Day 8 of Lent Thinking About Dirt Mark 4:1-20 Centering Words But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. Jesus was a storyteller. So many of our Lord’s teachings he clothed in the structure of story, with characters, plot, and dialogue. As the Word made flesh, Jesus wasn’t just a wordsmith, a poet, or a narrative storyteller. Jesus was, and is, the living, breathing, holy Word, the word of creation, the word of sustaining, the word of binding, the word of saving, this world and humanity. Jesus, the Word, makes words inherently sacred, holy, intended to be life-giving, life sustaining, life affirming. We human beings often abuse words. We use them to tear other people down. We use them to demean, defame, and even to destroy, life. Jesus lived, Jesus died, Jesus rose again, to redeem us, to redeem the words. Jesus wants words to bring human beings together, together with each other, together with God. Jesus used words then, he chose his words very carefully, like a poet, and the Spirit makes his words as alive and as vibrant and as relevant today as they were 2000 years ago. Jesus often used words to tell stories, stories to awaken, stories to challenge, stories to save, us. The story, or parable, the scripture brings to us today is a familiar one. I know I have heard countless sermons and Bible study lessons on the parable of the sower, the parable which focuses on the soil. Typically, most of those sermons and lessons pose the question, “Which type of soil are you?” I think that’s a helpful question to ask; however I think we are all all the different types of soil at different points in our lives. Therefore, maybe a better question than “Which type of soil are you” is to ask the question, “How do I become, a stay, good soil?” After all, we know which soil type we are aiming to be. We don’t want to be rocky soil; we don’t want to be the thin soil with no depth; we certainly don’t dream of being soil infested with thorns. We know we want to be the good soil, so how do we get there? Once we are there, once our souls are that good soil and God’s loving word takes root in us, and we are bearing Christian fruit in our lives, how we keep that up? How do we prevent erosion, how do we prevent a loss of nourishment; how we do keep the soil of our souls thorn-free? Simply put, we have to work at it. Farmers work hard, very hard, out in the fields, turning and nourishing the soil in their field. Farmers aren’t lazy at all. They can’t afford to be. By the same token, we Christians cannot be lazy about our spirituality, the quality of us as soil for God’s word. When it comes to our relationship with God, we can’t afford to be lazy. Our souls are at stake. One of the best ways for us to become and remain “the good soil” is to become, and remain, a vital member of a church. Now, obviously, full disclosure: as a pastor, it is in my strong professional self-interest to encourage people to attend church! It is more than that, though. Scripture teaches us the church is the Body of Christ. When Jesus was on earth, Jesus was the full presence of God with humanity. After Jesus died, was resurrected, and ascended back into heaven, for our sakes he still needed to be with us, among us, to lead us in his saving love, and peace-giving grace. At Pentecost then, God sent the Holy Spirit to all of the disciples and followers of Jesus faithfully gathered, as he had commanded, in Jerusalem. That motley group became consumed with the loving presence of God. Tongues of fire rested on their heads, and they spoke in other languages. In this dramatic way, God gave birth to the Church. In his writings, Paul always spoke of the church as the Body of Christ. If we want to see Jesus today, if we want to see and touch and experience Jesus, we find him in, and with, the church. Can a person be a Christian outside of the church? Certainly, yes, but it is extremely difficult, and I would say, it is actually impossible to be all one could be as a Christian if one lives outside of the church. A Christian living outside the life of the church is like someone who is in love with someone else, and refuses to ever actually spend time with their beloved. The Church is Jesus’ beloved. All people are welcome, wanted, and needed. To remain the good soil, we need to be in church. Even if people are sometimes snippy; even if the church is filled with sin, even if churches can become divided over petty things; even if church life and church people often seem not so different from the sinful, broken world, the church, in all of her flaws, with all of her wounds, is still the body of Christ, the place, the people, and yes, the family God has given us to grow in Christ, to be Christians. In church we receive the Sacraments: in the bread and in the wine, we receive the Body, and the blood of Jesus. In the waters of baptism we are reborn from the waters of God’s own womb. No matter how petty and small, no matter how worldly and flawed churches can often be, the Church is still, every church is always, Christ’s, and Christ’s gift to us all. To become, and to remain “the good soil” where Christ’s good words of love and humanity can take root and can blossom, we Christians need to stay planted in church. In the soft light of sunbeams in stained-glass windows; with burning candles and the sacraments on the altar; among fellow flawed human beings, we can see the presence of Jesus, and help each other journey always as His love leads. Let us pray: Most Loving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you give life to all people. You give life to the church, universal. Help lead us always in ways to faithfully follow you, in the community, in the family of a church where we feel loved and at home, where we can love, and invite others home. God, we want to be the good, faithful soil. Work us, God. Nourish us. Break up the hard clumps of dirt. We are ready to produce good fruit, life-sustaining soul food, for you. Strengthen us and enliven us, Holy Spirit. Amen. Discussion Questions Why do conflicts in the church distress us more than conflict at home, or at work? Describe a church conflict you either were a part of, or one in which you were on the outside looking in. How did the conflict impact your life?
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 13:16:22 +0000
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