Blog – Page 87

Brave Seeds to Sow

July 16, 2023 By Vicar at Mount Olive

God does not determine worth by the amount of seeds we sow successfully–God already holds us knowing we have unimaginable worth and hopes that we will be brave to sow seeds to bring God’s reign.

Vicar Mollie Hamre
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
Texts: Isaiah 55:10-13, Psalm 65:1,8-13, Romans 8:1-11, Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Beloved in Christ, grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“A sower went out to sow.”

As Jesus often does in parables, he does not give much context, motivations of the character or even who this person is. Instead, he tells a story that sounds simple, but is also a lot to digest. Parables ask that we learn from each other and listen to the different ways that a story can be heard. In recognizing that Jesus does give an explanation today, that does not mean it is the only thing we learn from this parable.

The story starts with an individual going out to sow seeds–to plant what might be grain in the future. For those that have planted, there are two parts to caring for seeds. There is the experience side that tells us temperature, kinds of soil, water, drainage, among many other things, all play a factor in having a successful harvest. The other part is the hope and bravery that comes with planting. At some point, how the seeds grow is out of your control. As much as you can plan and prepare, there is a chance that nothing might grow which is a risk you take.

Sowing seeds is not for the faint of heart.

It takes patience, time, and commitment. Learning with one another, asking questions, trial and error. And eventually, we hope that we learn from experiences and grow from them.

Planting anything is quite literally an act of trust because we place hope into the Earth’s soil that it might flourish and grow. That in itself takes bravery. But what comes of those seeds? The ones that hold hopes and failures? What if we plant in the wrong places? What if, even with experience, we find failure?

A simple story about planting seeds, quickly becomes much more.

We are talking about the ways we live and plant all over in our lives. The ways that we treat one another, invest in each other, show compassion, even to ourselves. The seeds that you sow when you stand up against racism. Stand up against aggression towards our trans siblings. And call for peace and justice in our world.

The seeds you sow when you call to check in on a friend or remind those around you that they are loved. When you have difficult conversations about caring for your neighbors with a family member and it feels like rocky ground. Those are brave seeds to plant. The ones that we are not sure what kind of soil we are encountering, but have hope and trust that God brings growth and the Spirit’s presence amidst it. The times that we put our hearts out there, on the line, with hope that change will happen. And even have to ask: about the times we do not feel successful?

Looking back to the parable, the sower is all across the board for results.

God is not looking for perfection. God is not a stranger to failure or working within imperfect people. So much focus can go to the seeds that land on good soil and bring forth grain, but the output is not the focus and results have never been a part of this for God.

The grain that does grow is enough to fill a whole community. For the hearers of the story thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold was a sign of abundance to be shared. But this grain would not be there if it was not for the time, patience, learning, and growth that is done together first. We are called to bring God’s reign to our world, that means reaching out to one another with grace to learn, grow and share together. This kind of abundance takes community effort, not the perfection of one person

All the seeds in your life will not be planted in perfect soil. You will get confused and lost. You will have success and you will have failure. And as a community, we hope that when we fail, we hold each other up and grow together.

While we can plan and prepare, we also hold as followers of Jesus, God with us, that some things are simply out of our control. And God tells us that is okay. The Triune God does not determine worth by the number of seeds we sow successfully. God already holds us knowing we have unimaginable worth and hopes that we will be brave to sow seeds to bring God’s reign.

“Listen!” Jesus says “A sower went out to sow.”

One of the bravest things you can do. For our world that lays so much stress on success and accomplishment, the Triune God does not. A sower goes out into the world and decides to have hope that seeds might sprout into a harvest, some a hundredfold. And sometimes those seeds do not.

Sometimes we fail and everything does not go according to plan, but that does not change the importance of the work you do. Because God continues to bring rain and snow and sunshine–all signs of God’s growing abundance and presence. These gifts that helps our community learn about soils, planting depth, watering and that is why we rejoice and embrace learning together. And when that seed brings forth grain, we rejoice too. Because in your own ways, just as all the seeds do, you each bring essential grain that feeds the community and gives it nourishment in order that we may hope together for God’s peace and justice in our future.

In the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Worship, July 16, 2023

July 13, 2023 By Pr. Joseph Crippen

The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Lect. 15 A

In our worship, God’s Word is planted in our hearts like a seed and, through the grace of the Spirit, we grow in faith and bear the fruit of God’s love in the world.

Download worship folder for Sunday, July 16, 2023.

Presiding: Pastor Joseph Crippen

Preaching: Vicar Mollie Hamre

Readings and prayers: Sherry Nelson, lector; Tricia Van Ee, assisting minister

Organist: Cantor David Cherwien

Download the readings for next Sunday for this Tuesday’s noon Bible study.

Click here for previous livestreamed liturgies from Mount Olive (archived on the Mount Olive YouTube channel.)

Eased Work

July 9, 2023 By Pr. Joseph Crippen

All we’ve heard this past month from Jesus through Matthew comes to fruition today in Jesus’ promise to give you all the strength and guidance you need to be faithful.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Lect. 14 A
Texts: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30; Romans 7:15-25a; Zechariah 9:9-12

Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

The Gospel readings this past month have led us on a strange journey.

You can’t accuse Jesus of a bait and switch, the way these weeks have gone walking through Matthew 9, 10, and now 11. It’s the opposite: we heard the hardest things first, and now are hearing of hope and relief. Jesus started with the call to go out and heal, bring life, drive out the demonic, proclaim the reign of God, massive, difficult jobs, followed by warnings of rejection, families splitting, and other difficulties when we do the work of Christ’s love. But then, last week Jesus simplified it all to doing kindness and empathy. And now today, it’s even more good news. Don’t worry about this work I need you for, Jesus says. I’m here to help you.

And our readings from Scripture today beautifully take us through the emotional journey we’ve just been on, so that by the time we get to the Gospel we’re ready for the relief and hope Jesus offers.

Zechariah speaks first today, of joy.

Zechariah says, “rejoice greatly” – God has come to you, will end war and suffering, bring peace, and will reign over all. You’ll be freed from what binds you, and restored to the fullness of your life.

And that’s why these women and men followed Jesus in the first place. Not because of what we’ve heard the past month, the sending. They followed because they saw in him the sign of God’s coming into the world, fulfilling not only Zechariah’s promise, but many others in Scripture. Their joy was full as they met Jesus, were blessed by him, followed him. Some, like Mary Magdalene, were healed of possession themselves. Some, like Matthew, who were treated as pariahs, were told they were worthy of God, too. All saw in Jesus God’s coming reign of peace justice and mercy and wholeness for all.

So, if you can remember why you ever loved Jesus, ever came here hoping to hear from him, if you remember why you trust that God in Christ loves you and all things and is promising to make this world new, even ending death’s power, you’ll recognize that joy.

It is from that joyful following that Jesus then sends people out to be Christ.

But no matter where the sending originates, it’s a hard path.

Jesus himself was overwhelmed by it, and needed fellow workers. All of the difficulties and risks Jesus talked about are real. And today the apostle Paul opens his heart and says, “it’s really hard for me, too.”

This section of his letter is so personal, but you can immediately recognize in yourself what Paul is saying. He wants to do the law of God, delights in it, wants to do good. He wants to live in the Spirit and be the Christ he’s called to be, the loving Christ he urges all his congregations to be.

But he struggles. The good he wants to do, he says, he doesn’t always do. The bad he wants to avoid, he ends up doing. He’s trapped in his old habits, patterns, ways, even when he desperately wants to live in new ways. When he tries to break free, he falls back.

There’s your gift: whatever anxiety you had over your inadequacy or possible failure when listening to Jesus’ call to you these past weeks, Paul says, “I know exactly what you’re going through.” You’re not alone in your fear of failure, in your frustration at your stuck-ness, in your confusion about why it’s so hard to walk a new way, even if it’s a way of love and mercy. Thank God Paul says, “me, too.”

And yet, Paul’s real gift is at the end of this section. “Who will rescue me?” he cries. “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord,” he answers. So Paul takes you by the hand and leads you to today’s Gospel, to Jesus.

And Jesus gives you the best news of all: I’m here to help you.

After filling you with hope that in Christ God will heal all things, and calling you to follow with your life and love; after sending you anointed as Christ to be God’s love in the world, and telling you it’s going to be hard and risky; after asking you to be Christ’s compassion, kindness, and empathy, now Jesus says this: Just come to me if you’re burdened with all this, and I’ll help you.

I’ll do all this work with you, yoked at your side. I’ll pull along with you, guide you, support you. Even give you rest. I’ll make the work almost feel easy.

When you’re exhausted at your struggles with your old ways and habits, frustrated that you forgot yet again, or failed in your love, or missed a chance to make a difference, whenever you feel like Paul feels, remember: you’re not pulling the weight alone. Christ bears that weight with and for you. You have all you need right at your side, if you look for Christ and listen for the Spirit’s voice. You’ll find that strength, that partner, that work-sharer.

But there is one important warning.

None of this matters if you don’t want to follow, if you refuse to be sent. There is no joy Zechariah can give you in God’s coming, no relief and hope Paul can give you in your struggles, no shared strength Christ can give you in your work, if you don’t want God to come, don’t want to struggle to be Christ, don’t want to work in God’s reign.

If you want to live your life as you choose, on your terms, doing things your way, God will let you. If you don’t want to be changed, don’t want to learn compassion and kindness and empathy, don’t want to love enemies or pray for people you don’t like, don’t want to risk loving your neighbor, don’t want to work to change the world, God won’t force you.

Lots of people come to crossroads in life and know the right way to turn, the way of life and good, and don’t choose that way, because it’s too hard. That’s your choice. Just remember you can’t take two different paths at the same time. It’s not possible.

But if you want what God is doing, it is yours.

If you want to take the right turn, if you want what God is offering in Christ, all these gifts are yours. You’ll find Zechariah’s joy, Paul’s commiseration, Jesus’ relief.

So come to Christ with all your burdens about how you are living as Christ, all your anxieties about not being good enough or faithful enough. All of us carry the same burdens, even Paul himself.

And all of us are here to remember we are yoked with Christ in this life, in this ministry, and with that guidance and strength, anything is possible. Even you becoming someone who changes the world, if only your little part of it, with God’s love and mercy.

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen