The Prodigal Sower - Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Year A

The Prodigal Sower

Pentecost 7A

July 16, 2023

Christ, Preston, MN

Matthew 13.1-9, 18-23

By way of introduction, I’m going to give you a little glimpse into the life of a preacher. One thing you need to know is that most preachers work very hard on their sermons and take them seriously. Furthermore, we’ve all had the experience where a sermon we thought was good got no response and the opposite is true. A sermon we thought was a dud, but didn’t have anything else to offer, went over big. Frankly, while we appreciate it when people say, “Good sermon, pastor,” the response we’d like to make is, “That remains to be seen.” If you’ve said that to me, chances are I’ve not been that snarky, instead saying, “I was preaching to myself. If you got something out of it, so much the better.” I truly believe that if the text doesn’t speak to me, it probably won’t speak to you. Even so, my favorite comment from parishioners is, “You made me think.”

The response (or lack of it) to the Good News of Jesus Christ is at the heart of today’s Gospel reading in Matthew. Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower and to be clear, in spite of his explanation, there still remains a variety of interpretations. Today I’m going to think along the lines of what Matthew’s community dealt with and why some commentators think Matthew included this parable in his collection. That is to say, Matthew used this parable to address an important question: why did some people respond to the Good News and why did some of them not, a situation in the early Jewish synagogues that caused some conflict.

It’s a similar question put to Martin Luther by his protégé Philip Melanchthon 1500 years later. If God’s Word is so powerful, why doesn’t everybody accept it? Luther, in response, breezily answered, “The Spirit blows wherever and whenever it wills.” Of course, that’s no real answer at all, but it’s the best he could do. But before we proceed, it’s helpful to remember that parables are not puzzles to solve; they are mysteries to be entered. They are to open us up more than we are to open them up. So, when we enter this parable, it needs to be from a place of humility as we realize that all soil conditions apply to each of us at one time or another. In other words, we’re not always good soil.

The aspect of the parable that stands out for me today is the prodigious behavior of the Sower, who could be known as the Prodigal Sower. Though some people make a case that casting seed far and wide was a common practice in Jesus’ day, it seems to me excessively generous and perhaps downright wasteful, as Jesus’ explanation shows. Yet that doesn’t stop the Sower from the practice; God’s Word is thrown about like glitter. One interpretation is that God never, ever gives up on people, no matter what the result, and keeps spreading the Word regardless of the consequences.

It’s important to remember that most of Jesus’ parables are Kingdom parables. Jesus often begins his parables by saying, “The kingdom of God is like…” His parables try to describe the way of God’s activity and values that are difficult to pin down, and not “this is how we should live” kind of parables. Having said that, and reminding you that I’m not proposing the final solution, I think that there are questions raised by actions of a God who liberally and tirelessly spreads the Word. So, let me raise a few questions based on my time with you that you might find interesting to entertain.

Some of you have wondered why more people haven’t returned to worship or reengaged in the life of the congregation. Perhaps you know people who have fallen away, or may even have gone to other places. This is a complex question that the Transition Team touched on and your leadership discusses often. But rather than address it head on, what if we allowed the Parable of the Sower to creatively expand our thinking with these four questions: 

• What would it mean to scatter God’s word extravagantly and not worry about the results? This is not to say that outcomes don’t matter, but what if they are less important than liberally broadcasting God’s love, grace and mercy?

• What would it mean to remember that it’s God’s job to give the growth, not ours? The Apostle Paul reminded the early church of that when he declared that he planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

• How could you walk alongside people on their faith journey rather than criticizing their “soil?” Can you be cultivators, helping to prepare people to receive God’s Word?

• Could you be patient, realizing that the seed you scatter might lie dormant for years before bearing fruit? 

The Good News is I think you have begun to take these questions to heart, whether you realize it or not. You’ve recommitted to building partnerships in the larger Preston community and want this wonderful facility to be used by more groups, both inside and outside the membership of the congregation. Furthermore, rather than criticize the number of people who join you electronically, you are strengthening your digital presence and wondering how you can creatively connect even more so. But most importantly, you are opening yourselves to God’s Spirit, wherever it leads.

Thank you for inviting me to walk with you on this portion of your faith journey. I’ve never felt as welcomed and supported as I have here, and I trust your new pastor will, too. I can think of no better words to leave you with than those of the Apostle Paul told the church at Philippi, “[I am] confident of this, that the One who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” If that’s all you remember from this sermon and my time with you, that will be enough. Amen.

My sermons often preach a little differently than written and you can find the video here.

The Yoke of Love - Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Year A

 The Yoke of Love

Pentecost 6A

July 9, 2023

Christ, Preston, MN

Matthew 11.16-19, 25-30

I’m not sure why or how, but I grew up thinking I had to do things myself, that I couldn’t ask for help from anybody. Perhaps it was being the middle-oldest of four children or maybe it was my parents' strong work ethic. Regardless, I rarely asked for help. That started to change when I was a pastor in Winona and had surgery on my shoulder. I had to ask my wife for help to do the basics of care. Around the same time, I was discerning whether to enter a doctoral program. With one daughter already at Winona State and another one on the way, it seemed financially impossible. So, I told God that if he wanted me to do the doctoral program then he’d have to provide the funds. God agreed, but told me that I’d have to ask for them. Which I did. And which God did.

I’m guessing that I’m not alone in this affliction of self-sufficiency and apparently people in Jesus’ time suffered from it, too. Last week we finished the Missionary Discourse as Jesus prepared his followers to be sent out to do the work he was doing. He has resumed his teaching and preaching and gets an odd question from John the Baptist, who is in prison. “Are you the one who is to come or should we wait for another.” In essence, Jesus says, “Yes.” Then Jesus turns to the crowds, extolling John the Baptist in his role as the forerunner to his ministry.

Our reading for today picks up there and Jesus turns a bit crankier. He takes a swipe not at the crowds who are following him, but at the religious leaders of the day who can’t seem to be satisfied where he and John are concerned. Using the parables of the flute, a metaphor for the celebratory nature of weddings, and the wailing, a metaphor for the mourning that happens at a funeral, Jesus says that no matter what he or John do or don’t do, whether they drink or don’t drink, the religious leaders are critical. But, he says, they can’t have it both ways. Jesus is cranky because they not only refuse to listen to a word from God,  they also make religious life harder for the people.

As if everyday life weren’t hard enough, especially lived under Roman rule, the religious leaders heaped up additional burdens. And, if we need any more dumped on us, the Apostle Paul exposes our all too human condition: we do those things we hate to do and don’t do the things that we want to do. But then Jesus’ tone softens and he turns back the crowds, inviting them into rest for their souls. It’s at that point that Jesus’ invitation reminds us that we don’t need to go it alone or do life ourselves.

To make his point, Jesus uses the image of the yoke, one which the people would have been familiar with. You all probably know more about yokes than I do, but I understand they distribute the load more evenly. In fact, I believe that two animals yoked together can do more than two individually. Yet, the yoke Jesus offers is not a new law or religious rule, but rather a yoke of love. Remember the two greatest commandments, to love God and love others. As Zechariah shows us, this king doesn’t come proudly on a warhorse but rather in humility.

This need to share burdens is one of many reasons we need to belong in community. Over the last eight months I’ve seen how you have cared for one another in so many ways. You’ve wrestled with how we can strengthen that sense of community post-pandemic. You’ve stepped up, claiming the ministry God has been doing in, with, and through you and found creative ways to deepen your relationships with each other. An African proverb says it well: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” You will be going far because you will be going together. So, whatever burden you’ve brought here today, know that you don’t have to carry it alone. The One who is gentle and humble in heart gives you rest for your soul. Amen.

My sermons often preach a little differently than written and you can find the video here.

The Declaration of Dependence - Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost Year A

 The Declaration of Dependence

Pentecost 5A

July 2, 2023

Christ, Preston, MN

Matthew 10.40-42

“Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”

This verse and those that follow are often used as a basis for extending churchy hospitality to outsiders. Congregations proudly declare, “All are welcome” which, of course, is a very good thing to say and do. Unfortunately, most congregations fall short of living this out, believing that they are truly welcoming, but in reality only to themselves. Christ Lutheran Church in Preston may be an exception. Congregations do better when this invitation is made to the table of Holy Communion, but again fail to realize that it doesn’t always mean it when, as one child once said to me, “I’m not welcome.” Indeed. That led to some serious conversation about who gets to commune in that congregation. That may be a growth area for Christ Lutheran Church as it discerns what “All are welcome to the Table” really means. We’ve already had some initial conversation.

Also, unfortunately, these verses aren’t really aimed at churches offering hospitality but rather receiving it. We are at the end of the so-called “Missionary Discourse” in Matthew’s Gospel, the second of five blocks of teaching by Jesus. Two weeks ago, we heard Jesus describe the great need in the world and how he selects 12 of his disciples to be apostles, sent out into the world to bring healing and good news. Then we heard how they were to rely on the hospitality of others and, in the midst of certain blowback and even persecution from some people, that God will care for them as God cares for all creation.

Jesus wraps up his instructions to the 12 with this claim, that those who receive them and welcome them don’t just receive them, and not even Jesus in his name, but God as well. Now that’s an amazing claim, and we enjoy the idea of a cup of cold water extended to us for what we do. But it’s also a warning of sorts that may result in the water being thrown in our faces rather than given to us in a cup. What we do or don’t do, say or don’t say, reflects not only on us but also on the one who sent us.

This is an important word to hear because the church no longer has its privileged place it once held in society. Almost everywhere I go, parishioners lament the encroachment upon the church’s “territory.”  Sundays are already gone and Wednesday nights are going. Sports and other activities are virtually every day during the week and not just seasonally, but year-round. Ministeriums are vanishing and church becomes one more obligation among many vying for peoples’ time. It may not be happening as much in smaller communities like Preston, but it is still happening.

That sounds dire, doesn’t it? I don’t think it needs to be, and perhaps it may even be a good thing. How so? Because now that the church is decentered and pushed to the periphery, perhaps it can remember why it exists and to whom it is to be sent: to heal the broken in God’s world. Additionally, we get to recover our prophetic voice that is often silenced in accommodation to the culture. We advocate for those on the margins who are unable to advocate for themselves.

This week, we’ll be celebrating the Declaration of Independence, an important remembrance for our country. Even so, I think that today we should celebrate the “Declaration of Dependence.” In other words, we rely on the Gospel, not the privilege of position. We are Christ’s hands, feet, and voices in the world, bringing the Good News of God’s love. Welcoming all to Jesus’ Table is a good start as it strengthens us to go out and see how we can bring hope and healing to a world that needs us to walk alongside it, not berate it. Whether you receive a cup of cold water or get one thrown in your face, know that you are a beloved child of God sent in Jesus’ name to Love God, Love People, and Follow Jesus. Thanks be to God. Amen.

My sermons often preach a little differently than written and you can find the video here.