WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
July 13th 2008
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“A Lesson in Gardening Part 1”
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
As a child I remember helping my grandmother in the garden. If I am not careful I look back with rose colored glasses at the fresh vegetables, the time spent in the outdoors, and the delicious taste of food right out of the garden. The truth is that at the time I remember it as really hard work. It never seemed to end. There was always something that had to be done. If it wasn’t weeding, it was watering or even soil preparation. And, if I am really honest, I was not then much of a vegetable fan. But something must have stuck because despite the rabbits, squirrels, the Japanese beetles, the weeds, and even heat, I simply cannot imagine summer without a garden. In fact, that, ‘something’ is my belief that working in the garden is one of the best lessons in humility, patience, and hard work. On top of that, I now love vegetables strait out of the garden.
This morning’s lesson in gardening, provided by Jesus, actually begins inside the house. Our encounter with this gardening lesson is rooted in the preceding passage. In that passage Jesus invites his followers to participate in a new reality. It has many names. Some know it as the kingdom of God, or the Empire of God, and now, as Letty Russell has aptly shown; the household of God. I have come to believe that the term household best captures Jesus intent. In the previous passage he is sitting and teaching the disciples inside the house. Jesus is told that his family has come to see him. Instead of rushing out to see them Jesus says that his family, the household of God is not built on bloodlines, but in faithfulness to the ways of God.
In order to understand the radical nature of this teaching we need to look closely at the ancient household structure. The household in Jesus’ day looked little our modern western versions. Instead, it was a hierarchal system where the householder, most often a male, ruled over not only his immediate family but a group which would also include; trades people, merchants, slaves, and others who depended upon the goodness of the head of the household. This system of family was, in the words of the ancient chroniclers, the very foundation of the Roman Empire; ‘traditional Roman family values.’ Jesus’ parable about gardening then, is an exposition about the inherit risks and the abundant rewards of being part of the household of God.
This parable of farming or gardening shows the three greatest risks to the life of faith. This lesson is so important that Jesus explains what he actually meant, which happens infrequently. At the heart of the parable is the understanding that the life of faith, or life in the household of God is like soil. Each of the three risks is represented by a type of soil. While not all of us have experience in a garden, or with farming, this ancient parable is still instructive in our life of faith.
The first risk to long term growth is that the message will fall on hard, concrete-like, ground. In our life of faith, this hardened, near concrete soil, represents the places in our lives where we are captured by the messages of this age. As a result, the good news simply cannot be heard among all the other messages. Our senses have become so dulled, or numbed the message is lost. This is not meant to be deterministic, hard soil just needs extra work, but I will get to that in a few moments.
The second risk, of challenge is that the message will fall upon rocky soil. Now, this may not seem like such a big deal because grass and other weeds seem to grow quite nicely in the cracks in the sidewalk. However, how may gardens survive when there is little room for roots to grow? While they may sprout quickly there will be no long term growth. Jesus makes it clear that this risk in the life of faith has to do with developing deep roots in order to stay strong when struggles arise. Given that Jesus is talking about alternatives to the empire and to the ordering of households resistance and challenges must be expected. When we begin to turn from the ways of empire, the empire has a way of striking back. Without deep roots, the struggles and resistance of life will cause faith to wither. But the good news is that rocks can be removed from soil.
But of all the risks of faith the most insidious is the third. The thorns are the most unfortunate. They represent the cares of the world and the lure of wealth or better yet, the anxiety around financial security. A garden can have good soil, and strong plant life but thorny weeds really can choke out the growth of plants which have deep roots. While it is true that thorns can be removed, you run the risk of pulling out the plants you want to keep as well as even causing your hands to bleed.
This parable is probably not one which would recruit many folks to working in a garden. The statistics in this parable are not very encouraging. After all, three quarters of the work of the sower comes to nothing! But despite the challenges the good news is that one quarter that grows will be amazingly abundant.
As we look to this passage as instructive for our life I believe the most fruitful work can be found in soil preparation. Our work, or out calling in the life of faith is to work at preparing the soil of our life and of our community. Our job is not to identify who is the rocky soil, or who is affected by thorns, or who is growing among rocks. After all, if we are honest I believe we all have these places in our lives and in our community. Instead, the work of the disciples is soil preparation.
If you have never worked in a garden, soil preparation is the work that is not particularly exciting or glamorous. But without good soil preparation no growth will occur. That means, breaking up the soil, removing the stones, the thorns, and finally adding some compost. I really can think of no better metaphor for the life of discipleship because it takes time, there are no guarantees; it can be frustrating, and surprising. We never know exactly what will happen. All we can really do is to prepare the soil, remove the rocks, ad some compost to the soil, let the soil take a Sabbath from time to time, pray, rest, study the bible, begin to develop the ears to hear and eyes to see when it is time to act, when it is time to say no, when it is time to rest. To continue our work for justice and to continue to share, with joy, God’s welcome for all, we must attend to the garden of our lives and this community. So let us continue to work the soil of our lives. Amen.
July 13th 2008
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“A Lesson in Gardening Part 1”
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
As a child I remember helping my grandmother in the garden. If I am not careful I look back with rose colored glasses at the fresh vegetables, the time spent in the outdoors, and the delicious taste of food right out of the garden. The truth is that at the time I remember it as really hard work. It never seemed to end. There was always something that had to be done. If it wasn’t weeding, it was watering or even soil preparation. And, if I am really honest, I was not then much of a vegetable fan. But something must have stuck because despite the rabbits, squirrels, the Japanese beetles, the weeds, and even heat, I simply cannot imagine summer without a garden. In fact, that, ‘something’ is my belief that working in the garden is one of the best lessons in humility, patience, and hard work. On top of that, I now love vegetables strait out of the garden.
This morning’s lesson in gardening, provided by Jesus, actually begins inside the house. Our encounter with this gardening lesson is rooted in the preceding passage. In that passage Jesus invites his followers to participate in a new reality. It has many names. Some know it as the kingdom of God, or the Empire of God, and now, as Letty Russell has aptly shown; the household of God. I have come to believe that the term household best captures Jesus intent. In the previous passage he is sitting and teaching the disciples inside the house. Jesus is told that his family has come to see him. Instead of rushing out to see them Jesus says that his family, the household of God is not built on bloodlines, but in faithfulness to the ways of God.
In order to understand the radical nature of this teaching we need to look closely at the ancient household structure. The household in Jesus’ day looked little our modern western versions. Instead, it was a hierarchal system where the householder, most often a male, ruled over not only his immediate family but a group which would also include; trades people, merchants, slaves, and others who depended upon the goodness of the head of the household. This system of family was, in the words of the ancient chroniclers, the very foundation of the Roman Empire; ‘traditional Roman family values.’ Jesus’ parable about gardening then, is an exposition about the inherit risks and the abundant rewards of being part of the household of God.
This parable of farming or gardening shows the three greatest risks to the life of faith. This lesson is so important that Jesus explains what he actually meant, which happens infrequently. At the heart of the parable is the understanding that the life of faith, or life in the household of God is like soil. Each of the three risks is represented by a type of soil. While not all of us have experience in a garden, or with farming, this ancient parable is still instructive in our life of faith.
The first risk to long term growth is that the message will fall on hard, concrete-like, ground. In our life of faith, this hardened, near concrete soil, represents the places in our lives where we are captured by the messages of this age. As a result, the good news simply cannot be heard among all the other messages. Our senses have become so dulled, or numbed the message is lost. This is not meant to be deterministic, hard soil just needs extra work, but I will get to that in a few moments.
The second risk, of challenge is that the message will fall upon rocky soil. Now, this may not seem like such a big deal because grass and other weeds seem to grow quite nicely in the cracks in the sidewalk. However, how may gardens survive when there is little room for roots to grow? While they may sprout quickly there will be no long term growth. Jesus makes it clear that this risk in the life of faith has to do with developing deep roots in order to stay strong when struggles arise. Given that Jesus is talking about alternatives to the empire and to the ordering of households resistance and challenges must be expected. When we begin to turn from the ways of empire, the empire has a way of striking back. Without deep roots, the struggles and resistance of life will cause faith to wither. But the good news is that rocks can be removed from soil.
But of all the risks of faith the most insidious is the third. The thorns are the most unfortunate. They represent the cares of the world and the lure of wealth or better yet, the anxiety around financial security. A garden can have good soil, and strong plant life but thorny weeds really can choke out the growth of plants which have deep roots. While it is true that thorns can be removed, you run the risk of pulling out the plants you want to keep as well as even causing your hands to bleed.
This parable is probably not one which would recruit many folks to working in a garden. The statistics in this parable are not very encouraging. After all, three quarters of the work of the sower comes to nothing! But despite the challenges the good news is that one quarter that grows will be amazingly abundant.
As we look to this passage as instructive for our life I believe the most fruitful work can be found in soil preparation. Our work, or out calling in the life of faith is to work at preparing the soil of our life and of our community. Our job is not to identify who is the rocky soil, or who is affected by thorns, or who is growing among rocks. After all, if we are honest I believe we all have these places in our lives and in our community. Instead, the work of the disciples is soil preparation.
If you have never worked in a garden, soil preparation is the work that is not particularly exciting or glamorous. But without good soil preparation no growth will occur. That means, breaking up the soil, removing the stones, the thorns, and finally adding some compost. I really can think of no better metaphor for the life of discipleship because it takes time, there are no guarantees; it can be frustrating, and surprising. We never know exactly what will happen. All we can really do is to prepare the soil, remove the rocks, ad some compost to the soil, let the soil take a Sabbath from time to time, pray, rest, study the bible, begin to develop the ears to hear and eyes to see when it is time to act, when it is time to say no, when it is time to rest. To continue our work for justice and to continue to share, with joy, God’s welcome for all, we must attend to the garden of our lives and this community. So let us continue to work the soil of our lives. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment