Good or evil?

What do you see when you look at the image below?

This week's reading is another parable that Jesus told.  This time about the seeds sewn to harvest (good) and those sewn that were weeds to hurt the harvest (evil).  In the picture above, both Good and Evil are there.  Can you see them both?

 

One way to see this parable is to recognize that there is good and evil everywhere, so how do we confront the evil?  Do we dig up the field and start again with just the good seed (and hope that the evil seed will not be sewn this time)?  Do we wait until the evil seed has taken root and then destroy it? Or do we wait, as in the story, and only harvest the good seed's growth?  The long wait ensures that the good seed is not destroyed along with the bad seed.  God's kingdom is not a "quick fix".  God's patience with his children ensures every opportunity for our growth.

 

As His children, though, we are not purely "good seed".  We do have bad in us.  How do we ensure that the good triumphs over the bad?  I like the picture above having both "good" and "evil" in it, like us.  But which do you see first?  And when you are looking at others, which do you see first?  Do you see the good in others or are you waiting for them to prove to you they're good and trustworthy?

 

It's easy to have a chip on your shoulder, to distrust others, and to look at others with judgement.  That's where we need to do the work to have a balanced view.  And this is also where prejudice and bias come in.  Can we say that we offer each person we encounter the opportunity for good?  To see them as they are, like us good and bad, and not as we perceive based on our own issues?

 

Thankfully, Jesus' parable tells us that God has the long view on things.  He knows we need it.  He is patient with us and gives us the time to do the work.  There is evil in the world.  But we don't need to create it by the way we look at others.  See the good.

Seeds for all

I think of all the stories in the Bible, it’s the parables I love the most.  Jesus was a master storyteller.  Although the ways we do things today differ from Jesus’ time, we do understand about seeds, soil, and weeds: elements of this week’s parable of the sower (farmer).  We “get it” in the basic straight-forward story.  But the amazing part of Jesus’ parables is that if we listen, we can hear a different meaning every time.  When I taught parables to the kids, I always told them that Jesus’ stories were written in code and we need to break the code.  And there are always two codes to break first:  find God and yourself in the story.  This parable has so many levels and with an open heart and faith, it can be life transforming.

 

In this parable, it’s easy to see God as the sower.  Not just any sower: one that is “extravagant”.  He throws the seed everywhere.  He is not selective.  It lands on all the soils, not just the best soil.  It lands where it lands without judgement.  There is good soil, but his presence is everywhere.  There is possibility of harvest in every situation, hostile or fertile.  How can we be like that, seeing possibilities where others turn away seeing only barren ground?

 

The seed can be decoded as God’s word and it is for everyone.  (Or do you see the seed as something else?)  The idea of a “seed” is powerful because it grows into something beautiful or useful.  It can become a flower or sweet fruit.  It grows and changes.  And it’s also part of a cycle that renews itself:  seeds that mature create and spread more seed.  This is not a one-time thing.  We must re-seed.  As it is with God’s word.  

 

And then there’s the soil.  That’s us.  And here’s where it gets complicated:  which type of soil?  The hard ground where the seed doesn’t grow, but yet the birds are fed?  The rocky soil where the roots are shallow and the seedling dries up in the sun?  Or the ground where the weeds choke out the plant? What are the weeds in our lives?  Or are we the good soil where the seed grows and bears fruit abundantly?  And are we just one type of soil?  And with time and situation, does it change?  So many ways to look at it.  This is what is so incredible about this story and why each time you hear it with an open heart, you can see it and apply it to your life in different ways.  So much to learn!

 

It’s easy to conclude that we aspire to be the good soil.  And yet the story tells us that the seed is in all the soils.  God will keep sowing the seed, planting for all the love and hope of his word. There are people and times when the seed will not grow as strong.  We must continue to work the soil to be the good soil for his word!  To nurture the seeds he’s planted and to re-seed.  To be “extravagant” and see the possibilities in all situations.

Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing

Written 120 years ago as a poem, Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing, known as the Black National Anthem, is  a song of affirmation for African-American people and a powerful cry for liberation.  It has been prominent in the USA as part of the civil rights movement and was adopted by the NAACP 100 years ago.  It is becoming again a song needed to be sung, to evoke the struggle and resilience of a people who are still on the path to freedom.  A song of faith and thankfulness, and yet hopeful and a vision for a better present. 

May we all join in the song and make the vision of harmony in liberty a reality and, true to our God, live in the light together.

Read the lyrics from "Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing" below. A poem written in 1899 by James Weldon Johnson and set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson.

In this Sacred Circle

A Letter From Anglican, Lutheran Leaders For National Indigenous Peoples Day - June 21, 2020

(From the ELCIC website.)

In a letter from Indigenous Archbishop Mark MacDonald, Anglican Church of Canada, Archbishop Linda Nicholls, Anglican Church of Canada, and National Bishop Susan Johnson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the three leaders lift up National Indigenous Peoples Day.

The Government of Canada describes this as a day for all to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.  We give thanks for these heritages, cultures and contributions. We honour Stewards of the Land and Defenders of the Water, the leaders say in the letter. As well the leaders note, this is a day to re-affirm our churches’ commitments to ending racism: discrimination and racism against Indigenous Peoples, anti-Black racism and all other forms of racism in Canada.

The full text of the letter follows. 

National Indigenous Peoples Day - June 21, 2020

Dear Friends in Christ,

The ongoing public health restrictions mean that this year’s celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day will be less about gathering and more about building up relationships in new and creative ways.

The Government of Canada describes this as a day for all to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.  We give thanks for these heritages, cultures and contributions. We honour Stewards of the Land and Defenders of the Water.

This is a day to re-affirm our churches’ commitments to ending racism: discrimination and racism against Indigenous Peoples, anti-Black racism and all other forms of racism in Canada.  This month, both Anglican bishops and the Lutheran Conference of Bishops made statements that commit the church to calling out racism as sinful and deadly, acknowledging the place of racism and colonialism in the Canadian context, and doing the work of dismantling the systems that oppress.  We pray for the Spirit to prod us forward.

This is a day to re-affirm the commitment of our churches to the work of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples.  The way to reconciliation is a long path; there remains much to do, much to hear, much to feel and much to change.  We pray for the Spirit’s guidance and support for healing journeys.

This is a day to celebrate the gifts and witness of Indigenous Ministries.  We commend to you the Rule of Life from Gospel Based Discipleship:

Creator God, we acknowledge and give thanks that:
In Jesus we know we belong to a Sacred Circle with the Gospel and Baptismal Covenant in the centre.
In this Sacred Circle:
We are all related;
We live a compassionate and generous life;
We respect all life, traditions, and resources.
We commit ourselves to spiritual growth, discipleship, and consensus.

These words of prayer and wisdom are a gift to the whole church as we seek to deepen our discipleship; to endure and adapt to the impacts of COVID-19; and to become the community of respect, equity, justice and peace that God calls us to be.  Meegwetch!

This is a day to read the Gospel.  Jesus says, “So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:31, NRSV)
We hear in these words:
A call to face our fears, whatever they may be;
A call to honour the dignity of each one and the value of every one;
A call to notice birds and nature with open hearts for the Creator’s wisdom;
The assurance that God is with us in all that we face.

For resources, please visit https://www.anglican.ca/im/nidp/

What opportunities do you see in your context?  What actions reflect the next step on your spiritual journey?  

Yours in Christ,


The Rev. Susan C. Johnson
National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

The Most Rev. Mark MacDonald
National Anglican Indigenous Archbishop, Anglican Church of Canada

The Most Rev. Linda Nicholls
Primate, Anglican Church of Canada

For the sake of the world

Reflection for the 2nd week after Pentecost

From this week's Gospel reading:

³⁵Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. ³⁶When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  (Matthew 9:35-36)

...think of this:

Surely we as well as our neighbors are among the harassed and helpless that Jesus sees, those with “every disease and every sickness.” But, as the baptized, we are also those to whom Jesus has committed his mission, and we have often failed. Nonetheless, God says, “I have brought you to myself.” Because of Jesus Christ, forgiveness and love have been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Just as the Twelve stand for the Israelites, called to be a people of priests for all the world, we too are given the charge to pray for all and to bear witness to the healing love of God, all of us together Christ’s priestly people for the sake of the world.

From the ELCA Worship Blog