Okay, I need a
few volunteers. Take some seeds. Okay, now, would you please turn them into
flowers? Go ahead, I’ll give you a minute or two…
Okay, who changed
their seed to a flower? No? Why not? What do you need to make it grow? So once it
grows and buds, could you pull apart the petals and make it bloom?
There are some
things that we can’t do. We can't physically pull a flower from the seed. We can help, we can prepare the conditions, but ultimately no work can
directly do what God does. Can you tell by looking at it what will grow from
it? Probably not. Once in a while, we can see the potential, maybe we do recognize some seeds, and know it’s
there, but not necessarily what exact form it will take. Height, color, etc.
In Isaiah, we
hear that God is doing a new thing, making a way in the wilderness and rivers
in the desert. God sees the potential and the exact form of the seeds that are
there. God creates it and makes it grow. Our Psalmist echoes this sentiment by
stating that God does the great things, and we simply rejoice.
We can tend the
soil, prepare ourselves and get the right elements to feed the plant, but
ultimately, we can’t make it grow. When
we think we’re making it happen, we become like the people Paul warns us
about—those justified by the law and by flesh. Paul tells us that we can’t live
that way anymore, because justification with God for us, comes by grace through
faith. We live not in pursuit of that truth, but in response to it, because
Christ Jesus has made us his own.
These new things
are God’s doing. We can only tend the soil, make
preparations and offer these new things space to happen.
What does tending
the soil look like? Well, to begin with, we have identified ourselves as part
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Evangelical. To share the Good
News. Believe it or not, this is a two-way street. We can’t just talk at
people, telling others about our experiences with God…though that’s part of it.
We also have to ask and listen to others about where God is seen. Where the
Holy Spirit is at work in everyone’s life, not just ours.
When we do that,
we truly share our experience of God, and maybe, just maybe, by asking others
where they see God, we might invite those around us to begin thinking about
where God is really at work in their life as well. In short, we offer a bigger
picture and understanding to ourselves and those around us. We tend the soil
and make an opportunity for the hidden seeds to grow.
If we get overly
self-righteous, only think of ourselves, we miss what’s going on right in front
of our nose. Just look at Judas in our gospel lesson. They are professing that
Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one, but until this reading, John doesn’t
report that anyone has actually anointed him. Judas gets so worried about the
extravagance of the perfume that he misses something hugely important. Mary has
just anointed Jesus’ feet.
Hold on.
Back up.
Stop the presses.
Jesus is the Messiah—the Anointed One—and the first person
reported by John to actually anoint him is Lazarus’ sister Mary? A female? This
second-class citizen? She is then lifted up as a model of discipleship—talk
about something new going on.
Do we see it when
it happens? If we take time to look at it, we might catch a glimpse of what’s
going on. However, when we box ourselves into our own models and modes and ways
we’ve always only ever known, we miss the new stuff. Paul got rattled out of
that set pattern, Judas didn’t. There’s probably a reason these Scripture
readings have been put together for today. There are common themes running
through, complimenting and completing each other.
Another thing
about soil, though is that it’s not thrown out entirely. We might add to it,
water it, weed it out, but we can’t get rid of it. We have to strike a balance.
The thing about soil is, it is old…literally as old as dirt. We care for
tradition, but allow that tradition to speak in new ways, create new
traditions, grow something beautiful.
God shows up in
unexpected ways and places. In Isaiah, it’s in the wilderness, where the
ostriches and jackals praise God, and a wandering people are the chosen ones of
God. In our Psalm, God shows up with those who suffer and sow with tears. For
Paul, God shows up through Christ, which throws everything that used to be
important out the window. His Pharisaic status, his righteousness through the
law, his persecution of the church in the name of that righteousness are
overturned. In the gospel, God shows up through the extravagance of a
second-class citizen, the woman Mary of Bethany, sister to Lazarus. The mere
fact that she is defined by her male relative shows her status in society. Yet
that is where God is.
Where is God
today—for us? Are we watching for those new ways and places God is working, are
we caring for the soil so something beautiful can grow? Or are we getting stuck
in an old pattern—so stuck that we can’t see the new life and growth?
We care for the
soil and watch for the life that springs from it, because the soil isn’t the
end all be all in this metaphor. The soil isn’t the goal, the new life is. That
new life is where God is creating, doing, and working.
We can tell
others where we see God and ask where they do, too. We can find meaning for our
current lives in ancient words like Scripture and Creed. We can follow Jesus’
teachings and listen to God’s commands. And we can look for the new things God
is doing right now today. We can watch for the movement of the Holy Spirit in
our world, our community, and our lives.
We have the
chance to evangelize, or share God, to preserve tradition, and to live
faithfully—to care for the soil. And we can rejoice when we see where the Holy
Spirit is infusing and inspiring new life in our faith. Amen.
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