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Pastor Eric Fjeldal's July 2011 Sunday Sermons
Pastor Eric's sermons are presented here in reverse chronological order...in other words, the most recent sermons are at the top of the list, working backwards through time.
July 31. "No, You Feed Them."
Matthew 14: 13-21
You can picture the scene. Five thousand people in a field, it is getting dark, the disciples are anxious and they turn to Jesus and say, “Send the people away. Tell them to go so they can find something to eat.” Jesus responds, “No, you feed them. You give them something to eat.”
Although Jesus has recently been rejected by the hometown folk and has just learned of the beheading of John the Baptist, his response to the crowd is one of compassion. Jesus actions flow out of his compassion, which is a recurring theme in Matthew’s gospel. As Clifton Kirkpatrick has written:
First and foremost, this story teaches us that God is love. The key reality is that Jesus
has compassion. In spite of incredible pressures to the contrary, compassion for people
is his primary motivation. It is not compassion in the abstract. It is a compassion that
cares deeply about the most basic needs of all of us. In this event, it was concern that
there be food for the hungry.
(Clifton Kirkpatrick, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 3 pg. 310)
This story, which is often referred to as Jesus feeding of the 5,000, is the only miracle story found in all four gospels which tells us it was of great importance to the early church. Its message of compassion is one reason, but there are others. One of them is this interesting and often overlooked twist; it is not Jesus who feeds the 5,000, the disciples do the feeding. The disciples bring the 5 loaves and 2 fish to Jesus, but they are the ones who distribute the food.
Upon receiving the loaves and fish Jesus does two things that can teach us a great deal about faithfulness and discipleship.
Jesus looks up to heaven. This is a physical statement of faith and humility. Heaven is
the dwelling place of God. In looking up to heaven, Jesus is hallowing God’s name –
honoring it, giving it first place – just as he taught his disciples to do. (Matthew 6:9)
Jesus blesses the loaves. This is not some kind of magic ritual in which Jesus imparts
to the bread a quality it did not previously have. The blessing of the loaves is an expression
of praise and thanksgiving to God, the ruler of the universe, who bring(s) forth food from
the earth. (Psalm 104:14). It is not so much the bread that is being blessed here, as God,
the giver of bread. Jesus is acknowledging that God is the one who provides all that is
necessary for human life. His blessing is an expression of trust in God. He, (Jesus) has
already taught his disciple to pray, ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ (Matt 6:11), and
now he is offering that prayer on behalf of five thousand hungry people.
(Iwan Russell-Jones, Feasting, pg. 310,312)
In response to this story, often as a way of refuting it, I have heard people ask, “If Jesus fed the 5,000 then, why are people hungry and dying of starvation today?” The answer is found in remembering who did the feeding; the disciples. There is hunger today because people, including us, do not really trust in God. Instead we live with a scarcity mentality, which leads to our hoarding more than we need. We also are heavily influenced by a culture which believes that what we have defines our value and worth, which leads to our believing that “my having mine” is all that matters.
After modeling for the disciples that we do not do it on our own, but rather with God by looking to heaven and blessing the loaves, Jesus turns it back over to the disciples. In so doing he is teaching what being a disciple involves.
(We learn) about the awesome responsibility that God has entrusted to us. God has
entrusted us to be the body of Christ – the hands and feet through which God’s work is
done in the world. God does not work alone, but through people, you and me. To follow
Jesus is to express our faith in concrete acts of love, justice, and compassion toward others.
It is no accident that Matthew tells us that we will meet Jesus in reaching out to the “least”
of our brothers and sisters – the hungry, the thirsty, the imprisoned.
(Kirkpatrick, Feasting, pg. 310)
The problem is too few in our world today take this responsibility seriously. I know I don’t as often as I ought. How about you?
In some ways this story is a parable about life and faithfulness. The problem is obvious, people are in need. They hunger for so much, food, healing, connection, hope. From the disciples perspective the people’s needs were overwhelming. We have all been there, an illness, a family crisis, someone gets in trouble. A friend calls looking for help, assistance or support, another special financial appeal or request is made. In response, we lament, “I have problems too. I hurt too. I don’t have it in me this time. God send them away.” God’s response to us, “Be compassionate as I am compassionate. Deal with the problem, the crisis, the need. The task may be great, but as for your resources you have barely scratched the surface. Trust in me and I will empower you and show you the way.”
Jesus modeled this when he told the disciples to bring what they had. They brought what they believed to be limited resources which Jesus then offered to God asking God to bless them. Too often our problem is we forget to invite God in to the process. Instead we think we must do it on our own or just with each other. If you don’t think that this is what we do, answer this for me.
When confronted with something how often do you stop and pray about it?
I don’t mean asking for it to be removed, or whining about it. I mean inviting God
into the process; asking for wisdom, strength, insight, courage, patience?
Asking for God to bless your efforts in a way that allows you to see that responding
the same old way that is relying on our abilities, is not the solution?
How often do you pray about things; all the time, some of the time, not very often?
Our answer to these questions matters because God does not save us from the struggles and pain of life; nor does God absolve us from the responsibility of finding a compassionate response to the world’s suffering. What God does do is offer us this promise; when we need it most, God will give us the power to work for good in the world. (Kirkpatrick, pg. 310) Our challenge is to trust in this promise, recognize our need for it and ask. For in asking we discover it is not about whether or not we have enough resources. It is about discovering how God will bless those resources when we choose to respond compassionately and faithfully. This is why, like it or not, Jesus is still saying to today’s disciples the same thing he said to those first disciples, “No, you feed them.” Amen.
July 17. "Growing Despite the Weeds."
Matthew 13: 24-30
Most people would agree that life would be easier if everything was either “this or that.” I don’t think life would be better, just easier, and simpler without the grey. There would be no uncertainty, no confusion, no doubt. This is why we can relate to the workers in today’s story who say, “let us pull out the weeds.”
Let us decide right now who is good or bad, right or wrong. But the owner in this morning’s story is too wise for that. He responds, “let us wait for the harvest”; for he knows the value of ambiguity and he is willing to live within that ambiguity.
Make no mistake this ambiguity is not passive nor is it a form of avoidance. The waiting is intentional. It comes out of an understanding that we and life are a mixed bag. We are all unfinished products who still have more growing to do. Not allowing or honoring this growth would be counterproductive. This is why rushing to judgment would mean making a mistake.
This is a valuable lesson for us as individuals and as a faith community. As Theodore Wardlaw writes:
There is a strategy in these words of restraint that pushes away from premature clarity
regarding such matters of discernment and makes room instead for a holy and purposeful ambiguity. This is not a vague and underground ‘whatever’ kind of ambiguity, but an
ambiguity that is both wise and intentional. In our impatience with others, we often want
to bring matters to a head and so determine whether others are in or out; but the God who
is glimpsed in this parable models for us an infinite patience that frees us to get on with the crucial business of loving, or at least living with, each other. Often in the space created by
such patience, it is not just others, but we ourselves, who are welcomed into a larger reality.
This is the sense in which we are “reborn” not just once, but over and over and over again.
(Theodore Wardlaw, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 3, pg. 263)
This passage also brings to mind these words of Reinhold Niebuhr.
Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate
context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith.
No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is
from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which
is forgiveness. (The Irony of American History, Scribners, pg.63)
I am not suggesting that we are to be silent when it comes to oppression; nor am I suggesting we turn a blind eye to bad behavior. Rather what is being proclaimed is a call to not rush to judgment, but rather allowing things to unfold as they need to. It is also a reminder that situations are often more complex than they may appear at that moment; so there is wisdom in being pro-active instead of reactive.
This passage also helps us deal with an issue I raised a few weeks ago; learning to respect differing traditions and expressions of faith. Doing this moves us beyond tolerance or grudging allowance of others. This is important because as we all know intolerance and a lack of understanding leads to much of the conflict that exists between differing faith expressions.
On a personal level this passage challenges us to look at what is growing in our fields; to look at what motivates our actions, decisions and behaviors. Such reflection leads to our owning the truth that the fields which make up our lives contain both wheat and weeds. Margaret Guethner says it this way.
I find myself thinking quite a bit about the weeds and wondering whether they have anything
to do with me. In my honest moments, I fear that I am not pure wheat, but that I have some
qualities of weeds in me, qualities that I need to be free of before I can truly be fruitful.
Or maybe I fail to grow and thrive because – fine quality durum wheat that I am- I let myself
be chocked and thwarted by the weeds around me.
(Christian Century, July 20, 2008, pg. 20)
We also need to look at how our actions, decisions and behaviors influence others, for as Maya Angelou reminds us:
Each of us, famous or infamous, is a role model for somebody, and if we aren’t, we
should behave as though we are – cheerful, kind, loving, courteous. Because you
can be sure someone is watching and taking deliberate notes.
This reminds us that we help influence what is growing in other’s fields. Knowing this humbles me and I hope it humbles you. Why? Because humility is what we need if we ever hope to be truly present with and for others.
The presence of our weeds and God’s call to keep growing despite our weeds remind us that it is not about perfection, but striving to be faithful, believing…
it is better to love badly and faultily than not to try and love at all.
God does not have to have perfect instruments, and the Holy One can use our feeble
and faltering attempts at love and transform them. (Our) task is to keep on trying to
love, to be faithful in our continuing attempt, not necessarily be to be successful.
The quality of (our) love may well be the most important element of my spiritual guidance.
(Morton Kelsey, Companions on the Way)
As faithful people we have no choice but to hear the call to grow and trust in a God who is not passive or avoidant, but intentionally patient and wise, as we admit to and then act on the truth that while…
we ain’t what we want to be;
and we ain’t what we ought to be;
we ain’t what we are going to be;
by God’s grace we ain’t what we was.
(Source unknown)
If this is true for and about us, if by God’s grace we can grow and change, then who we are to decide that someone else can’t or won’t. Amen.
July 10, 2011. "Sow the Seeds."
Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23
“A sower went out to sow…” sounds simple enough. The problem is we make it more complicated. We do this because we hear this story and allow our interpretation of it to be influenced by what the world says instead of by what God says. I say this because at its core this parable is not about success, as the world defines it. While it is on some levels about faithfulness, it is more about understanding abundance, both in terms of having an abundant mentality and our being open to the abundant ways of God. As Talitha J. Arnold writes: Bushels of abundance are where this parable leads. (Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 3 pg. 236)
To understand this we need to put into historical context what Jesus is describing.
This passage is often called the parable of the Sower, sometimes the parable of the Soils.
Maybe it should be called the Hundredfold Harvest. Even if the harvest were only
thirtyfold, this story would end with a miracle. Sevenfold meant a good year for a farmer,
and tenfold meant true abundance. Thirtyfold would feed a village for a year and a
hundredfold would let the farmer retire to a villa by the Sea of Galilee.
(Talitha Arnold, Feasting, pg. 236)
Of course what Jesus is talking about is not farming but proclaiming God’s word, offering folks a glimpse of God’s kingdom. Doing this is always risky business, it even was for Jesus, because we are never sure of the result, never sure it will take. The reality of this is simply a fact of life. While we know this is true for us, we have all encountered those who didn’t want to hear it, or don’t take it seriously, it was also true for those for whom Matthew’s Gospel was written.
First century Palestine is a hard time and place to be a Christian. Due to both poverty
and persecution, massive numbers of people are migrating out of the region. Within the
church itself there are dissenters and false prophets. With this parable, Jesus reminds
his followers – and Matthew reminds his community – that rejection of Jesus’ message
does not mean the message is wrong or their efforts are folly. It is simply a fact of life…
(Arnold, Feasting, pg. 238)
Such awareness is crucial when it comes to being in ministry and mission. Yet even with this awareness we are not as faithful as we could be. We are so conditioned to think in terms of profit and loss, investment vs. return and success vs. failure we have trouble hearing the message. Our culture says throwing good seed on bad soil is wasteful, the equivalent of throwing good money after bad.
It is not just our culture which proclaims this message. The church does as well. Too often when we think about beginning ministries and mission we talk about cost effectiveness and good use of time and resources. We speak in terms of business models which lead to our thinking:
The logical place to sow seed, of course, is on good soil, and we readily take this
message to heart. If you ever set out to plant a new church, plant it in a carefully
scrutinized, sure to grow neighborhood. If you ever decide to develop a new missionary opportunity, choose one where the odds are good and the possibilities are promising.
If you ever decide to double your church’s membership, then craft your message for a
promising demographic and reach out to people who are motivated and purposeful
and driven enough to receive it and do something with it. Find the good soil and throw
seed on it! It’s just good business! (Theodore Wardlaw, Feasting, pg. 239-241).
The problem with this thinking is that Christianity is not a business. It is a calling to proclaim God’s word of healing, hope, love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and just in word and deed wherever it is needed. We are not called to focus on our results; we are called to be faithful despite the outcome. Although written with pastors in mind, the following truth applies to all who take our calling to serve God faithfully.
Like Jesus, preachers cast the gospel as broadly as the sower in the parable does,
with no guarantee where it will land. On Sunday mornings, we look out on congregations
of people who are here for all kinds of reasons. There is the newcomer who is “church shopping” or “trying out” Christianity. There is the person in crisis who will vanish when
things get better. There is the family who comes “for the kids” but quits once the kid’s
soccer season starts.
That is our job, our calling. To sow the seed and to bear the heartache when it falls on
rocky, arid, or weed-infested ground. In accepting that calling we stand in solidarity.
This parable reminds us we are not alone in such times, even as it reminded the first
crowd who heard it. ((Arnold, Feasting pg. 238)
Being human means acknowledging that sometimes solidarity is not enough. Sometimes the frustrations and disappointments get the best of us. We have all had moments when we thought, “Why bother? There are more gratifying ways to spend my time and energy.” At these moments it is helpful for us to hear the rest of the story; helpful to be reminded why the sower does not give up.
(T)his parable is not so much about good soil as it is about a good sower. This sower
is not so cautious and strategic as to throw the seed in those places where the chances
for growth are best. No, this sower is a high-risk sower, relentless in indiscriminately
throwing seed on all soil-as if all were potentially good soil.
(Wardlaw, pg. 241)
This is hard to do; sometimes it seems impossible. We all have moments when we are tempted to “write someone or some situation off” as hopeless, helpless, not worth it. At these moments we need to remember that this is not our role. Our role is to trust that God is working in the sowing. Our role is to offer a glimpse of the kingdom. It is not to predict the outcome, the result. For as Talitha Arnold reminds us:
The parable’s ending is its greatest challenge. Jesus goes beyond simply encouraging his listeners to ‘keep on keeping on’ in the face of rejection. Instead, his parable challenges
them and us to believe in God’s abundance. We are called to proclaim that promise, even
in the face of rejection and the reality of this world. (Arnold, pg. 240)
So go ahead and sow the seeds, my friends. Believe that there is no place or situation in which God’s seed cannot sprout and take root.
How do we do that? I have a suggestion. We could start by striving every day to:
Love Simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
And leave the rest to God.
July 3. "A Nation under God."
John 9: 1-41
Psalm 72
This weekend we celebrate our nation’s 235th birthday. Birthdays and holidays are certainly a time for celebration. They can also be a time for reflection; a time when we take stock and assess who we are, what we value, and how our actions and decisions reflect our values.
As people who take our faith seriously, and you would not be in church on the July 4th weekend if you did not take your faith seriously, we know what the Bible says regarding our responsibility to God and neighbor. We know the great commandment to love God with all of our heart, soul and mind and our neighbor as ourselves; which has its origins in Judaic teaching. Indeed this morning’s passage reflects this responsibility. Psalm 72 is a prayer that was used when celebrating a new king. The belief was that a good king would live in harmony with God, that is being mindful of God’s agenda, and as a result the people would know peace and prosperity. Psalm 72 states God’s agenda quite clearly; defend the cause of the poor, give deliverance to the needy, speak out against and work to stop oppression, and bring justice to the afflicted, an agenda that is continually affirmed throughout the Old and New Testaments.
Our nation’s pledge of allegiance contains the phrase “one nation under God.” We hear all the time concern about those who wish to remove the phrase from the pledge. This issue is a hot button issue for many. Recently NBC created quite a controversy when it aired a special piece on the US open in which the phrase “one nation under God” was unintentionally left out of the pledge. So great was the reaction that NBC needed to issue an apology. Some still do not believe it was an oversight as NBC explained but rather an intentional act.
Many people believe “one nation under God” implies special privileges or protection. They believe that God is on their side and not the other and that God will bless them instead of their enemies. They also believe that God will give them what they desire, which too often is their comfort and security at the expense of others. History is full of horrible examples which resulted when people acted out based on this belief and agenda. This is why we need to heed the words of Abraham Lincoln who said: “We need to worry less about whether or not God is on our side and more about whether or not we are on God’s side.”; and also the words of Margaret Gibb who said, We must move away from asking God to take care of the things that are breaking our hearts to praying about things that are breaking God’s heart. As today’s scripture reminds us God cares about the poor, the destitute, the forgotten, the marginalized and the oppressed; a care Jesus confirmed when he said, “when you do it unto the least of these my brothers and sisters you do it unto me.” (Matthew 25:46).
In this spirit, it is appropriate to ask:
o Is our understanding of justice and righteousness the same as God’s understanding?
o Are we as a nation living in harmony with God’s will?
o Are we as individuals doing what we can to assure that we as a nation are living in harmony with God’s will?
o What are we doing to defend the cause of the poor?
o What are we doing to give deliverance to the needy?
o Are we speaking out against and trying to stop oppression?
Politics aside, because for me it is first and foremost a theological question, not a political question, we all know we could be doing more. We cannot deny that we are missing the mark and need to do more. We live in a great land, the greatest land in the world, one that believes in justice, and if we are honest we know it could be more just. I believe saying “one nation under God” means we are called to wrestle with this issue, this reality, this struggle. I believe we are to hold ourselves and each other accountable because I believe “good patriots carry on a lover’s quarrel with their country, a reflection of God’s lover’s quarrel with all the world. (William Sloane Coffin, Credo, pg. 84)
Affirming “one nation under God” means acknowledging God’s presence and affirming that our belief in God shapes our decisions and actions as we acknowledge that we are all in this together. Striving to be faithful to God helps make us better citizens, even as we own the truth that while we are not always faithful, God is. God is faithful and just.
Psalm 72 reminds us what it means to be “a nation under God”, which is to be a people who seek not to blessed by God, but rather seek to be a blessing to others in the name of God. We are more likely to do this if we can remember these words from William Sloane Coffin.
Individuals and nations are at their worst when,
persuaded of their superior virtue,
they crusade against the voices of others.
They are at their best when they claim
their God-given kinship with humanity,
offering prayers of thanks that there is more mercy in God
than sin in us.
(William Sloane Coffin, Credo, pg. 85)
Happy Birthday, America. Amen
