Is Extravagance at odds with Wisdom?, First Congregational UCC, Rock Springs, WY 7/10/2011

Is Extravagance at odds with Wisdom?
By Rev Steven R Mitchell
First Congregational UCC, Rock Springs, WY 7/10/2011
Based on Isaiah 55:10-13 and Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23


A large portion of my childhood memories relate to the business of growing plants. Since we were a poor family, it was most important that we gave focus to the vegetable garden and less to the things that I really enjoyed growing, which were ornamental plants. It was my thought that it was important to provide plants that helped bring beauty into the world; it was my mother’s opinion that growing plants that produced food for the body was of more importance.
When it comes to vegetable gardening, I have only memories of huge gardens. After moving out to a farm, not many miles from the town that I had started my life in, dad decided that with forty acres and free slave labor of three children, he would utilize as much of the land as possible and become a truck farmer. A good share of this land was very sandy and of low quality. We had no real farm equipment, so most all the working of the soil was done with hand tools. There was only one water well, near the house with minimal water spickets in which to water the plants that we were cultivating.
It’s a marvelous thing to farm and to plant. You plow up the soil, get the clods chopped up, and get the ground smooth and ready to plan; then plant the seeds or the starter plants, water them, and watch them grow. What is interesting is everything else that is in that soil will also grow. The technical term for the “everything else” is called “weeds”. I remember long days of handling a hoe, chopping at the weeds, which seemed to thrive better than the plants that I was supposed to be tending. Then after hoeing out the weeds, the next step was bending over and pulling out those weeds which grew right up next to the plants.
As I said, dad, wanted to utilize as much ground of the forty acres as possible, and become what I am now positive, to be the sole vegetable supplier for the whole community of Kingman, KS, a town of 3,000 residences. Our green bean patch had 16 rows, each a city block long. The potato patch was located more than a quarter mile away from the house; a full five acres of seedlings. To utilize the remain acreage of that site, we planted 500 tomato plants. You must understand that the closest water was back at the house and dad believed that instead of running pipe out to this remote spot or buying enough hose to reach those tomato plants, his children would carry water out to them. Well, you can image how well those poor plants survived; they didn’t. As the summer temperatures of over a hundred degrees advanced, and by the way you could not work in those temperatures, those tomatoes eventually dried up and died because of the lack of water.
The lectionary readings today speak to my experiences on the farm and our efforts to truck farm. Where we had the opportunity to work the plants and to nurture them with water, de-weeding, and providing manure, those plants produced in abundance; where we planted seeds and plants and were not able to provide any one of these needed tasks, those plants provided much less fruit, or withered in the heat of the sun, or were choked out by the persistence of the weeds.
I find this particular story interesting with respect to where it is placed in Matthew. At the end of chapter 12, we read where Jesus has been healing and preaching to a group of people and of course getting the Pharisees very upset, so much so, they are beginning to plot as to how they might be able to kill Jesus. Then his mother and brothers come wanting to take Jesus back home with them, at which point Jesus asks, “who is my mother and who are my brothers?” With this response, he indicates that those who have been following him and learning his teachings were truly his brothers and sisters.
It is at this point that Jesus decides to tell the story of what we now call “The Parable of the Sower”. The usual way of reading this parable is to study the types of soil that the seeds are being planted in.
When we think about what it takes to plant a new church, it is prudent to examine the type of community in which to plant a new church. A lengthy study of demographics, city potential of continued growth, what type of nitch can the new church provide that presently isn’t being met.
In church revitalization, such as the present need of this congregation, conversations that focus on growth should be asked: what type of pastor would best help us grow, what type of programs would work best in revitalizing this ministry, what type of people do we want to minister to? These are examples of tiling the soil, of determining the best soil, of plowing it, and of nurturing the effort that will be put into it.
This is what any good farmer would be doing, yet is this really what the deeper meaning of this story is about, especially when you read it within the context of being a response to what he says about his mother and family?
The other day, Rev Nick Natelli, stopped by to take a look at the church and visit just a little, catching up on what is currently going on in the life of this congregation. For those of you who have joined this family of faith after 1971, you might be interested in knowing that Rev Natelli is the minister that was serving this congregation as it moved from “B st” to this location. When he left, this sanctuary was filled at every worship with a membership of over 300. He was sad to hear that we are now averaging in the upper 70’s during the school year and with only 136 members.
His response to me was, “I had whispered in ears before we built here, but maybe I should have whispered harder.” He was referring to the location of this building, being at the end of a street, meaning that there was little exposure, since cars wouldn’t be driving by and realize that there was a church in which to visit, should the driver be so inclined to do so. I remember a comment that Sharon Pribyl made to me when I first arrived. She said, “How do you like the sign at the end of the street that says, ‘dead end’?” Finally that sign was removed. Although the sign was descriptive of the fact that this street was a cul-de-sac, a more subtle message about the church was being given by its presence.
Even in the clergy text study group, that meets weekly to discuss the upcoming lectionary readings, there was discussion as to the “wisdom” that we should have in where and who we share the “good news” of God. A reference being made that we were not being good stewards of God’s word by spending our time with people who would never respond to it.
As a business person, I might, and I say might, agree with that insight. However as a person of faith, I have to look at this parable in a slightly different manor. As I read this story, I see the meaning speaking about the person of faith and what can happen to them. This directly relates then to speaking about a congregation, a faith community, since it is an identity unique unto itself as well.
As a community of faith, we have received the word of God, the seed planted. The question that needs to be asked is, “What type of soil is this congregation made up of?” Are we hard and rocky, who gives only the birds nourishment, as they directly eat the seed that doesn’t take root? Are we soil that is full of weeds, there by choking the work of the Holy Spirit? Are we soil where the distractions of the world take away focus from the needs of being nourished? Are we the soil that receives God’s word and allow it to be nurtured within our hearts, to grow and be able to feed the needs of those we come in contact with?
The focus is on the sower. The story is asking what type of soil is the sower. It is God who originally planted his word within us? How have we received it? God did not contemplate his love to be bestowed on some and not others. That is a teaching that came about as a way to gain followers and to control people. God loves beyond abundantly. God loves extravagantly, giving the gift of reconciliation and healing to every broken heart.
The question is this: How have your received this seed from God? Is your spirit one of hard packed soil? Is it one who received the love of God but because of life’s circumstances has found this love withering? Or is your heart the type of soil that has received the love of God and has allowed it to flourish, thereby giving it freely to all that you met?
I wish to close with a couple of thoughts given to us this week through the Psalm 119 and Isaiah 55. “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe your righteous ordinances. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeeded in the thing for which I sent it.”
The first part is the recognition of the person who has received the seed from God. The second part is the promise that God makes to those that receive this word. As long as we, as a congregation, have open hearts to receive the extravagant love of God, we will continue to do the work that God has asked us to do, and we will reap abundance through Gods promise to us! Amen