Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

July 30, 2023

the Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“Have you understood all this?”

They answered, “Yes.”

And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

| Centering Prayer |

In our Gospel lesson for this morning,

Jesus continues to teach his disciples

about the Kingdom of Heaven.

He teaches in parables,

inviting those who hear him

to come to their own conclusions.

Parables are vague by nature, designed to avoid a front-end conflict with potential adversaries.

Jesus often taught in parables to avoid a direct confrontation with the religious authorities in Jerusalem

and the civil authorities from Rome;

less they react before Jesus was prepared,

and have him arrested and killed prematurely,

preempting God’s heavenly design.

The risk Jesus makes

by teaching with intentional vagueness is that of mis-interpretation.

Not everyone will draw the same conclusions

from the same parable.

Cultural backgrounds, values, and experience are different for everyone.

How, then, the cynic asks,

can any conclusions be drawn from

the implied variability of Jesus’ parables?

Where is truth to be found?

…

The complexity of Jesus’ parable talk is simplified greatly by a number of his intentional strategies.

1. First, Jesus sticks to only a small, limited number of subjects for his parables.

He may have lots and lots of parables about the same topic

– like our Kingdom parables for today –

but the number of topics is purposefully reserved

for his most important themes.

This way

the audience is encouraged to experience many parables about the same theme.

When given sufficient room,

Essential Truth can be discovered very effectively,

by relating like parables together.

I think of this as giving Essential Truths “color.”

2. Secondly, Jesus reserves parable talk only for his most vital, essential themes –

– for example forgiveness,

love and compassion for God and neighbor,

and the Kingdom of Heaven.

On minor issues

or in an environment of privacy,

Jesus speaks quite freely.

He doesn’t tell a parable to the woman at Jacob’s well.

Neither does he use a parable with the individuals he physically heals or for whom he casts out demons.

I think of this as giving Essential Truths “depth.”

3. Finally, we find new meaning and expression

from the parables of Jesus

if we have a profound sensitivity to his nature,

his character,

his atonement and salvation.

Jesus was one who challenged authority,

reached out to the poor, the lost, the unclean, and the dispossessed.

So do his parables.

He was gracious and accepting without condition,

lifting people from the circumstances they found themselves in –

– or placed themselves in.

So do his parables.

Jesus was the only Son of God,

both human and divine;

when he speaks,

his words are the words of the Divine,

straight from the mouth of God.

The divinity of Christ

makes his parables Essential Truths, gifts from God,

worthy of our complete, undivided attention.

4. Finally, Jesus brings the gift of life;

through sin,

to redemption,

by means of the cross

– just like his parables –

and from redemption to eternal life, by means of the empty tomb

– just like his parables;

just like today’s parables of the Kingdom.

I think of this as giving Essential Truths “character.”

So what color, how deep, and what character are today’s parables of the Kingdom?

What Essential Truths can be mined from their nuggets?

What conclusions can be drawn?

…

The wait has been long and frustrating.

Each generation believes in its exceptionalism.

Truly these are the end times!

Christ will return at any time!

God’s kingdom will come with apocalyptic divine judgment.

The Bible says so.

Two thousand years of waiting

have required Christian believers, writers, and thinkers

to re-evaluate a messianic expectation

for a final, second coming,

and to consider

the Kingdom of Heaven

not as a future possibility,

but rather as

a past,

present,

and future unfolding reality.

The Kingdom of Heaven has come,

is come,

and will come again.

We affirm this each time we unify our voices in the litany,

“Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again.”

We acknowledge this essential truth

every time we recognize the fact

that

all there is –

– the entirety of the cosmos –

– matter, and all things in-between –

– is a creation of God.

Life is solely the gift of a loving God.

We are God’s children,

this is God’s world,

and God is, even yet,

coming to final victory and glory.

It is inevitable;

This is God’s unfolding reality.

So, instead of talking about some future event,

allow our talk about the Kingdom of Heaven

to include God’s Kingdom that is already here.

…

What about these specific parables of the Kingdom for today?

We are given 5 parables with 4 elements of Truth in today’s carefully selected Lectionary texts.

1. Let’s take a look at the first one

in Matthew 13, verses 31 and 32.

Jesus tells his disciples

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like ….” The small mustard seed is sown into a field where it grows into a tree (v.31-32).

The logical conclusion that can be drawn is that

the apparent size of the Kingdom of Heaven

right here,

right now,

does not correlate with the fullness of God’s future kingdom.

There are a lot of preachers, scholars, believers, and followers

Through the ages

who think they know

just about all there is to know

about God’s heavenly kingdom.

This grandiose thinking is not limited to Christianity.

Irrational thoughts range from:

The outrageous

– “just strap some plastic explosives around yourself, son, and go walk into a crowd of people; paradise awaits you”

To the arrogant

– “there’s only 144,000 getting in, and I’m one of them, and you are not”

To the self-serving

– “break off all ties with family, sign your bank accounts and house over to me, drink some Kool-Aid, and together we’ll be in paradise.”

Some are known to baptize the dead.

Others will grant deification to a select group of males.

Yet others will attempt to literally “scare the hell out of you”

or try to tell you how you can earn your way into heaven.

Don’t believe a word of it!

The truth of the matter is

that all anyone knows

is equivalent to

the smallest possible seed.

Jesus tells us about that mustard seed,

and how it becomes a great bush or tree.

In other words,

as the lyrics of a secular song goes

– we’ve ain’t seen nothing yet!

2. The second parable of the Kingdom is about yeast.

Jesus uses yeast as his metaphor. Yeast mixed in

with three measures of flower

leavens all of the dough.

“He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

(Matthew 13:33).

If thoroughly mixed,

yeast is evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Yeast yields Carbon-dioxide gas,

which is released as tiny bubbles.

Allowed to warm and rise, then baked in an oven,

Yeast leavened bread is light and uniform.

Parables of yeast informs me that

it is possible for

today’s Kingdom of Heaven

to be distributed everywhere,

leavening all people, cultures, and races.

A yeast-like Kingdom of Heaven is Not self-limited among us Christians.

Jesus stretches the Kingdom to include expressions of faith and revelation beyond our own experience.  

To all the corners of creation,

to every part of the dough,

God has spread the yeast.

It may not be risen or baked just yet

– the Kingdom isn’t complete,

As far as I know –

but the Divine plan has been implemented,

and it will encompass all,

everyone and everywhere, throughout all creation.

3. The next two parables are linked together by a common theme; finding something valuable,

then risking everything to obtain it.

A treasure hidden in a field, when found, is worth selling everything to purchase that field,

and thus becoming the owner of the treasure.

And a pearl of great value, when found, is worth selling everything in order to buy it up

(v.44-45).

These two parables of the Kingdom

cause many of us some level of unease

because the treasure is obtained

by questionable means.

It feels like house rules,

Tilted in favor of the dealer.

It isn’t lying,

but it isn’t being forthcoming with information, either.

If the owner of the field

knew the property’s true value,

there wouldn’t be a sale.

When measured by

the criteria of similar parables,

the life and actions of Christ,

and by the consistence, Essential Truth of the Gospel,

I believe Jesus is pointing us in a new direction with urgency:

… the Kingdom of Heaven is worth

risking everything

to make certain

you are a part of it.

God Kingdom is more valuable than money,

more important than house, job, or family.

The Kingdom of Heaven is,

as the great 20^th Century theologian Paul Tillich used to say,

of “Ultimate Concern”

to the disciple of Jesus.

There is no greater concern than living for the Kingdom.

4. Which leads us to the fourth and final theme for today from our parables of God’s Heavenly Kingdom.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

(Matthew 13:47-50)

Jesus tells his disciples that

just like a net catches all fish,

so too does the Kingdom of Heaven, that all might be judged and separated.

Those deemed unacceptable will be destroyed.

Those that live in denial of the present Ultimate Concern,

who have no faith in the One who is both the Alpha and the Omega,

are those who be found unacceptable.

Cast out.

Tossed into the fire.

Annihilated,

and every memory erased.

Again, I know this illusion of ire, weeping, and gnashing of teeth is one that we would like to deny or ignore and hope that it goes away.

But the fact remains,

God is the final judge,

in a system that has

no higher appeal.

…

These parables should serve as a corrective warning;

a gentle, yet deliberate directive,

for everyone of us

who seek a relationship of faith and love

with our God,

and with Jesus the Son.

As evident last Sunday,

be assured,

all of us who live lives of faith,

that we have nothing to fear in God’s final judgment.

It is God’s good choice to save,

to protect,

to gather in all God’s children.

…

So, today,

God’s Kingdom has come

just a little closer,

has made a little more of an inroad into our lives,

has gathered a little more clarity.

By these gems

given to us by Jesus,

we know that the apparent size of the current Kingdom of Heaven

has nothing to do with the fullness that is bound to become in the future.

We know the Kingdom isn’t complete as of yet.

The Divine plan has been launched.

It will encompass all,

everyone and everywhere, throughout all creation.

We know the Kingdom of God is so important

that it is worth risking everything

to make sure we’re a part of it.

And we know,

that just like a net catches all,

so too does the Kingdom of Heaven, that all might be judged,

and those deemed unacceptable will be destroyed.

There is danger and opportunity in today’s parables of the Kingdom.

Be sure to steer clear of the danger. At the same time,

Make haste to seize every opportunity God provides.

The Word of the Lord, as it has come to me.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

July 23, 2023

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” 

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

| Centering Prayer |

Wow.

We have today

Yet another interesting parable

– para bole’ – of Jesus.

This one is a bit more challenging.

My message for today will be

Two points, one short, one long, both of equal importance.

…

1. This is the second of three parables

That Jesus teaches to help describe the Kingdom of heaven.

Last week was about sowing,

Today, you could say the parable is about weeding.

The Gospel’s descriptive phrase,

Kingdom of heaven, as compared to Kingdom of God,

Is unique to the Gospel of Matthew.

What does this mean?

Matthew strings together multiple parables of Jesus

To describe to ever changing crowds and followers

What the Kingdom of heaven is like.

Consider the Kingdom of heaven being that

Which contrasts the differences between

The realm of God’s kingdom and

The kingdom of the Emperor.

The Emperor’s kingdom is time limited on earth,

While God reigns eternally, from above in heaven.

The act of Jesus being born …

… coming to earth …

Tears the fabric that separates the two kingdoms.

Jesus steps through the membrane

Representing the breakthrough of God’s kingdom on the earth.

This makes the Gospel political.

This makes Jesus political.

Through Jesus,

God opposes all politics and parties of this world

That do not square

With Christian living and values.

I’m registered independent.

I value honesty, integrity, humility, and service.

I believe,

When asked about my politics,

The best response is

“The Gospel is my politic.”

I’d encourage you to consider the same.

The risk, of course, is conviction by the same Gospel we so dearly love.

So here, a dichotomy is created,

A true dipolar with mutually exclusive contrasting choices.

Parables about the Kingdom of heaven

Force the audience pick a side,

To take a calculated risk:

Which kingdom will prevail?

The Kingdom of Heaven, or,

A kingdom of the world?

Whose empire do you chose?

Choose your allegiance,

And choose carefully.

To God

Or to the Emperor?

This is a potent, often times biting reality

For the modern-day Christian living in America.

Many feel the push-pull of competing voices

Between faith and country.

Yes, patriotism runs deep.

Yes, we love our history, traditions, and institutions.

Yes, we love our culture, country, constitution, and rule of law.

I love this country, this land, our people, our freedom and liberty

As much as any other law-abiding citizen.

At the same time,

I recognize

Love is not exclusive,

But allegiance is.

Neither politicians nor policies can save us.

Neither democracy nor dictators can save us.

Neither the state nor its military can save us.

Salvation comes exclusively at the hand of the Lord,

Through His Son, Jesus Christ.

“The kingdom of heaven is like …” Jesus begins.

Choose your allegiance,

And chose carefully.

…

2. Also unique to Matthew

Is the impossible-to-evade theme of judgment.

We’re talking here

End-time judgment,

Final harvest,

Four horsemen of the apocalypse kind of judgment.

Truth be told?

All cards on the table?

I’m not one of those pastors or preachers

That likes to focus on judgment,

Hell-fire and brimstone, a

Gozer and Ghostbusters final smackdown.

What makes me uncomfortable

Is the long history of the Church using

The threat of judgment

To abuse power,

To exercise power and authority.

Judgment is a better anvil than hammer;

A better backstop than a no-hitter;

A better perry than a thrust.

I don’t interpret the Bible to be lopsided

Or weighted in favor of law and punishment,

To the exclusion of, or

At the expense of,

The grace and redeeming love of a merciful God and heavenly Father.

God’s grace is balanced,

Tempered, and

True;

The finest characteristic of United Methodism.

At the end of the day,

Even the penalties of the highest court in the land

Are limited by the defendant’s mortal lifespan.

Brick and mortal cells,

Bars and locks of iron,

Have a limited time and season.

Rust. Erosion. Closure.

Death.

All limit the capacity and span of human judgment.

God’s judgment is eternal.

Therefore, it is wise to treat God’s judgment with the respect it deserves.

Matthew hits on judgment

time and again,

Sunday after Sunday

this Summer and Fall,

Making it necessary to address God’s judgment,

Without predigest or apology.

Come around the first of every month,

The rent must be paid.

Are you a law-and-order kind of person?

You want judgment?

Well, Matthew’s got judgment,

And this first Gospel serves it up in spades.

Like a compliant child or a dutiful tenant,

I’ll line up and take my Castor Oil.

I will pay the rent.

Boldly, I will address the issue of judgment

As uniquely discussed in Matthew.

It doesn’t mean I have to like it.

After a multiple preliminary reads of Matthew 13 this past week,

It didn’t take much time

To return to our opening Skit on a Stick,

Our Call to Worship,

Psalm 86,

To find shelter from the promised judgment.

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you. (86:5)

I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul (86:12-13)

The reality that judgment is coming

Is like being on the receiving end of an artillery barrage.

The crack of the gun

Is followed by the whoosh of Armageddon.

The faithful better be hugging the bottom of the foxhole,

And, I’d suggest,

clutching a copy of Psalm 86 in hand.

Take comfort.

The Psalmist reminds all of us who

Fear judgment and are filled with anxiety.

Take comfort the Psalmist sings,

“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,

Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

– Psalm 86:15

When it comes to the Kingdom of heaven,

If judgment is involved,

I don’t know about you, but,

I’m looking forward to standing before

A merciful and gracious appellate judge;

One who is slow to anger,

Who is abiding in steadfast love,

And who is faithful to their promise.

Even yet, Jesus concludes this parable with

“I will tell the reapers,

Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned,

But gather the wheat into my barn.”

– Matthew 13:30b

As if this isn’t sufficient,

Early church editors emphasize Jesus’ interpretation:

“The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

– Matthew 13:41-42

Weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Good luck to any this morning who

Attempt to sugar-coat this Gospel passage.

What then are we to say?

What is to be learned about judgment,

And how can our insight be used to make

A thoughtful, faithful mid-course correction

On our journey of faith?

Unlike the previously mentioned issue of allegiance,

Which is an all-or-nothing proposition,

I’d suggest the faithful,

True blue disciples of Jesus,

Are a both/and concoction

Of both sinners and saints.

Our hypocrisy is hanging out there for everyone to see,

Both from within and from the outside:

“People that go to church,

Who call themselves Christians,

are some of the biggest sinners on the planet.

What a bunch of hypocrites.”

You’ve heard it.

I’ve heard it.

Guilty as charged.

I deserve nothing less than being first in line

To be thrown into the unquenchable fire,

To be consumed by

The gnashing of teeth

Of unmentionable beasts.

My guess is that I’ll be in good company.

If the point of judgment is punishment

Then every thoughtful disciple of Jesus Christ must ask,

“Then why has God given us Jesus?”

Christ died to take away our sin.

The fancy word for this is “redemption”.

We’ve been redeemed, forgiven, and cleansed by the crucifixion of Jesus.

Christ rose from the dead to save us into the eternal kingdom of God.

The eloquent term is “salvation”.

God sent Jesus to redeem and save the world,

To transform every sinner into a saint,

Using the lifespan to mold and shape each person

Exactly as God intends.

QED, people of faith who are disciples of Jesus.

Quod Erat Demonstrandum.

Thus, it is demonstrated:

We are sinners,

Imperfect, flawed, and fractured.

At the same time,

We are redeemed and saved …

Living saints,

Identified and called by God,

Making progress towards perfection,

Eternal life.

Christ has made it so.

When the time of judgment comes,

And, yes, every seed will see a time of harvest,

“The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

– Matthew 13:41-42

Angels, or agents of Jesus Christ,

Will harvest and collect out …

Pay attention to the wording here …

“all causes of sin and evildoers”.

What falls into that category of “all causes of sin”?

Every cause of sin

Can be traced back to the presence and behavior

Of the Devil in the creation story …

… the slithering, fast-talking snake.

Adam and Eve are tempted to take a stand as an equal with

God, their creator.

This, of course, is absurd, from our hindsight perspective,

The fact is: they took the bait.

They opened the door for every cause of sin

To enter into Paradise

To the smug satisfaction of the Devil himself.

Every cause of sin

will be collected out and thrown into the furnace of fire.

Every temptation,

Every desire to equal or best ourselves with our creator,

Every thought of another god or competing idol,

Including power, wealth, violence, domination …

All of it …

Will be collected out by the Son of Man and His angels, and

Will be burned with fire.

In the kingdom of heaven

There is no cause of sin.

The kingdom of heaven will be as pure as the driven snow.

What falls into the category of “evildoers”?

Who … are to be judged and punished?

Matthew and his editors report Jesus saying the following:

“the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil.”

– Matthew 13:38b-39a

Children of the Devil are the evil subjects of this parable.

Be warned.

They live amongst us, though they avoid us.

They do their work in the dark,

practicing their behavior in secret.

In the kingdom of heaven

There are no evildoers,

Nor will there ever be.

As both sinner and saint,

I’d suggest that

When I take the bait of temptation

And engage in behavior I’d rather kept in secret,

Then I’m doing the work of the Devil.

Secrecy is a sign! A red flag warning!

Danger, Will Robinson!

Avoiding the work of the saints

Is the same as doing the work of the Devil.

Avoidance of what is good and right is a tell-tell sign!

Listen to the voice of experience:

Don’t submit to temptation and engage in the work of the Devil!

Run away!

Run from temptation!

I’ve touched the hot stove

And it grievously burns.

It burns badly.

If necessary, run away and get help.

Speak with the pastor, a counselor, a peer.

Support is found in the community of fellow disciples,

Those people, I’d suggest,

Are angels

Who God sends our way.

“The wages of sin is death,”

The Apostle Paul correctly proclaims in his letter to the church in Rome.

“But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

– Romans 6:23

The judgment of sin is being thrown into the furnace of fire.

The free gift of God,

Which is the definition of “Grace”

Is eternal life in Christ,

Or, as Matthew concludes,

“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”

– Matthew 13:43

Those who the angels of the Son of Man separates out from the weeds,

Will shine like the sun,

Will be eternal stars,

In the Father’s kingdom.

…

Dearly beloved,

Jesus gives his disciples guidance

Through this, his parable of the weeds.

Are you interested in taking his advice?

If so,

Chose God, and God’s kingdom.

Make your allegiance with God,

not with the Emperors or kingdoms of this world.

Fear not impending judgment.

Our God’s purpose isn’t to punish.

God intends to cleanse the world of sin and to lead everyone,

By the hand of Jesus,

Back through the divide

Into God’s Heavenly kingdom.

Run from temptation.

Live in the light.

And together,

Let us shine like the sun.

Amen.

July 16, 2023

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Matthew 13:1-23 (NRSV)

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.

 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” 

Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 

He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 

The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: 

‘You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn— and I would heal them.’ 

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. 

“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

| Centering Prayer |

In recent days

Jesus has been traveling around the countryside,

stopping at many different cities,

always being followed by his disciples and the crowds.

The Pharisees had started to plot against Jesus,

planning how to destroy him.

He healed a man’s withered hand

and allowed his disciples to pluck and eat grain,

both events took place on the Sabbath.

This apparent violation of the Law raised their ire.

This morning we find Jesus by the Sea of Galilee,

perhaps in Capernaum,

where he taught as a child in the synagogue

and healed Peter’s mother-in-law.

Because so many followers crowded around him,

he got into a boat and slipped just offshore,

creating for himself the perfect, natural amphitheater

– Jesus on center stage –

with his audience rising up on the nearby shore.

It was a natural built,

Minor league coliseum;

The perfect setting for the Master to

Take center stage

To teach thousands of followers.

Jesus took advantage of the setting

by teaching his followers and the crowd in parables

– short stories whose purpose

is to make a point by analogy, comparison, or illustration.

Many have speculated

why Jesus spoke and taught so frequently in parables.

Why would his message be transparent to some

But intentionally opaque to others?

It is important to remember

The dangerous environment in which Jesus was immersed.

When surrounded by threats,

it was safest to speak in generalities,

with vagueness,

less one be arrested, tortured, and killed.

The less specific, the better.

Yet, Jesus’s parables were specific enough

so that, while some were left wondering what he was talking about,

his followers knew exactly what he was saying.

This, of course, makes all of us nervous

when we don’t immediately grasp the meaning of a parable!

Have no fear.

While some may believe

that Jesus is teaching in some kind of secret, cryptic code,

it only makes sense that he was

just being wisely cautious.

So this morning,

place in your mind’s eye

the image of Jesus in a boat,

floating just offshore.

He could have been at Durand Eastman beach, Casowasco, or Chautauqua.

Around him would have been a crowd of hundreds

– perhaps thousands –

standing and sitting at the water’s edge,

straining to hear his every word.

I highly recommend the book “Simple Church”

by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger.

In this short book the authors describe two kinds of churches;

A simple church and a complex church.

The complex church is

One that deploys a smorgasbord of programs, events, and opportunities.

Generally, the larger the church,

the more resources it has to offer to members and friends.

Many have come to associate

activity with vibrancy,

especially those in the hierarchy.

While this complexity of programs may have curb appeal,

Especially to the occasional church shopper,

The author’s research has shown that complex churches

Foster stagnation, status quo, even decline.

The alternative is the simple church;

One that intentionally nurtures movement through the spiritual journey,

starting with the new Christian,

engaging people with vibrant worship,

leading each to deepen their faith

while reaching out to neighbors.

Love God,

Grow deep,

Reach out

To put it simply.

This simplicity is patterned after the first century description of church

In the Acts of the Apostles.

Programs that don’t reach up,

Grow people deep,

Or reach out

Are slowly, but intentionally eliminated.

New seeds are sown

To bring laser focus on leading people,

Moving and growing with people

In faith development

That leads to outreach and missions.

Simple churches, the authors cite in their research

Are becoming examples of new life,

Fertile growth,

And vibrant communities of faith,

Just as they once did two thousand years ago.

The key to transformational change

Is keeping it simple,

Seeking fertile soil,

Faithfully sowing seeds,

Nurturing the growth that God is providing.

…

In today’s parable

Three quarters of the seeds sown are complete and abject failures.

Henry Ford once said,

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again,

This time more intelligently.”

Keep sowing seeds.

It is, indeed, exceptionally easy for us

to dwell upon all of our efforts which have failed

– those ideas which have fallen upon the path

while others have come along and snatched them away,

or plans which have fallen upon rocky ground

and have quickly grown up but have just as quickly died away,

or hopes and dreams which have fallen in the midst of thorns

and others have quickly choked them off

before they could even begin to grow.

Yet, Jesus promises us that

“other seeds

fell on good soil and brought forth grain,

some a hundredfold, some sixty and some thirty.”

At the time of Jesus,

the finest harvest might bring in tenfold

– or ten times the amount of grain planted.

Farmers in the crowd listening to Jesus would have had a good chuckle.

Even with modern technology,

a good crop might bring in forty-fold.

Jesus wasn’t naive.

He was making a statement:

some of our efforts will succeed beyond our wildest dreams.

Some of the efforts and energies that we put in working for the Lord,

will bloom and grow far beyond the sum of everything we put into it.

Those ministries which take off,

do so not because of what we do,

but because of what God does

in and through us.

It is God who provides for the fertile soil.

It is God who provides for the necessary rain and sunshine.

We are simply required to sow seeds

and to nurture that which grows.

Successful kingdom building,

doing the Lord’s work,

requires a partnership with God and ourselves.

…

A few observations.

1. First, a seed is a seed is a seed.

That is, every seed is the same as every other seed,

worthy of the same consideration by the sower.

The only difference in the final outcome

depends upon where it is sown.

Seeds,

our visions, ideas, and plans for ministry

Come to us from God

Our Divine Creator.

Every seed is created with the same potential;

worthy of our efforts to sow.

If Jesus is telling us that only one in four

Stand a chance of taking root and prospering

We can’t risk losing any seeds.

It is wonderful to dream.

The more dreaming the better.

That is why we must be bold in our approach to mission and ministry;

Sowing every seed God gives us.

The more seeds that are sown,

the more opportunity for some seeds to grow

and grow abundantly.

2. Secondly, wise sowers will seek out the best soil.

Soil isn’t going to change its nature for our sake.

This is what it means for us today:

Avoid mission creep.

Avoid efforts that steal away the focus.

As my mother would say,

“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”

Be smart in sowing.

Seek out fertile soil.

Search and find where the need is greatest;

Where the longing of the heart

and people’s deepest concerns can best be fed.

Jesus zeroed in on the deepest needs in his life and ministry.

He sowed seeds with the poor, the marginalized, with women, and children.

Jesus sowed seeds with those who were suffering illness, disease, and grief.

Jesus sowed seeds with a tax collector who was seeking a new heart

And with a paralyzed man lowered through a hole in the roof.

Let us boldly ask ourselves,

Where is the fertile soil today?

Where are we being led to sow God’s seeds?

3. Third,

from Jesus’s parable of the sower,

Jesus is preparing us to expect failure.

Despite our best efforts

Only twenty-five percent of the seeds fall upon fertile ground.

Keep sowing seeds!

I’ve learned with age and experience

That even failed efforts to grow God’s kingdom have merit.

Seeds that were sown twenty years ago,

Kindness that was extended,

Love that enabled you to go the second mile,

Grace that flowed through you and touched another,

May eventually take root.

Timing is everything.

Even worn paths

change and grow over with time.

Choking weeds eventually give way to trees and streams.

Rocky ground might slowly give way to rich topsoil.

Timing may be the key,

So, cultivate a culture of sowing.

Keep sowing,

Especially in the face of apparent failure,

If for no other reason

Then to maintain the discipline of sowing.

Jesus sowed throughout his ministry.

He only ended up with a handful of disciples in the end.

He had to repeat his message

of suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension

… multiple times …

Because those seeds didn’t take root

Until his disciples were changed by their experience and

They could find clarity with hindsight.

Yet, Jesus continued to sow

In his resurrection and

through his Holy Spirit.

Christ continues to sow seeds today

In and through our thoughts, words, and prayers.

His Spirit hasn’t stopped sowing

And neither should we.

Keep sowing.

4. Fourthly,

It is very clear that Jesus promises us that

even one small seed,

one idea,

one goal;

planted in fertile soil,

nurtured, cared for, and supported by God and the community,

can lead to a harvest abundant,

a harvest beyond our wildest dreams,

a vibrant ministry of our church of unmeasurable success.

One.

Seed.

Indeed, that one successful seed

Will more than make up for the other three that failed.

If one seed has the potential of a hundred-fold,

imagine what ten good seeds can do

– or a hundred!

Indeed, we are only limited by our ability to dream

and our capacity for faithfulness.

We are only limited by our ability to dream

and our capacity for faithfulness.

The goal of our Lord

for us, as individuals,

and for us, as His Church,

is the establishment

and fulfillment

of the kingdom of God,

bringing people to Jesus Christ,

nurturing each in our lifelong journey of faith.

God has called us to be faithful sowers,

people who are willing to work without ceasing,

committed to bringing about a successful harvest.

God supplies the seeds,

We simply sow as best we can.

God provides the soil, rain, and sunshine;

the growth and fulfillment of that kingdom.

Expect disappointments and failures.

Lots of them.

If you are not failing,

You’re not trying.

However, it is very clear that,

for those seeds landing upon fertile ground

which we tend, care, and nurture,

the harvest will be abundant beyond belief.

This foreknowledge easily makes up for lost seeds and efforts.

Can we dream?

Are we faithful?

If we can and

if we are,

let us sow.

Those who have ears to hear, let you hear.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

July 9, 2023

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

| Centering Prayer |

This, then, is the preacher’s dilemma:

For the past few Sundays the Gospel has reported that

Jesus is preparing his disciples for his imminent absence.

Directly, and indirectly, Jesus has promised persecution to those who take up their own cross and follow him.

Taking up your own cross means you are willing to be crucified next to Jesus.

Crucified.

The misery begins much earlier:

Families will be set against families.

Some families will even try to throw you off a cliff.

Towns that don’t kill you; many will turn you away.

Trials, persecution, and death await those who follows Jesus.

Just last Sunday it was observed, discipleship is dirty work.

And here today, Jesus tells us:

“My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

OK Jesus, you’ve got our attention.

What gives?

On the surface,

Jesus intended

Our Gospel lesson for this morning for the have not’s of the world.

In the time of Jesus, only a select few controlled wealth, wielded power, and exercised authority.

The majority of people earned the wealth for the elite.

Wealth was generated by the poor,

Income paid in taxes to the government and tithes to the Temple.

Exorbitant tithes and taxes landed in the hands of Rome and the Temple priests and authorities.

People suffered in slavery, or virtual slavery,

With tax rates and Temple tithes so unreasonable most lived in squalor.

People suffered with

Outrageously high infant mortality rates,

Malnutrition and starvation,

back breaking work from sun up to sun down every day,

contagious, infectious disease and disability.

Of those who made it to adulthood,

most never made it to their thirties or forties.

When Jesus earlier said, “Blessed are the poor” and

“Blessed are the persecuted”

These are the people he was talking about.

When Jesus says today, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light,”

He is speaking to the majority of serfs and slaves

Who have never heard of a God,

Let alone a God who loves them,

Who redeems them,

Who saves them.

Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of wealth

With this back-hand chastisement of the powerful, Priest, scribes, and Pharisees.

“They tie up heavy burdens (fortion), hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others;

but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them” (23:4).

The focus of those with power

Is to remain in power;

To pass more laws,

More restrictions,

To tie people up with suffocating, burdensome, outrageous, intolerable policies and procedures, statutes, ordinances, and codes.

The goal of the powerful

Is to divert attention away from anything that may threaten the status quo

And lead people to believe distractions are important.

This is true in government.

This is true in organized religion.

This was true then.

This is true today.

“My yoke is easy and my burden is light,” Jesus proclaims.

In a life connected with Jesus,

Grace trumps Law ten out of ten times.

Love becomes the goal of righteousness.

And resurrection defeats death.

On another level, Jesus’ use of yoke

Causes one to think of what an ox would wear

In order to get work done.

The metaphor works because

Nearly everyone in Jesus’ audience would have known about oxen, yokes, and agricultural life.

Some yokes worked better than others.

Some were cushioned, while others bit into the flesh.

Pulling with the same force would have been easier with some yokes than for others.

Pulling for Rome would have been painful;

The tax collector would be labeled as a traitor, a collaborator, or the enemy.

It’s hard work to pull the yoke of Rome.

Pulling for Judaism would have been a lifestyle of laws about which  perfected righteousness is nearly impossible:

Diet,

Cleanliness,

Morality.

The yoke of the Temple was

Obligation,

Separation,

Judgment,

Damnation.

It’s hard work to pull the yoke of ancient, conservative Judaism.

With Jesus, work still needs to be done,

Let there be no misunderstanding;

But the work of witness, love, forgiveness, and salvation

Is far easier than pulling for the other competing principalities of this world.

The same is true today.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest. 

My yoke is easy and my burden is light,” Jesus proclaims.

At the core, a yoke is what binds each of us together

– new Christian, maturing Christian, old Christian alike.

It is what binds us

To one another, to Christ, and to the Father.

This is where rest is found.

There is no Body of Christ in isolation.

Personal Christianity is an oxymoron.

The notion that I can believe in God on my own

Is Pantheism.

It isn’t Christian discipleship.

To be the Body of Christ,

We must join together.

We must pull together.

We must be unified as one.

The yoke of Christ is what makes it so.

In that oneness

is where rest is found.

When we are connected to one another and bound to Christ

We are ultimately bound to the Father.

Let not this homily descend into dogma or Trinitarian theology.

That being said,

Being bound to the Father,

The Creator of all there was, all there is, all there ever will be,

Is the perfection that John Wesley spoke about.

It is the pinnacle, the goal, of the Christian life.

Our heavenly Father

Is the Covenant maker:

“I will be your God; you will be my people.”

The Father chose us,

And when we choose to bind ourselves to the Father,

True rest can be found.

Our heavenly Father

Is the Law maker.

When we live according to the Law,

Not by obligation, but because of our choice, our faith,

True righteousness can be found,

And that is the place of rest.

Our heavenly Father

Is the loving father of Jesus;

Who loves the world so much

He gave us Jesus;

A love so profound

He allowed his son to die

To take away our sins.

The Father’s love is so eternal

Love rose Jesus from the grave,

And, so too, wins us victory over our grave

Granting us eternal life.

In our Father’s love

Is our place of rest.

Dearly beloved,

I invite you this this table

To taste and see the love that comes from the Father,

The love that is the Son,

The love that will never let you go.

Come to the table

And find your rest.

Amen.