Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23; Romans 8:1-11

“Rooted in The Spirit”

“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. 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!” (Matthew 13.1-9)

Jesus taught with Parables

Jesus taught with parables. The old definition that I always heard for what a parable is, was that it is “a earthly (or earthy) story with a heavenly (or Kingdom of God) meaning.” I suppose that's ok enough, but what does that mean? A parable is a type of a metaphor- and how metaphor works is that it substitutes one idea for another; it takes one idea or object and substitutes it for another idea or object, thereby amplifying and clarifying a greater and deeper meaning of the idea that the communicator (Jesus the teacher) is trying to share (teach the disciples).

In this case, Jesus is using the very “earthy” example of a farmer sowing seeds on different types of surfaces to amplify and clarify how the message of (the word of) the Kingdom of God is taking root in our spirits (or not).

The best teachers use stories, analogies and metaphors. Jesus was a master story teller.

I know that the sermons and lectures that I tend to remember best- are those sermons and lectures that are illustrated and amplified with stories. Most of us are like that, and Jesus understood that about humans. Humans like stories. We like our bedtime stories; we like our movies; we like songs that tell a story. And most stories have moral and point. Jesus' stories point us to God, and amplify the reality of God's Kingdom here and all around us, here and now.

The Farmer, careless or hopefully generous?

There are at least two ways to consider this farmer:

1. Either this farmer was careless, tossing seed where ever (on rocks, in the water, on the heads of pigs, on the street etc.) and not a good steward of the seed.

2. Or this farmer was incredibly generous and hopeful that some of the see no matter where tossed and sowed might take root and bear a bountiful future harvest (who knows, maybe the pigs will grow beans on their heads- pork and beans...I digress.)

I like option two. Especially if the farmer represents God and people who spread the message of grace, love and hope. Who knows where it might take root? Why not try everywhere and let the seed have a chance. Nothing is impossible with God, right?

The determined seed

I am always amazed at how grass, weeds and plants can take root and grow up in the tiniest of cracks in the concrete pavement. As much as it is a hazel to remove grass on our side walks, it is also a testament to the determination of nature.

One of my favorite pictures from above the tree line (timberline- place where trees stop growing because of the high elevation) on Pikes Peak in Colorado is that of a purple violet plants (Penstemon) in the slightest of cracks on the large big granite boulders. In such harsh altitudes, plant life finds away to take root in the smallest availability of soil.

That is a very hopeful image and thought; for Jesus said that even if we have little faith- we can move mountains... At times, I feel little of faith- But God is hopeful and never gives up on us. The Word of God can take root anywhere and in anyone-just a little soil is needed.

Cultivating good soil

"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." (Matthew 13.18-23)

So if seed can take root in just a little soil, then how much better would a place with plenty of good soil be?

There was a very busy business consultant who decided to landscape his yard. He hired a professional landscaper to do the job, an expert in horticulture.

The business consultant was often away from home and traveled a lot. So he asked the landscaper to create a garden and surrounding landscape that was low maintenance. He wanted decorative rocks, durable plants and automatic sprinklers.

Finally the landscaper stopped the business consultant and said to him, “There's one thing you need to deal with before we go any further, if there's no gardener, there's no garden!” (Retold from Fresh Illustrations For preaching and teaching 1997, Bill Norman, 146)

We have a choice, a part to play in this story.

We can choose what kind of soil we will be.

We can choose to neglect or actively cultivate our faith.

We can choose to grow or roots deep and wide, or not spiritually grow at all.

Being good soil- being faithful and vibrant in our connection with God requires are faithful attention, participation and devotion to the reign of the Kingdom of God in our lives and this world.

How often do we consider of faith, and growth of our faith in God and in God's will?

There is no end, there is no limit to how deep and wide we can grow in faith. The deeper and wider our faith, the more we will know and experience the love of God.

Paul wrote about our choice between our flesh (the limited selfish human nature's point of view) and that of the Spirit of God.

It’s helpful to insert the phrase “rooted,” when seeking to understand Paul’s word in concert with Christ’s teaching.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are [rooted] in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds [rooted] on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit [root] their minds on the things of the Spirit. To[root] the mind on the flesh is death, but to [rooted] the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is [rooted] on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8.1-8)

The benefits of choosing to be rooted (participating) in the Spirit (& The Kingdom of God) include the liberating power and grace of God.

When rooted in Christ we are free from past mistakes and hurtful intentions of our past.

When rooted in the Spirit we are freed from our selfish natures and greedy world systems.

In what ways will we allow God's Spirit to take root in our lives?

How are we cultivating our souls with the everlasting pure truths of God?

How can we choose to grow our faith?

It often occurs to me that we spend so much of our time investing in our family, work and extracurricular activities: we rightly spend good quality time with our family and friends- relationships require careful time and attention; we rightly work hard at our jobs- a good work ethic is a honorable and noble trait; we rightly enjoy and recreate both our mind and body through joyful activities and hobbies. What about our faith? Is it of premium importance in our live? Do we cultivate and seek to develop our faith?

When one places a premium on their faith- when we seek to deepen and widen our faith in Christ, it then makes a difference in all other areas of our lives.

A deep faith helps us to love our spouse truer and purer.

A deeper faith helps us to loving raise our kids and be all that we can be for them.

A wide faith helps us to be better friends, community members and citizens.

some shade, and a cool breeze

Matthew 11:25-30

Invitation: Come to Christ...

God's invitation is mutual in its essence. God invites the weary and heavy burdened to come to him through Christ, and God also comes to us in Christ. We move toward God, and God moves toward us (in Christ).

This mutual movement reminds me of the prodigal son story: intuitively, the wayward son senses the father's invitation to come home. And when the lost son turns the bend-the father is pictured dropping everything and running out toward the son. God's invitation is a mutual movement of God toward us, and by grace-us to God (beautiful thought isn't it?).

An invitation for the weary to rest...

The word "weary" means "beat down;" the concept of "burned out," figures well into what it is to be weary. "Come to me all who are beat down, and burned out"- very relevant for all times and people, across all places. The image of pizza dough being rolled out and beat down over and over serves as a picture of what life feels like at times.

The people Jesus initially spoke this invitation to faced both religious & political oppression; more over they lived with their backs up against the heavy burden of hard everyday lives. Their religion of that day imposed the heavy burden of an unflappable laws and ordinances; they had to jump through countless hoops to try to appease the religious system's image of God. Their Roman big brother imposed his heavy arm of jurisdiction over their lives, culture and faith. And lastly- everyday living and surviving was simply a hard existence for them. They were weary and burned.

In both small and serious ways, we too long for rest in the midst of our beat down-broke down- wearied lives with heavy burdens.

Do you remember the Calgon commercial? Me too.


My Stepfather was an amateur magician. He wanted to spice up his routine. He had the card tricks and the scarfs, and all of that-but he wanted a little razel dazel; so he found some fire powder...

He was practicing and practicing with the powder that turned into a flame with the slight rub of two fingers. Now, this is something that he wanted to perfect before showing it off to a live audience.

We had three big dogs. They served as his test audience. Two of the dogs got boarded with his routine and wandered off. The oldest dog (the lone faithful one) laid down in front of my Step father with its head nonchalantly tucked away in its paws.

My Stepfather was progressing well with the fire trick....and then chaos broke out; a flame fell down on the dog- and the dog became quite excited and leaped up and panicked. The flame was still alive on my Stepfather's hand; he chased the dog-trying to put the fire out on the dog- while at the same time trying to extinguish the flame on his hand. Life often feels that way- fires on us and all around us.

Also, people are weary and burned out in the most serious of ways. I was watching a documentary on Darfur (how politically complicated and humanly tragic the situation is); And we are often reminded in our lives and on the daily news how deadly and tragic life can quickly become.

One of the truest things I have ever heard said was that we all become Job (the book of Job in the Old Testament) eventually. Inevitably- life becomes tough, tragic and desperately hard for all people across all time and all places.


The rest that Christ offers is not in place of the devotion that he has also called us to. It is rest in the midst of work, it is peace in the midst of hard life, it is grace and mercy on the journey. It is like a little shade and cool breeze in the midst of arduous journeying.

While the burden of standing up for justice and showing compassion is hard work- we are fueled and compelled by the love of God.

Now- I realize that sometimes there is no shade or cool breeze in the hardest moments of our journey- but what I am getting at is that even in the hardest moments and darkest valleys, as long as I can sense God's peace and grace, as long as I can feel and know God's love- then I can press on.

And even when youth fails and the strong are overcome, and when the tired cease to mount up on the wings of eagles, and when the faithful ones slow down from their hard running- and when all that one can do is only stand- that's when I will hope for the eventual promise God's full rest under some shade and with a cool breeze.

matthew 10.40-42

How Do We Receive Christ?

-Experiencing God’s Love-

Matthew 10:40-42

This in a nutshell is the point to today’s message: We receive Christ into our lives by graciously and lovingly welcoming others into our lives and God’s blessings. In another place, Jesus spoke of receiving forgiveness by the same measure that we extend forgiveness- I think these two thoughts go together. (The “deed” of grace)

And- We experience God’s love by even the smallest acts of kindness shown to others. The more we love, the more we realize God’s love in our lives. (The “work” of love)There that was painless, wasn’t it? So, can I call it a sermon and we all go to an early lunch now?

The context (Matthew 9:35-10:42)

In the last few verses of chapter ten, Jesus was wrapping up his instruction to his 12 apostles that he was sending out into the world with the Kingdom of God gospel. He was telling them that they were going to face great hostility; after all, Jesus faced hostility.

Jesus told them that if people called him, the master and teacher, “Beelzebub” (more loosely translated although maybe more literally- “dung face”), then how would the followers of the master teacher expected to be treated?

Jesus warned them that because of their allegiance to Jesus and the gospel of the way of God and not the way of earthly empires (such as the Roman Empire), that they would be divided even among their closest of relationships even their own family.

Following Jesus and believing and proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is here was an uphill challenge, a costly commitment.

The Welcoming

Alas, however, Jesus holds out hope before his disciples. In the event that they do receive hospitality and welcoming- and not hostility or rejection on the account of Jesus and the Kingdom of God message, then God’s grace and love will be made known and experienced in such moments.

A significant truth of the Kingdom of God gospel is that of extravagant welcome.

• It’s about God’s grace given freely and abundantly to sinners.

• It’s about God’s love being shared wildly and extravagantly to all of creation.

• It’s about being accepted, embraced and welcomed into God’s family no matter who we are, or where we’ve been in our lives.

The Kingdom of God gospel is a message of extravagant and underserved reception by God of saints and sinners alike. That’s what makes grace- grace; it’s underserved and extravagant in its essence.

Evan Drake Howard uses this illustration when speaking about this act of welcoming:

“The ex-con was finally heading home. He ignored the noisy college kids on the bus and stared out the window until, after a rest stop, a young woman sat down next to him a struck up a conversation. He told her that he’d been in prison for four years and that his wife hadn’t written in three and a half. When he learned that he was being paroled, he wrote again and said he still loved her. He would understand, however, if she never wanted to see him again. To make it easier on both of them, he suggested that his wife use a yellow handkerchief to communicate her feelings. If she wanted him back, she would tie the handkerchief on the old oak tree near their home. If there was no handkerchief, he would stay on the bus and keep going.

Word of the arrangement spread through the bus. As it came into town, the college kids flocked to the windows. When they saw the tree, feverish cheering broke out.

On the tree was not one but hundreds of yellow handkerchiefs.” (Howard in Christian Century, June 17, 2008)--In my head, I can hear the Tony Orlando commercial singing away…

Again the point is that- we receive Christ into our lives by graciously and lovingly welcoming others into our lives and God’s blessings.

The Little Ones
When I first looked at this passage I was a little confused about whom the “little ones” were that Jesus was referring to. Was it is the apostles? That might make sense, if Jesus was trying to remind them that he was their teacher and that they were his disciples. Or, was it the new believers “disciples” that received what the Kingdom of God gospel that the apostles were proclaiming. I think I like the latter interpretation better.

The “little ones” are the neglected- and often overlooked ones.

• They are the folks that easily fall through the cracks of society.

• They are those without voices in a world moving fast around them.

• They are those that suffer endlessly.

• They are the faceless ones that happy commercialism looks away from.

• They are the outsiders among us.

I can’t help but think about the immigration debate when I consider what it is like to receive the “little ones” among us this day.

A Cold Cup of Water (the application of the message in our lives)

Jesus says that even the smallest act of kindness shown to one of these little ones is not lost on God. How much more so would an extravagant embrace of those “little ones” around us matter then to God?

Xenophobia is the fear of the foreign and unknown. Specifically, it shows up in the immigration debate. And I think that it shows up in our faith at times. We are often, too quick to narrow the tent of God’s love and grace. We are sometimes, too apathetic and sit on the great extravagant and welcoming message of the Kingdom of God that has be entrusted to us.

Gordon Atkinson describes the dreadful reality for many people who cross over in south Texas:

“Sometimes, when the stars are out and the humidity is holding the heat of the day close to the earth so that even darkness is not much relief, I think about the people who are moving northward under the cover of night. I think about their maps and the most basic of human needs that are expressed with pencil marks. [Water. Safe place. Danger! Friendly ranch—food.]…

Roger, a friend of mine, has a ranch about 40 miles north of the border with Mexico and 25 miles from the nearest town. There are no paved roads leading to his property. He is there about twice a month on weekends…

Roger showed me the simple house that was on the ranch when he bought it. It is made of wood and has a kitchen, some bunks and a bathroom. I asked him if he had ever seen any illegal aliens.

"Now and again," he said. "But not very often. They don't want to be seen. But sometimes you can tell they've passed this way."

When Roger goes home at the end of the weekend, he leaves the door to his ranch house unlocked and puts cans of food out on the counter. There is a sign on the door written in Spanish. It says, ‘Please turn off the water and close the door when you leave. Thank you.’”

Gordon goes onto say about his friend Roger:

“I'm pretty sure that Roger's ranch is marked on some of the maps that illegal immigrants carry north with them. It is likely marked with a big star and an arrow pointing to it. This is a safe place. Water and food and a friendly rancher.

How many desperate people have passed through Roger's ranch? How many of God's children have received a cup of cold water and an ounce of hope there? They are hungry. Their tortillas are moldy, their water gone. They stumble upon Roger's house, read the sign, and go inside to find not only water but also food and a restroom. Imagine the stories that are told in shacks and adobe homes of the sign on his door and the miracle of food found in the nick of time. Can you hear their prayers of thanks for the blessed saint whose name they do not know?

We'll never know how many have visited Roger's ranch. But I believe the best acts of goodness and grace are of this kind—unknown except by those who receive them. Unseen by anyone else, and never celebrated by anyone else except in the kingdom of heaven where God sees all and counts even the hairs on your head.”

We receive Christ into our lives by graciously and lovingly welcoming others into our lives and God’s blessings (The “deed” of grace).

And- We experience God’s love by even the smallest acts of kindness shown to others. The more we love, the more we realize God’s love in our lives. (The “work” of love)

Amen.

Romans 5.1-11

God's Purpose for Our lives

Psalm 100; Matthew 9:35-10:8; Romans 5.1-11

The emanating connection

The Pslamist, Psalm 100, declares, "we are God's people, and the sheep of God's pasture."

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. ” (vv 36-38).

At the naming of the 12 apostles (sent ones) Jesus defines their mission by his very life, conduct and compassion. The 12 apostles were called to proclaim the present Kingdom of God; a freeing and redeeming reality for the most neglected, imprisoned and vulnerable.

The twelve disciple's calling emanated from Christ's own compassion; and so does our mandate and calling.

The Romans 5 passage touches on Christ's compassion and what such a Kingdom of God reality is like when it moves through lives.

God's love poured out into our lives (see Romans 5.5) produces hope. Love produces hope; and love, conversely, unexperienced and withheld produces fear, isolation, resentment and bitterness.

Earlier this past year some of us made a trip up to Bloomington to hear the Dali Lama; he spoke mostly on the virtue of compassion. He described the promise of nurturing our children in compassion and love. He illustrated how when even our pets that are raised under compassionate care how they respond as compared to other pets that are neglected and mistreated. How much more so does this then apply to our children as we think of parenting on this Father's day? It's remarkable to consider the large percentages of those imprisoned in our state jails and prisons that suffered neglect and abuse, those that were raised without compassion and love.

Love produces hope. Compassion produces a promise worth holding onto. This is the purpose we are called to in our lives and relationships: lives compassionately lived and graciously given to others yield the promise and persevering power of hope; and such love emanates through us, to others, from God.

Peace

Paul reasons, “therefore, since we have been justified through faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Divine peace is indeed truly priceless, but it is not an end itself. Peace with God leads us still yet to a further fuller reality. Peace is meant to lead us more fully (restored) to God and others.

• Peace between modern day nations is desirable, but even peaceful treaties among nations are still ungirded by unspoken threats of retaliations (massive if needed);

• peace between spouses is desirable, but even peaceful living conditions between spouses might occur without tenderness and intimacy.

Peace desires more than just peace alone. Peace is meant to lead us to a fuller relationship with God and others.

Access into Grace

Paul continues, “though whom [Jesus Christ] have gained access by faith into this grace by which we now stand.”

I am always amazed that we have access to the most holy and sacred trust and love, yes even to God. We have access to God whom we can never completely and fully comprehend, and it is so purely be grace.

Some of Paul's audience tried to strive for access to God via strict religious devotion, philosophical insight or mystical enlightenment. But such divine access is received only by unmerited grace.

Through grace we are connected to God and one another.

What does such grace look like?

Paul explains, “hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”

Verse 5 is such a powerful verse and catches my attention right away “God’s love has been poured into our hearts”; incidentally, this was (5^th century) Augustine's favorite verse.

This whole passage would be a great passage to apply the lectio divina to. The lectio divinia is an ancient church practice of rereading and meditating thoughtfully and slowly over a few selected verses.

I was meditating on this idea of unmerited grace, on the thought of receiving God's love that we did not deserve or earn.

And I was thinking of this descriptive passage of how Christ's compassion operates in our lives: “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”

And I thought of Marine Jason Dunham, 2004, who dove on top of a life grenade with his helmet in an attempt to save his team member's lives; he eventually died from massive burns and wounds received for his heroic valor. This in turn caused me to recall an even earlier Tony Campolo story that caused this scripture passage to stand out to me ( “Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”)

Campolo's story:

"A new recruit went into training at Paris Island, hoping to become a marine. He was one of those young men who seemed to be a bit out of step with the norm, and easily became the subject of ridicule for those who enjoy picking on off beat people."

"In the particular barracks to which this young marine was assigned, there was an extremely high level of meanness. The other young men did everything in they could to make a joke of the new recruit and to humiliate him. One day, someone came up with the bright idea that they could scare the daylights out of this young marine by dropping a disarmed hand grenade onto the floor and pretending it was about to go off. everyone else knew about this and they we all ready to get a big laugh."

"The hand grenade was thrown into the middle of the floor, and the warning was yelled. 'It's a live grenade, it's a live grenade! It's about to explode!'"

"They fully expected that the young man would get hysterical and perhaps jump out a window. Instead, the young marine fell on the grenade, hugged it to his stomach, and yelled to the other men in the barracks, "Run for your lives! Run for your lives! You'll be killed if you don't!'"

"The other marines froze in stillness and shame. They realized that the one they had scorned was the one ready to lay down his life for them. And So it was with Jesus." (“The Grenade,” in Let Me Tell You a Story, Tony Campolo, p.21)

Peace with God leads to access by grace to God which ultimately leads to full reconciliation with God. All of this take place through the vehicle of God's love for us. And this, same love and compassion, becomes our purpose in life, ministry and faith.

"Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

Divine Re-creation

Mars to Earth


Have you seen the NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander Mar's surface pictures? Mar's surface is a pretty desolate looking place, I almost confused it for West Texas... I guess it's beautiful in its own way (just like West TX), wide open and expansive.


Even with all of Mar's intrigue, I still prefer our own little blue and green plant; a planet teeming with life both in green lush tropics and bold dry expansive lands; a beautiful planet of lively creation.

The Good Beautiful Earth

The first human to view Earth from space, a Russian cosmonaut- Yuri Gagarin, exclaimed, "I see Earth, it's so beautiful!"

Alan Shepherd, the first American to see Earth from space overlooking Florida and parts of the Bahamas, admiringly remarked, "What a beautiful view."

Then there was the first telecast from the Moon's orbit brought to humanity by Apollo 8:

With pictures of the Earth from the Moon's orbit displayed on TV sets as seen from Apollo 8, Captain Lovell said, "The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth."

Major William Anders: "For all the people on Earth the crew of Apollo 8 has a message [Genesis 1:1-10] we would like to send you":

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."

Captain Jim Lovell: "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."

Colonel Frank Borman:"And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good."

Borman then added, "And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night… a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth."

Genesis 6:9-22;7:24;8:14-19

Today's OT story passage is the reverse of Genesis 1:1-10. The once good beautiful earth is now corrupt with human violence. Human violence, perversion and distortion lead God to re-create the earth, to start over from scratch.

One way of looking at God's action at this pivotal moment, is to see it as an act of reconstruction and not permanent desolate destruction, to see it as an act of merciful redemption and not eternal annihilation, to see it as an act of hopeful compassion and not utter damnation.

The Divine Re-Creator

One way to view this bleak moment in scripture is to see it as a divine act of re-creation- of a creation, world and people that God truly loves and cares for.

At the time (586-536 BC) that the book of Genesis was taking shape, the Hebrew people were exiles in Babylon. The Hebrew people's stories of God the creator and sustainer of all life gave them a sence of courage, faith and hope even in the midst of their exile.

The Hebrew people had been stripped from their land and torn apart from their families and leaders; they needed the stories of their faith to remind them that even in the worst of circumstances, God would not leave or forsake them; that even in the face of ruin and despair, God is able to re-create and restore.

The Hebrew people's captors had their own ancient creation and flood stories and gods [the Enuma elish].

The Hebrew people would need to distinguish their stories of God from the Babylonian [even older than the Hebrew creation/flood scriptures] tales of Marduk and Tiamat.

How was God of the Hebrews different than the Babylonian gods?

The God of the Hebrews was gracious, forgiving, and able and willing to re-create and restore a fallen and corrupt humanity.

Jesus and The Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew 7:21-29

Just as the Hebrew exiles in Babylon had to choose between the stories of their faithful God and the stores of the Babylonian gods, Jesus presented a choice to would be disciples.

Jesus frames the option between the way of the Kingdom of Heaven and the way of a life lived apart from God with a parable (one that reminds me of the three little pigs...).

The Two Home Builders

There were two home builders [paraphrasing Jesus], a wise and foolish one. The wise one built his house of the sturdy and sure rock as his foundation. "The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock."

The foolish builder built his house upon the shifting sands. "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!"

So what was Jesus teaching?

There are two choices to building our life (a gift from God). We can build it upon the shifting sands of hollow human philosophy (independent and apart from God); a philosophy that exalts itself first and above others by force, violence and greed (the greedy and nefarious kingdoms, institutions and corporations of this world).

Or we can commit ourselves to the re-creative, restorative and redemptive Kingdom of Heaven, whose adherers sacrifice, devote and freely give of themselves to the greater divine good.

One more thought

Noah can be seen as a foreshadowing Christ figure (one that brings salvation or deliverance).

When the Hebrew people told the stories of Noah, they were telling the story of how God re-creates and is able and willing to reach out and save those who turn to God.

In the Gospel of Jesus, we too have a story of how God reaches out to us in our times of trouble, despair, heartache and lost-ness.

Does God still Re-create? Does God still "look down and see" us with compassion?

Jennifer, 14, of Essex Brittan asked British astronaut Michael Folae: What was it like seeing Earth from space?

Michael Foale: "It's an emotional thing when you see the Earth for the first time from space. You're aware of all the people that you love and of all the things that you value. Just the colours, the brightness, and the impression of the Earth - it's extraordinary.

I saw a huge big black spot over Iraq during my most recent mission on the space station - it was from a broken pipeline near Basra and the plume was going all the way to Baghdad.

I called down and I asked if there was any stories about it and there was only a small footnote in one newspaper that this had happened.
From space, it was a dramatic, huge event that was marking the planet. So these things have different scales and it depends on where you see them from."

I believe that God's perspective (how God sees us), is from both above and among us and even from within creation itself. God sees a frail and fragile creation in need of divine re-creation. And God invites you and me, to partner alongside of God to build his kingdom of heaven here on earth as it is in heaven (peaceable, whole, safe, loved and divinely embraced).

Holy Trinity Call to worship

O Holy Trinity how you mystify us
Yet we see such mystery is a great gift

O Holy Trinity you teach us
to confess that we are dependent upon your grace and mercy

O Holy Trinity you teach us
to appreciate unity at the same time as we value diversity

O Holy Trinity you are three in One
Distinct and yet interdependent

O Holy Trinity you are more than we can comprehend
Teach us how to relate equally and lovingly to one another
Just as we see so perfectly in you O Holy Trinity

All Other Ground is Seeking Sand

Matt 6:24-34

Jesus in his classroom

Today's scripture passage falls within the famed "Sermon on the Mount." It helps to try and get a visual of Jesus teaching his disciples out in the open air: no notes, no books and no 4 closed walls. And in a very rabbinic way, according to the costumes of the day, all of their surroundings become teaching illustrations.

I imagine him at first leading the disciples, as he taught them, and then turning around and facing them a stressing a main point about this Kingdom of God and what it means for them to be a part of it, here and now-in their everyday life.

He says to them, "You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both."

This is a key teaching point in understanding much of what Jesus is teaching throughout the sermon up on the hillside. When Jesus mentions the Kingdom of God, what Jesus is doing in part, is contrasting God's way of operation and "governance" with the way all other human kingdoms have self-serving, self-advancing and self-protecting themselves (worldly kingdoms apart from God). Jesus' mentioning of "money" is a major way of illustrating the difference between God's way and the way of selfish human rule.

Another way to consider it is to ask yourself what is our ultimate endgame in life- A life that leads to a generous God and generous way of life OR a life that leads to a hoarder's selfish stockpile of temporal niceties and securities.

The term "money" also translated "wealth" and "mammon" in other translations, comes form the Hebrew root "To store up" or "entrust." This phrase and word was used for a person that put their trust in another by entrusting (or investing) their money with them. It meant "that which one trusted." (Matthew Commentary, Bob Utley). So in other words, what do you trust your life to? God or Money? Generosity or hoarding?

"The tragedy of money [1 Timothy 6.10] is that we never have enough and soon it possesses us instead of us possessing it. The more we have, the more we are worried about losing it and thereby we are consumed with protecting it." (Bob Utley)

See the Abundance of the natural realm, God's good creation, working in the way it was first intended.

I can next imagine Jesus, facing the disciples, then walking towards them and through them to a clearing with some wild birds and wildflowers nearby. Gesturing toward the birds Jesus uses God's created order and natural realm as an object lesson:

"Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds."

When all is working the way it is suppose to in the natural created realm, it really is a beautiful sight to behold, when there are no tornadoes, when there is open air tranquility, God's creation is a wonderful example of God's abundance and care for all that God has created.

I often notice how the early bird indeed does get the first worm; but, I have also noticed that the 2nd, 3rd and 4th bird also get worms. When God's creation works the way it was created to, there is an ample abundance for all. There is an inherit gracious and generous provision within creation (when it works the way God intended for it to work).

When God's creation is free of chaos, there is a beautiful order and symmetry to it all. God's creation then becomes an example of God's ample and abundant provision for even the wild birds, and then so, how much more us?

And then, I imagine, Jesus walking out into some wildflowers:
"walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. 30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving."

There it is! "What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving."

That is it, The gracious and generous Kingdom of God life contrasted to the getting, and hoarding and accumulating more than you'll ever need way of life.

When Jesus says "do not worry," Jesus does not imply that this life is easy or pain free (surely the one to be crucified would never be that simplistic, naive or cliche). But Jesus is showing his disciples a higher way and higher plane to life visible even in the most ordinary and everyday simple encounters of life, a life of abundance and simplicity exemplified in the wild birds and wildflowers.

What would it look like for us to take up this generous and gracious way of life?

I remember hearing a parable about a man who had two visions: one of hell and one of heaven. In hell he saw a beautifully adorned banquet buffet table with an abundant spread of finest food and best wine, however the "attendees" had two-by-fours strapped and locked to their arms so that they could not feed themselves. And the attendees were forever starving and perishing.

His vision of heaven included to same circumstances of the abundant spread and even the attendees strapped with two-by-fours on their arms. The difference in the two visions and places were that they attendees at the banquet in heaven we well-fed and satisfied, and not
forever starving and perishing, because they were sharing the abundance among themselves, feeding one another at the end of their two-by-fours since they could not feed themselves.

What is our ultimate endgame in life? A life that leads to a generous God and generous way of life OR a life that leads to a hoarders selfish stockpile of temporal niceties and securities?


Can we hear Jesus saying to us, here and now, "do not worry,"? Or, is what Jesus really saying to us is to trust in God's abundance and share what we have with others instead of a life of selfish gain and isolation from others?

On a memorial day weekend do we mourn $4 dollars a gallon or 4,000 service woman and men and countless thousands of others Afghanistan and Iraqi women, children and men dead? What would the kingdom of God way of life have to say to a preemptive war way of life?

Do we have a Kingdom of God perspective or Kingdom of this selfish world's perspective?

How could the Kingdom of God perspective influence this most wealthy nation? Did you know that only 15 cents on every $100.00 of U.S. GNP (gross national product) goes toward helping the poor? (The End of Poverty, Sachs, p.1). 15 cents on a $100.00, not a $1.50, not $15.00-.15 cents, a dime and a nickel.

God's creation, when it works the way God intended it to, is a living illustration of ample and gracious abundance. The problem, often, is not with provision for those in need, but with distribution of God's ample resources available within creation. Christians are called to see the abundance and graciously share the abundance with those in need. Christians are called to serve a gracious & generous God by living gracious and generous lives, and not making money their god.

“Lord, I have not lived like a contemplative. The first essential is missing. I only say I trust you. My actions prove that the one I trust is myself – and that I am still afraid of You. Take my life into Your hands, at last, and do whatever You want with it. I give myself to Your love and mean to keep on giving myself to Your love – rejecting neither the hard things nor the pleasant things You have arranged for me. It is enough for me that You have glory. Everything You have planned is good. It is all love.” (A Book of Hours, Thomas Merton, Kathleen Deignan, ed. via UCC Sermon Seeds).