"Hope"
Sermon Presented June 18, 2006
Mark 4:26-34
This past week we were inundated with stories of situations where we see no evidence of God's Reign. We read of suicides by prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, civilians and military personnel killed in Iraq, and racial violence and murders all over the nation - especially here in Milwaukee. We wonder where hope lies to counteract the bad news that shatters our peace. We wonder what role we should play in the emerging reign of God - a reign that seems so far in the future. Jesus gives us a glimpse of hope through parables that he told his followers.
What is a parable? It is a living story - one that speaks to us differently depending on life's circumstances. It's a story that gives new insights as we ponder it in the presence of God.
This morning we will look at two parables found in the Gospel of Mark. As you listen, notice that Jesus is speaking of The Kingdom of God, and we understand God's Kingdom to be wherever God reigns - past, present and future. Mark 4:26-32. (Read text.)
Because we are no longer an agrarian society, some of the symbolization in these parables may be lost on us - at least lost to the younger generation. My only experiences with farming were childhood visits to my grandparents' farm and visiting the farms of friends in Marysville, KS where I lived for nine years.
Without getting hung up on details, let's look at these parables more carefully. The first, which is unique to Mark, tells of a person who scatters seeds and then leaves them alone until the harvest. We don't need to understand photosynthesis or the science of germination to grasp what is happening. The parable indicates that growth happens according to God's plan.
Last week I received e-mail from a friend in Marysville telling me that her husband was preparing for wheat harvest. Temperatures there are in the 90's and 100's, so even though Larry's farm equipment has air conditioning and CD players to play his classical music, conditions are far from ideal for even the most advantaged farmers. I don't believe Larry does much to his wheat crop between the time he plants it in the fall and harvests it in mid June. He understands that he isn't responsible for the growth, just as Jesus wants his listeners to understand that we aren't responsible for the growth of God's reign, only God is.
We also know that seeds don't instantly transform into mature plants. They grow, and watching the growth is sometimes as exciting as the harvest. Children who plant seeds in little containers watch carefully as the seeds become plants, so teachers and parents know to provide fast growing seeds. Some seeds sprout in a couple of weeks and other take years to sprout or to grow into trees that produce shade or fruit for pies. You get radishes before tomatoes, and you get tomatoes before pecans or walnuts.
Another thing I notice is that Jesus doesn't mention things that inhibit growth, like weeds, fungus, insects, birds, frost, heat, lack of rain or too much rain. The main thought he wants to convey is that God's Kingdom starts small - like a seed - and God will bring the Kingdom to its harvest. However, just as negative elements affect the growth of plants, negative elements affect the growth of God's Kingdom.
When the time for harvest arrives, there is usually only a brief window of opportunity to bring in the crop. Wheat must be cultivated immediately upon ripening or the grain falls to the ground. Apples, cherries and peaches must be picked at the right time or birds and deer will get them or they will fall to the ground and rot; and sweet corn must be picked the day it is ready or the raccoons will get it.
The parable of the mustard seed shows a contrast between the smallness of the seed and the magnificence of the shrub it becomes. Jesus lets us know that although the reign of God begins in obscurity, it will reach a majestic fulfillment. The familiar image of the birds shows an expansive, attractive community created by God.
Both parables are futuristic through the symbolization of a harvest and a mature plant. The reign Jesus describes is the same one he inaugurates in his gospel message. Seeds of love, mercy and justice are planted, germinate and grow in our midst. Do we see them, and if so what is our response?
I mention response, because we can't assume from these parables that believers don't play a role. The rest of Mark's gospel dispels that conclusion. Jesus calls people to participate in his ministry as we follow him. We don't take the credit for the growth, but we have a responsibility to help make growth become a reality. The fullness of hope for God's kingdom remains in the future, but we enact it in the present through God's power and Jesus' model. The Kingdom is only as strong as those who are subject to the king.
Like seed, the Kingdom of God can be present even before we see the plant or the ripened grain. It grows unnoticed. We may not pay attention to the plants, but we do notice when it's time to harvest, because that's when the planting brings its rewards.
And we know that just as continuous blazing sun, lack of rain, insects and fungus can impede the growth of plants, so can sin - often manifested as apathy or neglect - impede the emergence of God's kingdom in the lives of people, churches and political bodies.
I want instant gratification! I want to plant seeds and see immediate growth. But that's not the way growth occurs! Seeds that are planted in our lives and here at Roundy are very slow growing, and we can't coerce growth! We really have no control, and that's the hard part. There's no forced growth in God's Kingdom, only slow growth that comes in God's time, not ours. Growth is the miraculous work of God, and harvest is the outcome that is both gift and miracle. But this doesn't mean we have no part in the growth.
Jesus came to bring the Kingdom of God to earth and he left that charge with his followers. As his disciples, what is our responsibility? First, we need to foster growth in areas that characterize God's Kingdom - love, mercy and justice.
When we see buds and blossoms before us, we picture the ripened fruit and grain and we understand that growth is a process. Our spiritual growth is a lifelong process - one that moves through stages, and it is through our spiritual growth that love, mercy and justice become reality. Sometimes we wonder how we can move from point A to point B in the area of spirituality. That's why we're having a Church Retreat in the fall. Roundy does a great job of fostering intellectual growth, thanks to Lawrence, but I believe we need to do more to foster spiritual growth. Both are necessary to grow a mature Christian.
And just as the growth of seeds is a mystery, God's activity in our lives is also mystery. We can add water and fertilizer and pull weeds from our garden to have greater hope for healthier plants, but we don't know exactly how growth occurs. The same holds true for our spiritual growth. We must nurture it so that growth takes place, but how we grow is mystery.
Since I've been in Milwaukee only a short time, I hadn't heard of James Cameron until his death last week. This amazing man was saved from being lynched at the age of 16 by a voice that only he and those preparing to lynch him heard: "Take this boy back. He had nothing to do with any raping or shooting of anybody." Cameron had no doubt that God saved his life that night, and he dedicated his life to fighting racial injustice.
What amazes me is that he wasn't bitter because of this experience, but used it as a springboard to correct injustices. He organized chapters of the NAACP and wrote an autobiographical work of his survival titled A Time of Terror. He founded America's Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee so that people will not forget this terrible time in our United States history. Cameron took a seed - that could just as easily have been planted to foster hatred - and over a period of decades - helped to foster justice and understanding of issues that are peculiar to African Americans in our country. His death will not stop what he began, because justice is a part of God's Reign on earth. What Cameron offered to people was hope!
Last Monday night I heard Maya Angelou speak. Her mother's boyfriend raped her when she was eight, and when she told her brother of the abuse, he told her mom. The man was imprisoned for one night and upon release the next day, he was beaten to death. Maya believed that her words had the power to kill and she didn't speak for the next four years. However, because of her intellect, multiple gifts in the areas of writing, teaching, music, acting, dance, and caring teachers, Maya was able to speak about injustice and she is heard! In her life, seeds of both horror and love were planted and love prevailed.
In last week's issue of Christian Century (June 13, 2006) I read of Bill Cosby's 18 city tour to encourage African Americans to look for answer to their problems from within their community rather than from without. Cosby said in Washington D. C. "I have no problem with Jesus or God; I have a problem with people sitting there and saying that Jesus and God will find the way. I have a problem with Christian men who won't dress up and go down and confront the drug dealers." Cosby believes that people can't sit back and pray and expect answers to fall into our laps if they aren't willing to do what God wants them to do. God gives the growth, but God gives us responsibility for establishing God's reign on earth.
Here in Milwaukee, there are organizations established to foster God's love, mercy and justice. The Interfaith Conference of Milwaukee, Micah, Habitat for Humanity, and a new organization called Greater Milwaukee Sponsors are working to bring affordable housing and restorative justice to the Milwaukee area. Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services do an outstanding job of meeting the needs of the poor and refugees. St. Ben's does a tremendous work in providing meals for the hungry, and University Christian Ministries helps students find Christian community and spiritual guidance while at UWM. We have a part in some of these ministries and we should feel good about that.
But I believe God is calling us to do more. How can we do more when we are so few in number? I believe we need to be open to areas where we can make a difference by acting at appropriate times. One area is that of justice and the Justice Seminar we will sponsor in October is born of that need. What excites me about this endeavor is that everything we have done in the past three years has been preparation for what is to come. When we allow God to lead, God's Kingdom will come. God is good - and is working to bring love and mercy and justice to Milwaukee. God is also bringing hope to Roundy and to Milwaukee by planting tiny seeds.
Nothing starts big! Growth is a process, and everything begins with a small seed. And you know what; the seeds being planted today will grow to bring the Reign of God to this corner of God's world. I have hope in God's faithfulness!
