Weeds

Park UMC R Swenson Mt 13 July 20, 2008
We are in what I call the Ag department of the Gospels
..this is farming country
in Matthew 13 we have these agricultural parables
.... farming stories
the parable of the seeds and the sower with the different kinds of soil
now this morning we have the wheat and the weeds
and next week
we get something about a mustard seed

but did you also noticed that mixed in with these seed parables
there is actually talk about parables themselves
in this same chapter... in verse 10
the disciples are asking Jesus; "why do you speak in parables?"
and then Jesus talks about the use of parabels
again in verse 34
and you can also here
the disciples wanting Jesus to interpret the parable
so let me actually start with a little story
about parables and truth
it’s a traditional Jewish story
Once upon a time,
Truth went into the streets ...just as naked as the day he was born.
It was the naked truth
But no-one would let him into their homes.
No one wanted him around
When People saw this naked Truth
, they turned away and ran
One day
when Truth was wandering around feelign all sad
he met up with Parable.
Now, Parable was dressed p in some fine fancy clothes with beautiful colors.
And Parable, looked at Truth, said,
"Tell me, neighbor, what do you look so sad?"
Truth said, very bitterly ..
truth said
My friend, things ,are bad.
Very bad.
Nobodys want to hear the truth
maybe I'm so old,
that no-one wants to have me.
No-one wants anything to do with me."

Parable head this and said,
"People don't run away from you because you're old.
I am also very old . And I have always been here too.
But the older I get,
the more People seem to like me
so
I'll tell you a secret:
Everyone likes things disguised and prettied up a bit.
Let me give you some splendid clothes like mine,
and then you'll see that the same people who pushed you away
will invite you into their homes
and they will enjoy your company."

so Truth took Parable's advice
and put on the borrowed clothes.
And from that time on,
Truth and Parable have gone hand in hand together and everyone loves them.
They make a wonderful pair.'

some other version of the lesson go on to say that Truth put on the clothes..
Of metaphor and symbol
poetry plots and story

Edward R. Murrow must have known the story of parable and truth
when he said
Most truths are so naked that people feel sorry for them
and cover them up, at least a little bit –
so what is the naked truth that Jesus is dressing up in the parable of the wheat and the weeds?

remember the parable for just a little bit... a farmer gets good seed planted in the field
but somewhere along the way
something else shows up
and when the wheat heads out
the other plants get discovered

now it doesn’t spell this out in the parable.... but in the middle east back then
there was a common problem with kind of wild grainey weed
the older translations called this parable of the wheat and the tares
the tares were the weeds
this kind of weed looked like the good wheat
it was sometimes called false wheat
.. you couldn’t tell the two apart until closer to harvest time
when things headed out
you see the good wheat
would get heavy
and it would droop down a bit
but this false wheat ..was lighter
.it didn’t fill out as much
so it still stood up straight.
That was your first clue ,,it didnt really amount to anything!
.it stood out for its lack of weight
and you didnt want to jsut harvest it
becuase those little weed grains were poisonous...
You get bad flour out of th deal
anyway
You could NOT see any of this until later in the growing season...close to harvest time.

and by then
there was another problem..
the roots had usually grown together


mixed in tight with the good wheat
and the bad stuff had strong roots.
That’s why Jesus said , as every farmer would know
that when you pull out the bad stuff
you'r going to be damaging the good
it makes sense doesn’t it.
if you’ve done much garden weeding
you know that it can happen.. The roots get tangle up..pull one..you get the other
I remember that the Englstads up in Thief rivers Falls
who did the grain farming right where I grew up
sometimes
they would hire some of us kids to go into the wheat fields
and pull out the oats
the wild oats
so they wouldn’t get docked at the elevator
or sometime
we would go out
and pull out the pig weeds
(do you know about pig weeds.?
They probably got a more official name.
..thy get great big dirt clomps around the roots ,,
you get a chunk of ground when you pull those big weeds up..
Anyway we were just kids
and sometimes we weren’t all that careful
we pulled out a few good things along the way
well
now again what’s the point..
Jesus said it.. right out..
Should we pull out the weeds ...should we pull out the bad things?
No.. ... For in gathering the weeds..
you would uproot the wheat along with them.
Let the wheat and the weeds grew together


Do you hear the naked truth that Jesus is dressing up in that parable?

This is probably
one of the most ignored lessons from Jesus in all of the gospel
this is a truth that we have not listened to..
Do not pull up the weeds!!!!!
why
because you will damage the good.
You will do more harm than good...
Let them grow together
hear that???


You see ...we want to be like the servants in the story
we want to pull the weeds
we think we should pull the weeds
we think that we can pull the weeds
but Jesus says ..keep out..
Even in the interpretation that Matthew gives us later on
those same field hands
are not going to be the ones sorting out the crop.
.. Human judgement ...never gets a chance to do this..

The problem here
seems to be human judgement and human clumsiness when we try..
But oh we try..

Back in Jesus day
the field cleaners were ready to go to work
the patriotic zealots were there..
to rise up in violence..
Drive out the romans
drive out the unbelievers
the pagans
the Roman influence
the Greek influence
in their way of thinking it was as a moral cause.
.they were soldiers of light..
we have old scrolls that talk about that.
.
ready to be martyred..
Maybe they were just desperate to do something.
Judea was an occupied land
and that was such an oppressive burden
Romans were taxing them to death..corruption was everywhere
the weeds were thick!
and soem of the Jewish people did rise up in rebellion
eventually that urge to purge.... leads to the burning of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 70 Ad
it lead to a slaughter of Jerusalem by the Romans
Jesus taught this lesson
in that kind of a setting
that’s why some people wanted Jesus to give them that permission
they wanted him to be that kind of messiah...
to clean up the field
Get rid of the weeds
shall we pull up the weeds?

By the way.. How did Jesus live with weeds
. he ate with tax collectors and sinners
he ate with people who didn’t seem to be very pure
he ate with people who collected taxes for Rome
and cooperated with that enemy
Jesus healed the servant of Roman officer healed the centurions servant
you get the idea that Jesus ..in his life demonstrated this parable of the wheat and the weeds

but no
we don’t want to live with the weeds! we want to pull
.. gotta pull at the weeds
...
How many times has the church said.. we gotta clean up the field..
Heretics ..outa here..
we have burned people at the stake..trying to pull the weeds
well
we haven’t done that here I n park church or Brainerd
but you know its in the church history
we have gone on crusades...
Done inquisitions...
Split churches
Thinking we could pull the weeds
we have this puritan impulse... to purify and purge
pull up the weed

its an old story
I know.. we want to be right....we want to be faithful to God..
We are like those field hands; eager to please and serve
\
and that’s good
"
Master do you want us to go out and clean this up.?"
Didn’t you plant good seed
of course you did!
this isn’t what you had in mind..right
...an enemy did this..
We know there’s a problem,
you see
this is not a denial of the problem
Don’t try to turn this into a kind of anything goes.
.parable with moral blindness
its not that..
Nobody is saying that the weeds arent out there

we know
we live in a mixed up world
this is not a weed free life

but the issue here...seems to be , what we do about it
how do we live with it..
how do we live
in this inte-rooted,
interconnected..,entangled... world..
Maybe there is a clue in the Bible study itself

listen to the words
in verse -30
where it says
let the them grow together until the harvest
translations say things like "permit it"
;;allow it...
but you could translate it some other ways
the word that is used can also be translated as forgive...


the word that is used here
is used 156 times in the New Testament a
about a third of the time ...its translated as forgive
and could be translated that way even more
What if Jesus is telling us
that t our job is the forgiveness..or at least the tolerance
not the judgement
I don’t know
"
forgive the weed?"
sound strange doesn it .. but then again Jesus said...
love your enemies
pray for those who persecute you
forgive 7 times 7o times s
makes about as much sense as forgiving the weeds ... Allowing the weeds to live.
Can you imagine that..

Could we ever like that ? I’ve got some questions here
:
Are we supposed to be passively resigned in the face of evil?
are we supposed to let things go to weed
this is not a divine command to ignore injustice in the world
I think that the larger weight of scripture says
that we must work for justice
no.. we don’t just ignore the failures of the church either


this is not some hopeless resignation
This is not a call to despair
or abdication of responsibility...
(nothing you can do about the weeds!)

Actually there is something we are supposed to do in here
and I believe its harder thing to do..than actually pulling the weeds..

we are called to protect the whole field.
.let them grow together.. The parable says
There is a type of faith work
that we are being called into
but this is not conventional wisdom and its not the way of the world
So we avoid the truth of this parable
How do we live with the weed?
first of all we trust and obey the master of the field
that means we have to admit our moral clumsiness in weed cleaning
we are not able to do this job
pulling the weeds
the second thing we do..in living with the weeds
is avoid doing more evil ....
to do no harm
if you pull up the weeds you will do more harm than good
we are suppose to let the good keep growing
We are suppose to stay with the good course and the wisdom of the master
we are supposed to trust the owner of the field
and trust the power of the good seed
get this
In this parable the ability of the good seed to produce a harvest
is never questioned.
In fact ....what is the only thing that might hurt the good seed?

The only thing that threatened the good seed
is the eager but clumsy work of the servants
The wheat will survive in spite of the weeds

that the good news that the servants need to hear
..the good will be there..
BUT Can we believe that!

apparently God is more comfortable with this weedy mixed up world
than we are
God allows a mixed up world
whether we like it or not
whether we understand it or not
this is how it is,
..

Now what’s that got to do with us today
how about
if we read this parable
whenever we talked about soemof the most tangled up and complicated thigns that we face today
like sexuality issues
in church and society
we could come up with a mixed up list
of social issues and moral issues
abortion. Evolution ..poverty, global warming, illegal immgaration,
,gay rights
,,separation of church and state..politics,,,interpretation of the Bible...the war in Iraq...
All of that is very tangled up stuff

like it or not..
its there
Have we done a very good job talking about those things?
I wonder ..if in the process of trying to sort this out
maybe we have also hurt the good
sometimes we have done more harm..than good

we have hurt the witness of the church and neglected our ministries.
we have Not been at our best
We have ripped into these delicate and sometimes personal..complicated matters
churches get torn part.. By the roots
lives get hurt.
I know we may not be comfortable;
with the mixed up ..and compromised conditions
but sometimes..it’s the best we can do.
As the parable seems to say
we are all in this field together

we are bound..inseparably for now.. at the roots
we live along side of each other
what I do effect you
what you do effects me..
and if the roots are entr-twined as they are
then we need to protect each other
sound strange doesn’t it..co existence
I protect myself..by protecting you..
I care for everything in the field.
First do no harm
no matter what we think of each other
Maybe this is parable that we desperately
need to hear today
God allows
God..forgives
the mixed up field ..at least for now.

Maybe this is even bigger than just the church
maybe this parable is about the world

maybe we need to hear this lesson that as Christians ...Jews... Moslems... Buddhists... Hindus... atheists.. Humanists... New ages or whatever

Jesus is telling us that we need to learn to live together for our own sakes
for the good of the harvest.

Let the good grow
It is a call to keep the good growing
to learn forgiveness
patience... humbleness... prayer..
to trust that God will do what we simply cannot do.
Let the weeds and wheat both grow toghter until the harvest
That’s the Naked truth that Jesus is dressing up
and ends the lessons by saying Those who have ears to hear..let them hear
,,listen up ..if you can
amen

July 6 2008

ARTS in the park July 6 2008 Matthew 11
Well as you can see..it is Arts in the park day again
and I have told you before
that this is one of my favorite Brained events..
Of course I like the fireworks and the parade also
but arts in the Parks isn’t quite so intense
it’s a little more relaxed..
I know it complicates the parking situation around here a little bit
but we have a great location right next to the park ..hundreds of people get to see that we are here..in this beautiful well kept building
so being part of this neighborhood .is a privilege that we have
so get on over to the park sometime today
you might see a juggler
probably a nice variety..of music
pan flutes
violins ..dulcimers
bagpipes
all kind of arts and crafts
Bill grange
I’m guess has his pottery stand right over by the water fountain...
you can get some stain glass work
or wood work
or fabric art..
.the list goes on
don’t forget to check out the classic cars
and well there’s the food
I always get some kettle corn ...maybe a brat..
its all there for arts in the park
well I went through my notes
and some of you will remember that I’ve talked about this before
we even did a kind of Arts in park church theme
for one of our church photo directories
and I also did a sermon on this back in 2005
I'm sure you remember every word of it
right...Bob..etc...(Darwin!)
so I better not do a rerun here right...
Anybody remember that sermon /
Back then
I talked about the spiritual arts
and the arts of ministry
I quoted Ephesians 2;10
and there is this GK word poema which sounds like the word for poem
the GK word can can actually be translated to say
that we are Gods art work ...
we are gods creation and handiwork

back then
I highlighted some spiritual or metaphorical arts
that I could see in he Bible
the art of pottery
God is potter.
we are the clay...
Then the art of architecture..
we are Gods building ..
you can get that in I Peter
. and then the art of storytelling
we are a story that God is telling ..
The gospel is a story of good news
and some of you know an old hymn
that says I love to tell the story of Jesus and his love
.
but what kind of spiritual arts should we look at this morning.....
How about dancing Maybe free style interpretative dancing.
I need you to work with me a little
but the word dancing is here in the gospel lesson
did you catch it in there?
and were going to spend our time in the gospel lesson this morning
so Im going stretch this a bit
but I think
I got the spirit of the lesson right



First of all..did you notice
Jesus is comparing the people to a bunch of children playing in the market place..
You get this sense of teasing and whining and complaining
and its about who gets to make the rules
and Who didn’t do it right.....
(you know any churches like that.? )
(Not here.. But I’ve seen a few..
We played a dance song and you didn’t dance
you didn’t do it our way
then we did a sad song
and you didn’t cry..
you didn’t whine and complain with us
You didn’t play along with us.
And Jesus goes onto say
that he did more of that dance spirit in his life
he lived with a spirit of celebration..
This is an important point here..
It says
The son of man came eating and drinking..

And he got criticized for that lifestyle
some people said he didn’t get it right.
He broke the rules and didn’t play the game
.
In some ways
Jesus is contrasting his spirit of Life .
.his style of religion
his path of discipleship
with John the Baptist
or maybe some of the strict religious leaders

John the Baptist for example
had a very severe and austere way of being faithful
and that should have satisfied those really strict folks...
but not even John the Baptist wasn’t good enough for them .
And Jesus
well
he didn’t live with all those harsh tight rules
but that wasn’t good enough either
for these very religious people
and then
Jesus closes that part of the lesson with these words
he says
Gods wisdom
or the truth
will be shown by its results
in other words
look at the results..look at what it does.
the proof is in the pudding.
Look at what the life of Jesus is going to produce..
That an important line in this lesson
so don’t forget it..

Now let me demonstrate this lesson with a story
its about Robinson Crusoe
actually it comes from the movie
one day
Robinson Crusoe got tired of just sitting around
and eating fruit
and laying around on the beach with all the sunshine
so he went over
and captured a man that he called Friday
he took him from a local tribe
so he could "educate" him
he taught him the English language
of course Caruso never thought about learning Fridays language
Anyway
Caruso was going to "educate" Friday
even though it was Friday
who had actually taught Caruso everything that he needed to know
like
how to get food
and clothes and shelter..
Well bot being civilized
like the Englishman, Carouso
Apparently Friday didn’t know that his life wasn’t quite complete.
Because civilized people
know that life is not here just to be enjoyed
Life has to be conquered and measured.
So Caruso decided that they would have their kind of mini Olympics..
A sport..
with some competition
and first of all
he set up a race
Caruso said we are going to run to that tree
the better runner wins

Wins what?
Friday wants to know
"wins the race of course "
he gets told
Friday still doesn’t get it.. "Why do we race?"
Because we want to know who the better runner is..
Why
he says..again
Why
And Caruso says
:we have to know who is best at things."

Friday says
"isn’t it enough to know that we are both good.
No Caruso says
now
stop asking stupid questions and lets start the race

we are going to see who the better runner is..

Ready ....set..... go..
The two of them start running
Crusoe is pumping his arms and legs with good disciplined form
he is gulping for air
as his feet are driving into the stand..
Pounding the ground
and his face is turning red with the hard work of running


but Friday is doing a different kind of run.
Its almost like he was dancing
he legs are flying
and his arms are swinging in the wind.
H’s got this big smile on his face.
Caruso got to the tree way ahead of him
and he is bent over trying to catch his breath
as he waits for Friday to get to the tree.
He is doubled over..just breathing so hard
When Friday finally got there
Friday says "I win"

carouse is all upset..
Are you mad.. ?
I was here way before you
How can you think you won?!
and Friday says
you told me th t the better runner would win the race.
I saw how you ran..
you ran like you were being chased by a wild boar.
You strained every muscle
and you didn’t enjoy that running one bit.
Now you stand here
and you can hardly breathe
and you look like you are in pain.
How can you call that winning!
But I ran with my legs running beautifully
like they were meant to do
I didn’t jam them into the ground like you did.
And I breathed in he air so that my face could smile
but you
you look like you could faint any minute
so clearly
I am the better runner
because I enjoyed it.
Cruoso of course is not hearing this;
he says
But I got tot the tree first
so I am the faster runner. I win.
Ah but listen
Friday says
You did not say that the faster runner would be the winner ...

`You said "the better runner
besides what good is it to get to the tree first
if you cant enjoy yourself
when you get the there..

I think you can here the metaphor...
you can figure the meaning..
How do you live your life
in the art of living
are you dancing well or running hard
are you more like
caruso
driving somehow
to prove that you measure up...to prove that you’re the winner
that somehow how
you are better or good enough..and expecting everyone else to follow your interpretation of the rules

Or more like Friday
moving through life
in a way
that still leaves a smile
Lets you breath
and can still be enjoyable
I like to think that Christian ministry
and the spirit of park church
our style
the spiritual artistry here
is more like Fridays..
Yes
we also have a sense of destination and purpose ..and a calling
we re not loitering
...we are still moving to the tree
to the finish ,,
,getting to the goal
but the way
that way we get there
is what matters
the way
is not just a set of rules
t is also
I believe
the way that Jesus talks about and show us and give us
when he says
I am the way
it is a way that leaves room for the human element
it knows us.
And so
it
.is going to be about love...
Its going be about giving and forgiving
its going to be about hospitality and grace
Where the tax collectors and the sinners don’t get left out or left behind
(you heard that in the lesson didn’t you)
because that who Jesus dances with
like or not...
( And some wont like it.)
and it is a way that lets us be the church
with a kind of beauty and gracefulness
so that
it is not
just about pounding it out through life
and living by the egos rules
maybe
as the Gospel lesson also says
in verse 25
as the world sees it
the Jesus way
.. will not the the fastest.
.or the most rational,
intelligent
or sophisticated..
but
we believe
it is the best..
and in the last analyses
in what really matter
its the kind of life
that lets you enjoy getting there.
In case you need a little more scriptural support
if you want this in bible talk
Listen to the words of Jesus again in the gospel lesson
I think you will hear the same point being made
Jesus says
"come to me all who are weary and heavy laden.
.and I will give you rest...
Take my yoke upon you.."
that is
take my way upon you
my rules
my teachings
my way of running the race.
.may way of living life
upon you.
Take my yoke upon you
..learn from me..
Because I am gentle and humble in spirit

and you will find rest for your souls
for my yoke is easy.
That is
my yoke is kind or good
it is fitted just right for you
in other words
this is not the yoke of slavery and oppression.
And my burden is light.

Eugene Peterson
translated it this way
in The Message
Jesus says

Are you tired
worn out
Burned out on religion
come to me
Get away with me
and you will recover your life
I’ll show you how to take a real rest
walk with me and work with me./
..watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace

you feel that
learn the unforced rhythms of grace
that’s what
I was seeing in Fridays way of running the race
the unforced rhythms of grace

Jesus says
I wont lay anything or ill fitting on you
Keep company with me
and you will learn to live to live freely
(there you have the fourth of July part of the sermon
"you will learn to live freely)
(a deeper freedom)
and you will learn to live lightly.

what would it mean for you to live more freely and lightly?

..Again think of Friday and the race
Crusoe
Thinking he has won.
.but he is gasping at the end

..or Friday
who has enjoyed getting there

who s rules s do you follow
what would it mean for you to lighten up..
in your attitudes.
.your judgments.
your behavior...your heart..your soul..

what would it take
for you to change the drive and the pace of your life
what does it mean for the church
to loosen up and let go
and maybe let people in
all people
what would it mean mean for us
to be a church
where we move together
in the common yoke ..the communion yoke of Christ
in a faith
that gives people room to breath.
.to smile
because
this Jesus way truly
is gentle and kind
........
maybe this kind of spiritual living
Would look and feel .
.something
more like a dance..
Maybe that is the spiritual art that Jesus is trying to teach us
right here in this Park
maybe that’s the proof...the results .that he was talking about

* my source for the Robinson Crusoe story is Fellow Travelers by Terry Morehouse p, .79 Kirk House Publishers..he cites other sources going back to Stevie Ray