the other person first.

Acts that seek to lift up another and show grace.

If this is how the light from the Father shines down from heaven then we don’t have to spin our wheels judging the worth of the one who is seeking to do good for the world.

When I think of the fathers of this nation and

their incomprehensible call for righteousness and justice,

for the rule of law and truth,

for the fairness of economy

and the truth of religious freedom,

and the desire for autonomy,

I think of the words from the epistle of James.

Their expectations were that moral justice

and faithfulness to truth would be carried out

with action that demonstrated those values.

What good is a moral truth or a code of law if it is not witnessed in the behavior of those who claim it?

Even though James speaks little of grace he exhorts disciples to the professed faith.

He recognizes that moral ethics mean nothing if one’s life doesn’t conform to it.

According to James the freedom of our faith in Christ calls us to a higher calling of life.

A person who gazes on the perfect law of liberty offered through Christ and the ancient Torah is able to turn faith into deeds.

It is these gifts from God: law, liberty in Christ, and God’s word of truth that come together in perfect harmony. It is in these things we discover freedom according to James.

Freedom is essential in our nation’s law of liberty.

But, as we witness in God’s word,

freedom comes with a higher calling,

a higher responsibility,

a reckoning of how we treat our brothers and sisters.

This story of freedom was highlighted in the church edition of Newsletter/newsletter to which we subscribe. “In 2000, Cornealious Anderson was sentenced to 13 years for robbery. The 23-year-old was released on bail and told to await orders to show up to prison. But due to a clerical error, those orders never came. Some people might have taken advantage of such freedom and committed more crimes. But Anderson started a business, coached youth football and volunteered at church, earning respect in his community.
Thirteen years later, when Missouri officials discovered the error and put Anderson behind bars, an online petition called for his release. A judge agreed that Anderson was a changed man and, again, he was freed.

What would we do with such freedom? What do we do with the freedom God grants us despite our sin, and with the freedoms we celebrate on July 4?

Perhaps, Anderson’s example helps us learn to use our freedoms — social and spiritual — to serve others.”

The wisdom literature from James is a challenge to the new disciples in the dispersion of the people of faith throughout the new regions from Judea to Rome.

The question for them and for us today is:

“Do we really think this is relevant for us in our time?”

and “Do we think we too should act and think this way?”

We have a responsibility to put our feet and our voice to our faith.

Be doers of the word  and not merely hearers, James writes.

Perhaps, this is where we as Christians suffer.

We have the freedom in our faith to follow different ideological ideas as they relate to politics and economics, health and welfare.

This of course is thanks to our nation’s forefathers who decreed the freedoms of expression and the freedoms of beliefs.

Tolerance was a huge factor of the beginnings of our nation as well.

Many colonies subjected their citizens to particular religions and punished those who did adhere to the ‘right’ religion.

But, we had people like William Penn and Francis Makemie who gave their lives to the freedoms we now take for granted.

As Christians, Paul teaches the unity of faith, the like-mindedness in Christ, not as a rule to all think the same about every issue or every detail of life.

But, to struggle and work together to understand one another.

The struggle of conversation, debate, and ‘sorting through the details’, is where the unity of Christ comes in.

We pray together for discernment.

We believe the Holy Spirit will aid our thoughts.

We trust that the wisdom of God’s truth will emerge as we wrestle together about difficult topics.

The point of faith isn’t to create puppets who follow along with the masses.

The point of faith is to be united so closely with Christ that every action, every thought is from the grace brought upon us from the lights of heaven.

James recommends we: Be quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to anger.

We all hope for a friend who can hear all that we have to say and really listen.

We all have let words slip out that we really didn’t want those thoughts to leave our brain.

We have all made a thoughtless comment and then regretted later.

We are all prone to the wickedness that can come from letting the desires of our egos or the neglect of our manners get in the way.

I think that’s why the words from James’ letter strike a nerve.

It’s hard work to be good all the time and it’s really hard work to be gracious and kind in a world that is often harsh.

The word of truth, every good and perfect gift isn’t restricted to Sunday.

This new birth as God’s first fruits is to be carried out Monday through Sunday.

The most important days of the week are those where we are engaged with the grace that God has called us to live out.

As we are all in different stages of reopening, emerging, or recognizing the need to remain secluded, this is the best time to reestablish the commitment we made to Christ.

Do we really believe in Jesus as the Lord of our life? 

Can we accept his love for us. Are we willing to give grace a go in our life.

Now is the time to open our heart and just whisper to God and say yes.

We can live our faith behind our closed doors.

We can recognize the various opinions of how to live with this virus. We can accept each person’s decision.

We can love each other in our range of ideals about policy and politics.

These are serious times.

These are times where brother will be put against brother.

It’s up to us to recognize the Lord of love in their choices of each brother and sister.

It is in our acts of the truth of grace that we show honor and respect to each human being.

Let us declare our faith.

Let us claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior and live our lives to that end.

We live in nation in which we have many freedoms.

Let us declare they belong to us all and lift up the weak and helpless and love the poor and the widows.

And together sing:

This is my prayer, O God of all earth’s kingdoms. Your kingdom come; on earth your

will be done. Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve him. And hearts united learn to live as one. So hear my prayer, O God of all the nations. Myself I give you; let your will be done.

Amen.

Resources: NIB James by Luke Timothy Johnson; Harper Collins Bible Commentary; Newsletter/newsletter; excerpts from sermon 2012 Monica Gould