Feast on the hillside

Or, the feeding of the 5000 as it's better known.

At last a story about lots of people eating until they were full without all the media hype regarding trans fat, too many carbs, American obesity et al ad nauseum.

What makes this text just a tad out of our reach is the enormous gap between what was reality for 1c. Palestine and what is reality for those reading this blog in 21c. affluent America.  Unless you are on a stringent diet, none of us truly knows what it means to go hungry, to have no idea where our next meal will come from, and to have little or no choice in what we will be eating.

When fisherman Dad had a bad day on the boat and brought home just 2 little fish, he didn't go down to the local fish market and buy another couple pounds for dinner.  Everyone simply ate less until the catch was better. 

When I traveled to Africa in 2010, again and again I was asked what the price was for bread.  It's a good thing folks didn't ask about milk since I no longer buy it, but what kind of bread did they mean?  White, sandwich, in a long loaf bread?  Or multi-grain, low fat, good for you bread?  How could I explain that I choose not to purchase the cheap stuff but opt for the $4 a loaf multi-grain stuff.  Oh to have the luxury of choosing!

I listened to another radio report regarding American eating habits.  For years the "Mediterranean" diet has been touted as healthy.  This is a diet based on vegetables, olive oil, pasta, a little meat.  This is not some kind of fashion diet - it is how poor people eat.  They grow the vegetables, harvest the olive trees, make pasta/bread out of some kind of grain, and rarely, rarely eat meat.  When those who had followed this pattern of eating for years were asked what they would change they mostly answered - eat more meat.  Well, if you eat the meat, the benefits of the diet do down hill.

I share all of this because we Americans have a very different relationship with food than does probably 3/4 of the rest of the world - most certainly we have access to a veritable feast in comparison to those gathered around Jesus that day.

That is to say, I'm not sure what is more amazing about this story from their point of view:  that in Jesus' hands what looks like a meager offering becomes an abundant meal for a very large number of people; or two, that these folks ate and ate and ate until they were FULL and there were abundant leftovers.  In Jesus' hands, the pedestrian meal becomes sufficient to fully satisfy those who sat at his feet.

God has been providing meals for folks throughout the Bible's story of faith.  Adam and Eve had an apple (OK, that's not the best example), Elijah provided for the widow of Zarephath, manna fed the Israelites in the wilderness.  So we see that Jesus has the same concern regarding the hunger of his people - and the God given power to provide for them.

It might be a surprise to you that you have God given power to provide for the hungry as well.  Few of us will be carrying a basket with 2 fish and 5 loaves to church on Sunday (I especially hope you leave the fish at home) but a couple of dollar bills from your wallet can provide a blessing to those who hunger.  Who are they?  Somalians, dieing at an alarming rate due to famine.  The horn of Africa countries (S. Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, etc) who are experiencing another devastating drought.  The people of the near west side of Syracuse who look to St. Paul's food pantry for help eating.  (we gathered veggies in July, peanut butter in August).

If you want to see the Holy Spirit at work, watch the food gathering table in the Social Hall or the total of offerings given to Lutheran Disaster Relief to feed the hungry in Africa. 

That's all for now.  God bless your cooking, your eating, and your generous giving.
Pax.

Come those who are thirsty!

Ho!

That's how the Isaiah 55.1-5 lesson begins.  It is an archaic Hebrew expression that we can translate  Listen Up! 

Listen up all you who are thirsty - come to the waters
You who have no money - come, buy and eat.
Come buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Well, I've never been to this market, where hawkers stand by their booths to grab your attention and then invite you in to take what you need with no need of payment.  If some one has directions, let me know.

You read it right.  This is an invitation to come in (not exactly sure where this 'in' is) and take all that you need to sustain you and don't worry about payment.  First, it is directed at folks who are thirsty.......in need, searching for something to quench their thirst and keep them alive.  So the one inviting them in is not trying to curry favor; no, it is the neediest who are almost pressured to come in and enjoy the hospitality of water, wine, break and milk.


Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?


Oops, now we know why these needy folks have no money - they have wasted it on stuff, needless stuff, stuff that in the end will pass away and leave them thirsty once more.  In two verses, Isaiah has accomplished a 'down to earth' description of grace (verse 1) which we call Gospel; and a description of our choices that make us uncomfortable and lead us to confession (verse 2) which we call Law.

Then the author wants us to think back to King David, who is presented as a great leader, defender and witness of God's.  This is not the truth according to the accounts in Chronicles and Kings.  So the writer is expanding the truth to present another truth - that the covenant God made with David (your descendent will always sit on the throne) now moves away from David the person, to the people of Israel.  It is a promise of God's steadfastness to Israel.

But is NOT for the sake of Israel - it is not done to make them look good.  It is so that glory may accumulate to God.  It is for God's sake that God does this.....and continues to do this.....Come all who are thirsty and hungry.  I will give you what will satisfy you.

So, what can we do with that word satisfy?
Does the advertising all around us lead us to places which in the end do not satisfy?
What exactly are we looking for?  Love?  Protection?  Worth as a human being?  Meaning to our days?
God invites us into his house.  God has the water which will satisfy our thirst, not just once, but forever.  I think this was the same point Jesus was making to the Samaritan woman at the well.  (John 4)  If we can find a place where our thirst is always, guaranteed to be satisfied....will be stick around to here what else the owner of the house has to say?

What are you thirsty for?  Have you found it yet?

The bottom line for Paul

"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."   Roman 8.38-39

This is the bottom line for the apostle Paul.  Nothing -
                 no government as strong as Rome
                 no military dictator
                 no wealthy landowner (CEO)
                 no heavenly power
                 no created being
                 no tragedy or disease
                 no bad behavior on our part
                 not even the stuff we haven't thought of yet

Nothing can snatch us out of the loving grip of God our creator and father of our Lord.  Nothing.

This is not easy to believe on every day of the week.  When our husbands are in a war zone.  When our children are dodging drug dealers to get into and out of school.  When our business goes bankrupt.  When our mammogram comes back suspicious.  When our children choose to embrace death dealing habits.

Now note that Paul does not say that there aren't moments when we are uncertain; moments when we are tempted to throw God over, rage at the cruelty of this world, dismiss God as powerless or uninterested in our lives.  You and I know that there are lots of days like that. 

In the powerful darkness of this sinful world, when we lose our way or hope is dimmed, we are sorely tempted to say it is all a sham and whatever I thought I believed, I do not.  For too many, it doesn't take a crisis, it only takes boredom and spiritual laziness to cause them to walk away from Jesus. 

Paul, a man who had been imprisoned and beaten by the government and now faced death, certainly understood that there are lots of pressures in this world that could entice us to let go of God.

God, however, will never let go of us.  God's love is more powerful than anything that this broken world can dish out.
God's love is more powerful than anything we might do individually. 

God's love is faithful, steadfast, always searching for the lost sheep, opening his hand to hold us.

So when the darkness is deepest, and prayer has been silenced within us, Paul writes, "...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.  And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit interceded for the saints according to the will of God." 8.26-7

"If God is for us, who can be against us?"  v. 31b

That is a wonderful condensing of the Good News:  If God is for us, who can be against us?

So, along with Paul and countless others throughout history and around the world, I too am convinced that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  That truth has kept me afloat during too many of life's storms; may it sustain you as well.

Peace.

We have nothing to fear.......

"You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption [by which] we call out, 'Abba, Father'"     Rms 8.15


"my firm belief [is]that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."   FDR in a speech to the nation, 1933

FDR used this quote from Francis Bacon to rally the people of America who were entrenched in the Great Depression with little hope of a positive resolution.  He pressed the people to realize that our fear immobilizes us and keeps us from moving forward.

In the lectionary passage Romans 8.12-30 the apostle Paul is likewise rallying the people of God to look forward, to act with boldness, to cling to the promises of Jesus Christ.  This entire chapter in Romans seeks to capture the emotive power of being claimed by God in Jesus for redemption. 

"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth complaring with the glory about to be revealed to us" v.18

Jesus is bringing us into a relationship with the divine creator that surpasses all we know now and all that we are experiencing now.  Paul does not dimiss or disrespect the kind of suffering we are presenting experiencing; instead, he presses us to keep our eyes on Jesus and the joy of being brought to new life in him.

Look at v. 22

"We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 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."

Those of us who have had the honor of 'groaning in labor pains' know that this is no easy experience.  However, the wonder and gift of life that comes once the labor is over and the child is born presses our memory of long hours of pain back into nothingness.  Creation waits for the revealing of 'new life' so it too can rejoice.

Paul wants us to know that when things fell apart for this creation of earth and animals and humans (call that sin) that the animals and earth could do nothing to redeem themselves and return to the wonder of the first moments of perfection.  Redemption awaited a confused, stubborn, lost humankind.  And humankind awaited Jesus.

So, release the fear.  Fear will keep us in bondage. 
Fear will keep us stuck in hole where no new life can blossom.
And we all know fear.
           Fear of rejection (so we do not ask)
           Fear of losing (so we do not try)
           Fear of being wrong (so we never try something new)
           Fear of dying (so we use all our energy to protect ourselves).
           Fear of abandonment (so we cling to relationships that are not healthy)

Well, we could go on and on.  We all know fear.  When fear enters our day, we quickly become that small child within - you know, the one you thought you 'grew out of.'

That child is ultimately afraid that s/he is not loved.....and even that isn't the bottom of this pit.
At the bottom is our fear that we are not even lovable.

Into that darkness comes Paul's wonderful expression of God's love for us in Jesus.

"You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption [by which] we call out, 'Abba, Father'" 

and our Lord and Savior Jesus calls out to us once again:  you are lovable, you are loved, you are mine, child of God.

And that, my friends, is the Good News any day of the week.

Peace.

Patience and judgment....wheat and tares

Tares!  Who uses that word anymore?  But of course I learned the Bible in its King James version and the weeds of this week's Gospel lesson were called 'tares' at that time. 

We are talking about Matthew 13.24-30, the parable of seeds and harvests, wheat and weeds.  Like last week's parable on the Sower and the Seed, this parable could be interpreted allegorically, and in fact, the writer of Matthew provides just such an explanation in verses 36-43.

But leaping to the allegorical explanation deprives us of the opportunity to engage this parable creatively.  Just a word on creative interpretations.  It is important to keep clear the difference between what the text actually says and what we can imagine the text saying.  Our imagination - using a 360 review of the story - can be very helpful in opening us up to new perspectives.  This keeps us from learning it one way and being unable to hear God's Word any other way. 

However, there is a difference between what is on the page and those ideas we would present with the word "perhaps."  Perhaps the master of the field was lazy.  Perhaps the servants were just trying to gain favor - kissing up to the boss.  Perhaps.....these are helpful for our experience as readers of the text but never replace what the text actually says!

So much for that.  There is a shift here from last week's sower.  This field is owned by a wealthy householder.  (We know that because he has servants!)  This shift cautions us to separate whatever interpretation we gave to Mt13.1-9 from the roles and implications of this text.  If believers were the sower in last week's parable, perhaps they have shifted to be the servants this week.

Note that the weeds come an outside source.  The master calls it an enemy.  The seed the master put in was good seed.  This is clearly stated so there can be no confusion.  The Master does not sow bad seed.

The Master tells the servants to be patient - not in so many words but he says to wait, let the plants grow until maturity.  A time will come when they will be separated. 

Why wait?  Can't the servants tells the weeds from the wheat?  Perhaps the servants don't have a fine enough hand to separate out the weeds while allowing the wheat to continue growing.  What other possibilities can you think of?  This kind of thinking helps us expand the possibilities of the parable - to give it depth. 

But note, it is not now the time to separate weed from wheat.  Timing is in God's domain.

Discernment may not be a skill of these servants.  Discernment of this kind - life and death choices - maybe only the Master has this level of discernment.  Perhaps the growing cycle will bring about some kind of change in the plants (although truthfully, I can't see how that might happen).  Perhaps by the time the harvest comes, some of those weeds will be useful to the Master and not need to be destroyed.  Whatever the reason, discernment is an issue here.

But, do not fool yourself, judgment will come.  There will be a separation of wheat and weeds.  Some will be stored in the Master's barn (household?) and others burned - return to ash. 

With all the conversation out there around Rob Bell's new book, Love Wins which discounts a place of eternal punishment for those who, at the day of judgment, are found wanting, it might be a good idea to give some thought to this concept of eternal nothingness - a burning that results in ashes in this parable (not the picture of hell that includes eternal burning).  We believers are guilty of using passages such as this to decide that we are 'in' and others are 'out'.   But how does this 'hell' fit in with our understanding of who God is and how God acts - in this world, but most especially in Jesus.

All things considerd,  I am impressed with the questioned discernment of the workers and the imposed patience.  Perhaps we should pay an equal amount of attention to these two portions of the parable as well.  When we are rushing to judgment, perhaps we have both the timing and the judgment wrong

Peace.

The sower....the seed....or the ground?

I think the challenge in this familiar parable of the Sower and the Seed is to put aside what we think we know about it and listen to it again........and then to allow this parable to challenge our conception of what faithful living looks like.

I think most folks get hung up on the ground - rocky ground, hard ground, miserable ground, thorn-y ground.  Who is represented by each of the different 'grounds'?  Certainly Matthew goes on to give an explanation of this parable (see verses 18ff), although I think even Matthew does not do this parable justice.

We tend to assume that rocky ground is always rocky ground.  It is not rocky ground one day and thorn-y ground another day, and even possibly, good soil on a third day.  No, ground is ground and stays that way. 

Thus we assume that one person = one kind of ground - forever!   Who's to say that you and I can't be two or three kinds of ground - some parts of us are rocky, some weedy and some really receptive to the seeds?

So now we have a story where a sower goes out to sow, and on this particular day the part of the ground that is rocky is not a fertile receiver of seed.  Neither are the other 'bad' ground areas.  Only the good soil gets the seed and produces.
This leads us to think that we should not waste our time or seed on soil that is no good.

But what if tomorrow the rocky soil becomes good soil?  Then the seed that started out on rocky soil finds itself on good soil and is off and running to produce 100 times.  Now, this parable is not static, stuck in time, but active and uncertain, full of possibilities.  Now this parable is fertile, productive, moving into the future of God's kingdom.

Think of you and me.  Some days we are not receptive to much of anything.  Our friend has a great idea about keeping the neighborhood clean and you walk away unimpressed.  The next day, you have thought it over and see this as a real possibility to bring a newer, cleaner look to your neighborhood.  One day you are bad soil, the next day you are producing at 30 times expected outcomes!

Can the sower determine which soil is which as s/he spreads the seed?  Can the sower guarantee that the bad soil will stay that way forever?  Isn't it the sower's job to get out there and spread seed, not to evaluate soil readiness?

Have your thoughts on this parable shifted a little?

Hopefully, more tomorrow!
Pax.

A sower went out to sow.....matthew 13.1-9

Mea culpa!  Mea culpa!  Which essentially means, in Latin, it's all my fault!

I looked back and I have been very lax in writing to my friends and readers.  Can't say it won't happen again, but I will try to be more alert.

This Sunday we are graced with a familiar Bible story/parable about the sower who sowed his seed everywhere, regardless of the potential fertility of the soil.  Rocky ground, dry ground, thorn-y ground all got a share of the precious seed.  Only the good soil was able to bring forth any harvest, but boy, what a harvest!  100 times or 60 times or 30 times the amount of seed sown.  A normal harvest might bring about 15 times the seed output.

So is this a parable about the ground or about the seed or abou the sower?  Yes! 

The wonderful thing about parables are that they have multiple levels of meaning simultaneously.  Generally the storyteller takes a very familiar scene and twists it just enough to cause us to wonder - to marvel - to become angry - to confess.....you take your pick, but the twist in the familiar scene is intended to lead us in several directions at the same time.

One commentator calls this 'enigmatic' speech.  I like that word 'enigmatic' so much I'm using it in Sunday's sermon too!  It means 'puzzling'   Some enigmatic speech is not intended to puzzle the hearer - it just does (think about ambiguous speech).  But parables are intentionally enigmatic - that is the twist that causes us to linger and consider the multiple messages coming our way.

Remember, this is not an 'allegory' - a literary term of a story where each character/ thing in the story is intended to represent something else.  The Lion and the Wardrobe is an allegory and each character has a parallel identity.  Rather a parable is constructed to throw you off, not to give you a precise picture.

So I will leave you with these thoughts as you find your Bible and read through this story again.
Where is God in this story?
Where are believers/disciples in this story?
What is wrong with this farmer that s/he wastes all that seed?

A little more tomorrow I promise.  But for now, do not let all you ever knew about this story keep you from asking some new questions.
Pax.