Sidney UMC - 9th Sunday after Pentecost - 08/02/20 - Sermon - “The Loaves and the Fishes"

Sunday 08/02/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:        “The Loaves and the Fishes”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 17:1-7, 15

                                           

New Testament Scripture: Romans 9:1-5

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 14:13-21

          Welcome again on this our Ninth Sunday after Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost, nearly two-thousand years ago, the Holy Spirit moved in a mighty way, and the Christian Church was born. We who are here this morning, are part of that great legacy in Jesus Christ.

          With this said, I want to talk to you about “The Loaves and Fishes”. When I was a social worker in Ithaca, NY for about 4-years, the program that I worked for got its offices moved from their original location. We were moved into a large house made into office space that was right next to the Episcopal Church in Ithaca. This church on various days of the week had a free community meal feeding program. Many people could go into the church, eat, drink, and even take with them excess bread and other things. This feeding program did and probably still does feed thousands of people. What is the name of this feeding program? It is called “Loaves and Fishes”.

          When I worked in Ithaca, this free meal and food ministry called “Loaves and Fishes,” was very well funded and supported by the community. It likely still is, and all manner of people would show up to eat. As I would go in and out of the office where I worked on the days of the free meals, I would see dozens and dozens of people waiting to get into the church Fellowship Hall to eat. If it were the summer months, I would see dozens and dozens of people sitting on the church lawn waiting to get in to eat. The question though, is why was this church feeding program and other programs called “Loaves and Fishes”? I mean we could name the feeding program a whole number of things, yet it is called “Loaves and Fishes”.

          The reason for this, as many of you have guessed by now, or already know, is the name of this feeding program in Ithaca and many others comes from the Bible story about Jesus feeding the 5,000. This is the subject of our gospel of Matthew reading, once again, for this morning (Mt. 14:13-21, NRSV).

          Some also call this miracle “The Feeding of the Multitude,” and this miracle is listed in all four gospels. There also the “Feeding of the Four-Thousand”  miracle that is listed in the gospels of Matthew and Mark (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeding_the_multitude).

          Before jumping into this gospel lesson for this morning however, we are told once again in our reading from Psalm 17 for this morning that the Psalmist, likely King David, was praying for God to deliver and guide him from being accused of injustices and wrong doing (Ps. 17:1-5, 15, NRSV). The Psalmist realizes that only God can deliver him and guide him, and without God he can do nothing. The Psalmist asked God to guide him and to bless him. The Psalmist seeks God and believes in the power and the authority of God.

          In our reading from the Apostle Paul’s letter or epistle to the Romans for this morning, the Apostle Paul is showing his very real struggle between his old life as a Jew, and his new life as a Christian. The Apostle Paul believes in the truth of Christ, but laments being cut off from his former life as a Jew. The Apostle Pail says once again in Romans 9:1-5:

          “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen” (Rom. 9:1-5, NRSV).

          To believe in Christ, therefore, means that we change. Our old sinful nature is shed, and we begin to follow Christ. We change, our choices change, our attitude changes, and our lives changes.

          For the entire history of the Christian faith, nearly two-thousand years, the vast majority of Christian to world over have believed in the sovereignty, the authority, the saving power, and the hope that we find only in Jesus Christ. Jesus, the one who came to earth, God in the flesh, who lived a perfect life, died on a cross for our sins, and rose again on the third day. This Jesus, when he was on earth loved, healed, forgave, and performed miracles. This Jesus loves us so much, and deeply wants to be in relationship with us.

This Jesus, as I said, performed miracles. This morning we have one of these miracles, once again, from the gospel of Matthew. As I said a few minutes ago, we call this the miracle of “The Feeding of the Five-Thousand,” “The Loaves and the Fishes,” or some call it “The Feeding of the Multitude”. In fact, when I was in my last year of seminary in 2014, my seminary took a trip to Israel, to the Holy Land. Among other places we visited, we went to the place of the “The Feeding of the Five-Thousand”. It was amazing experience for me and for others.

          In my short lifetime I have heard many sermons on this miracle. In some of these sermons I heard that what happened on this day was indeed a miracle from God. Yet, I have also heard others try to explain away this miracle as not being a divine miracle at all. I have heard some try to explain how in this narrative, all the people at this event all took a ribbon like strip of bread off the five loaves, and further, that others had extra food with them. This they argued, is how everyone was feed. The historic Christian Church, and the vast majority of Christians the world over, do not think that the events of this day, were some sort of potluck, smoke and mirrors, or a slight of hand. I believe, along with the majority of Christians the world over that on this day nearly two-thousand years ago, that God through Jesus Christ performed a miracle and feed thousands. I do not believe that this is just a story, or simply good moral teaching. I believe that this was a historical event, and thousands of witnesses were there to see it. I do not need to find a non-divine or a non-miraculous answer to what happened this day, because I believe that this day was in fact miraculous and divine. I believe in miracles, and if Christ was God in the flesh on earth, which I believe he was, then what is impossible for him? Oh, how he loves you and me!

          Let’s look once again at our gospel of Matthew reading for this morning. Once again it says:

^“Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children” (Mt. 14:13-21, NRSV).

          So, no mention that all these thousands of people had extra food with them. If that were true, you would think it would it be an important detail to mention, wouldn’t you?

          So, we have no indication of extra food among the masses present at this event. Further, I cannot imagine how five loaves of bread and two fish could be torn into little strips to feed thousands. Especially, since the gospel says that “all ate and were filled,” and with plenty left over. We are then faced with a spiritual question. This is the question, did the events of this day, listed in all four of the gospels, happen or not? Believe me there is plenty of take away from this gospel lesson to apply to our own lives, as the feeding program at the Episcopal Church in Ithaca is called “Loaves and Fishes.

          Perhaps an even better question to ask is this then, does it matter if the events of this day actually happened, if we can draw so much from them? I would argue that yes it does. For if Jesus were God on earth, and if Jesus had the authority and the  power to die for our sins, be raised from death, heal, transform, and do amazing things, he then couldn’t multiple some loaves and fishes? Also, there were twelve full baskets of leftovers.

          This miraculous event shows us the amazing love and power of God. Jesus certainly wanted to heal and feed people, but beyond that, he wanted to show the world who he was. Jesus healed, feed, loved, and forgave because these were loving things to do, but he also wanted people to believe in him.  Jesus said in Matthew 4:4:

“But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’ (Mt. 4:4, NRSV).

          Do we love housing the Sidney Area Foodbank at this church? Absolutely! Are we proud of this ministry and do we support it? Absolutely! Jesus told us to feed the hungry and to clothe the naked. Yet, Jesus also told us to preach his Gospel to declare him and his teachings to the world.

          You see friends, the concern that I have as a pastor in America in 2020 is this, I can with God’s help feed and clothe many. I say praise God for this! Yet if I do not offer people the spiritual bread of Jesus Christ our Lord, have I not spiritually starved them? How we live our faith and love others, is designed to be an extension of Christ’s love in us. If we feed a person and they are no longer hungry, but we have not shared Christ with them, then they leave with a fully belly and possibly a starved soul. People’s bodies need care, but so do our broken and weary souls. Jesus is hear for us, will forgive us, love us, and embrace us, if we but ask him.

          So, friends, I don’t think that Jesus only feed all of these people this morning just because they were physically hungry. I believe that Jesus was happy to do this, but beyond the earthly need for food, Jesus was offering them new life in him. He was offering real loaves and real fishes, but also spiritual bread that comes only from him. Like telling the women at the well that he offered her eternal water, behind his miracles, behind everything that Jesus did, was the call to repent of our sins, and follow him.

          I worry that some in America today are very focused only on feeding people’s bodies, which is vital to the mission of the church. Yet, are we offering them through God the Good News Jesus Christ?

          The primary role of the Christian Church is to offer people Jesus Christ. Within this mission, comes feeding, clothing, and everything else. If we do not offer people Christ though, and there are many ways to do this by the way, then these people might be spiritually starving.

I think about what our lives would be like without Jesus. I can’t imagine where I would be right now without God. Where you be right now without God in your life? So, friends, why would I not want to share that with others? Sure, the person has full stomach, but more than this, Jesus came to offer us a full heart and healed soul.

The other miraculous thing about this miracle of multiplying “The Loaves and the Fishes,” is that this gospel reading ends, once again, by saying in attendance for this very miraculous meal were:

And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children” (Mt. 14:21, NRSV).

          I have read some Bible scholars, who have estimated that the total crowd at this event could been 11,000, 12,000, or more. Either this was a miracle, or it wasn’t.

          The obvious take-aways from this miraculous event then, are in the earthly sense that we do need to feed people and fill their stomachs, which I am proud that this church works so hard to do. Yet, Jesus often performed miracles so that people would believe in him and in the one who sent him.

          So, if this miracle really happened, as I believe that it did, then what could God do through us? What is impossible for God? How could God use you? Could God use one of you to start a feeding ministry, that would change Sidney. I think that our Share the Bounty dinners have quite a legacy in the Sidney Area.

          As a Christian and as a pastor, I do not want to see anyone go hungry, and I will do whatever I can to get people fed, clothed, and housed. Yet, my primary role, my primary calling, is telling people about the spiritual bread that is only found only in Jesus Christ. For if our hearts and our souls are changed, then imagine what God could us to do! The miracle today then, isn’t just the very real and powerful multiplication of loaves and fishes to feed thousands, but more than this, the bigger miracle is Jesus Christ.

          Jesus invites us into relationship with him. He tells us in Matthew 11:28:

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28, NRSV).

          Jesus offers us forgiveness, peace, hope, salvation, and spiritual rest in him, and through him he can use us to feed, clothe, and transform the world. He will forgive you and transform you if you let him. So, friends, may we offer real bread to people, and through the Holy Spirit may we offer the spiritual bread of life found only in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sidney UMC - 8th Sunday after Pentecost - 07/26/20 - Sermon - “Faith Like A Mustard Seed"

Sunday 07/26/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:        “Faith Like A Mustard Seed”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 105:1-11, 45b

                                           

New Testament Scripture: Romans 8:26-39

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

          Welcome again on this our eighth Sunday after Pentecost. Eight Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved nearly two-thousand years ago on the day of Pentecost, and the Christian Church was born.

          With this said, as you might already know, the past couple of Sundays I have been preaching about different agricultural or farming references in the Bible. The references to farming and agricultural in the Bible, are not only spoken by Jesus in the gospels, but are found all over the scriptures. As I have mentioned the past couple of Sundays however, only 1-2% of Americans today are directly involved in farming or agriculture. As a result, these farming or agricultural references can be harder for some to understand, as they might not know much about these topics.

          Jesus often explained who he was, why he came, and God’s will, through parables or stories. Two weeks ago, I talked about “The Parable of Sower,” and last Sunday I talked about Jesus’ parable or story of “The Weeds and the Tares”. You see, Jesus was using farming and agriculture references to explain to his listeners who he was and is, God’s plan for humanity, and the Kingdom of God. I believe that these truths that Jesus taught are still completely true today, but as I have said, many of us no longer live in the context of the people of Jesus’ life.

          This morning, we have yet more examples of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. These examples are spoken to the people of Jesus’ day in their context, and while I believe they are still fully and eternally true, we need to understand the same truths in 2020.

          Before diving into our gospel lesson for this morning, we are told once again in our reading for this morning from Psalm 105:

“O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually. Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,” (Ps. 105:1-5, NRSV).

          God is eternal, His greatness has been established, He is unchanging, and His truth is forever.

          In our reading from the Apostle Paul’s letter or epistle to the Romans for this morning, that Apostle Paul reminds us that in out weakness, God is our strength (Rom. 8:26-27, NRSV). God has called us according to His purposes, and He is the strength in our weakness. May we call upon the Holy Spirit to work through us, so that God’s will and His Kingdom might grow.

          The Apostle Paul ends this reading from the Book of Romans with one of my favorite scriptures. Once again, the Apostle Paul says in Romans 8:38-39:

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul is telling us that the powers and the truth of God through Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, are eternal. Nothing can separate us from Jesus Christ, as that bond is eternal. Much like one of Jesus’ farming or agricultural parables, the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Romans over 1,950 years ago. The context has changed, in that we are in 2020, but everything else is completely true. God is eternal, Jesus is the savior of the world, and there is power in the Holy Spirit.

          In getting back into our gospel of Matthew reading once again for this morning, Jesus gives us five little parables or stories about the Kingdom of Heaven. What will it be like when Jesus’ Kingdom comes to full fruition, and what will be like when we are with Jesus forever? Further, how can God us to further build the Kingdom of God in anticipation for the fullness of the Kingdom of God, when Christ returns in glory?

          My sermon title this morning called, “Faith Like A Mustard Seed,” is more focused on Jesus’ first short parable or story for this morning, but I will mention the other short parables, as well.

          In looking at this gospel reading once again, Jesus says:

“He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches”          (Mt. 13:31-33, NRSV).

          The picture that I printed out to show the kids for this morning, shows how small a mustard seed can be. In this picture, a person has their finger extended, and the seed seems barely even there. Mustard seeds are often tiny little things. Maybe the size of a head of a pin. So small in fact, that you might not even notice them at all.

          Today, some people’s knowledge of mustard ends with that famous yellow plastic bottle of French’s Mustard. Yet the mustard plant starts from the littlest, and tiniest of seeds. If the seed germinates, grows, and survives though, we just how big will it become?

          According to one site that I researched; it says this of mustards seeds:

“Mustard bushes reach an average mature height of between 6 and 20 feet with a 20-foot spread, although exceptional plants can reach 30 feet tall under ideal conditions. They have a spreading, multistemmed growth habit with a drooping or weeping branch structure. The leaves are oval, yellowish-green and have a fleshy, succulent feel. Each leaf is 1 inch wide and 3 inches long, and they are arranged in sets of two on opposite sides of the stem. Tiny, yellowish flowers appear along 12-inch-long panicles each year, which ripen into 1/2-inch-diameter berries. The berries provide a reliable means of identifying the shrub because of their striking translucency and pink or scarlet color” (https://homeguides.sfgate.com/size-mustard-bush-100618.html#:~:text=Mustard%20bushes%20reach%20an%20average,drooping%20or%20weeping%20branch%20structure.)

                    So Jesus says once again that:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches” (Mt. 13:31b-33, NRSV).

          So, what does this mean, other than a mustard seed can grow into a large plant? What Jesus is saying here, is that even with something ridiculously small, even almost insignificant, that God do amazing things with it. If someone has faith the size of a mustard seed, cannot that faith grow that into something much bigger? Further, cannot the faith that has been put in us here on earth, grow into something amazing in Christ’s Kingdom? The answer is yes!

          In four other short parables for this morning, Jesus tells us once again “The Parable of the Yeast,” that says:

^“He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened” (Mt. 13:33, NRSV).

          We are the flour, but what creates the spiritual growth, the rising of the bread, is Jesus Christ. He is the change agent within us. Oh if we would just turn to him and follow him daily!

          In the other three short parables for this morning, Jesus tells us once again:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind;  when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mt. 13:44-50, NRSV).

          The treasure hidden in the field, is Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is like selling everything that you have for one pearl of great value. That pearl is Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God is like separating good fish from bad fish. In all these parables, Jesus is saying, through him, you can grow and flourish, and that he is the true treasure. If we come to him and follow him, if we live that out each day, then in the end we will realize that nothing on this earth will help us or save us. Jesus is the mustard seed. Jesus is the leaven in the bread. Jesus is the pearl of great worth. Jesus in us, is the good fish. Our hope is in Jesus.

          As Jesus often did after telling a parable or a story, he then provided an explanation for what he had just taught. Our gospel of Matthew lesson for this morning, once again ends with this explanation, as Jesus says:

 “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Mt. 13:51-52, NRSV).

          The old treasure, or the Old Testament, must be connected Jesus, who is the new treasure. The Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible together, is the fulfilment of God’s will, prophecy, and His divine call upon all of humanity, to be redeemed, live upright, love and service each other, and to one day be with Christ for eternity.

          So, the real gift, the real treasure, is Jesus. I pray that we live boldly with his love, his grace, his mercy, and his truth, each and every day.

I want to tell you a story in closing this morning that highlights my “Faith Like a Mustard Seed” sermon title. I mean what can a little faith do. Here is good story that might illuminate this a little bit. This story was written on July 22, 2013 by Pastor Travis Agnew. The story is called, “The Chain of Events Leading to Billy Graham’s Conversion.” Here is what it says of the late and great Rev. Billy Graham:

“As of 2008, Billy Graham’s estimated lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, topped 2.2 billion.  That means that approximately 2.2 billion people have heard the gospel from Billy Graham’s mouth. That’s hard to wrap your mind around. Billy Graham has shared the gospel with more people than anyone else in history, but do you know who shared the gospel with him?”

“It actually is a series of events that has been traced over the years and starts out with one volunteer Sunday school teacher.  Someone shared this story with me years ago, and it impacted me greatly. “You can count the apples on the tree, but who can count the apples in a seed?” goes the old aphorism. So it is with the influence of a single person”.

“Take Edward Kimball, for an example. Never heard of him?  Rest assured – most people have never heard of him. Kimball was a Sunday school teacher who not only prayed for the hyper boys in his class but also sought to win each one to the Lord personally.  He decided he would be intentional with every single last one of them.  Surely he thought about throwing in the towel.  If you have ever taught the Bible to young boys, you know that the experience can often be like herding cats. One young man, in particular, didn’t seem to understand what the gospel was about so Kimball went to the shoe store where he was stocking shelves and confronted him in the stock room with the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  That young man was Dwight L. Moody.  In the stockroom on that Saturday, he believed the gospel and received Jesus Christ as his Savior. In his lifetime, Moody touched two continents for God, with thousands professing Christ through his ministry.

“But the story doesn’t end there. Actually that’s where it begins. Under Moody, another man’s heart was touched for God, Wilbur Chapman.  Chapman became the evangelist who preached to thousands. One day, a professional ball player had a day off and attended one of Chapman’s meetings, and thus, Billy Sunday was converted”.

“Sunday quit baseball and became part of Chapman’s team. Then, Chapman accepted the pastorate of a large church and Billy Sunday began his own evangelistic crusades. Another young man was converted whose name was Mordecai Ham.  He was a scholarly, dignified gentleman who wasn’t above renting a hearse and parading it through the streets advertising his meetings. When Ham came to Charlotte, North Carolina, a sandy-haired, lanky young man, then in high school, vowed that he wouldn’t go hear him preach, but Billy Frank, as he was called by his family, did eventually go. Ham announced that he knew for a fact that a house of ill repute was located across the street from the local high school and that male students were skipping lunch to visit the house across the street. When students decided to go to interrupt the meetings of Mordecai Ham, Billy Frank decided to go see what would happen”.

“That night Billy Frank went and was intrigued by what he heard. Returning another night, he responded to the invitation and was converted. Billy Frank eventually became known as Billy Graham, the evangelist who preached to more people than any other person who ever lived, including the Apostle Paul. You could continue following this trail and see where Graham and all of us started with the ministry of Jesus”.

“Think about how far-reaching Christ’s message has gone. This fascinating chain of events was triggered by a Sunday school teacher’s concern for his boys. If you are like most people, you have served in some capacity and wondered at times if you were making a real difference or not.  Maybe you’ve thought about quitting because you didn’t think you were making any difference. Next time you are tempted to give up, please remember Edward Kimball, whose persistence and faithfulness was tremendously honored by the Lord.  The story would have looked very differently if Edward Kimball did not take his Saturday to seek out young Dwight Moody”.

“You can count the apples on a tree, but only God knows how many apples are in a single seed. Do your part today in the Kingdom and trust God for the results” (http://www.travisagnew.org/2013/07/22/the-chain-of-events-for-billy-grahams-conversion/).

            Friends, this reality is right now, and for all of eternity. For this is what Jesus meant this morning when he taught us what a little faith can do. Even “Faith Like a Mustard Seed”. Amen.

Sidney UMC - 7th Sunday after Pentecost - 07/19/20 - Sermon - “The Kingdom Of Heaven May Be Compared To..."

Sunday 07/19/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:     “The Kingdom Of Heaven May Be Compared To…”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24

                                           

New Testament Scripture: Romans 8:12-25

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

          Welcome again on this the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost. Six Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved nearly two-thousand years ago on the day of Pentecost, and the Christian Church was born.

          Last Sunday, if you remember, I talked about how the Bible is full of agricultural and farming references. Unfortunately, however, as I also said last Sunday, only about 1-2% of our country is currently involved directly in agriculture or farming. This reality from a Biblical standpoint, has caused many young people to not understand or to relate well to the agricultural and farming references in the Bible.

          I mean if you know nothing about “sowing seeds,” planting, harvesting, etc., then some of the Biblical references to farming and agriculture might be hard for some young people to understand. These references though are still true, as I believe that the Bible is true, but we must make more efforts in 2020 to explain these agricultural and farming references that in the Bible.

          It is interesting to me that our reading for this morning from Psalm 139 once again, talks about how God knows us so well (Ps. 139:1-12, 23-24, NRSV). In fact, Psalm 139:1-4 says once again:

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely”                 (Ps. 139:1-4, NRSV).

          God knows us so well. God knows every hair on our head, and He made us in His image. When God’s son, Jesus Christ walked among us, God was physically with us. Instead of always just saying that God knows us and loves us though, Jesus would relate the truths of God often through parables or stories. Many of these stories involved, as I have been saying, farming or agriculture, or the world in which Jesus lived. The world in which Jesus lived was vastly different then our world is today. Yet God was God then and is still the same God now. The truths and the authority of Jesus have not changed, but how our society is a lot different today.

          Jesus’ parables or stories, therefore, are just as authoritative as they ever have been, but our society and our culture are different today. As a result, we need to teach the same exact truths and beliefs, but we need to be able to explain them in such a way, so that people today can understand the very same things Jesus was teaching nearly two-thousand years ago.

          For example, this morning the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:12-16, once again:

^“So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” (Rom. 8:12-16, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Rome, Italy over 1,950 years ago. The world that the Romans lived in was quite different than the world that we live in today. The technology was different, Roman culture had a lot of differences, and life in general back then was different.

          Yet the Apostle Paul says if we live according to just our flesh, our desires, our lusts, and our sin, then we will die in our sin. Centuries later, in this time, in this culture, is this not just as true as it was back in ancient Rome? The context of the Bible, and lives of the people then might have had many differences from us today, but who we are as people, who God is, and who Jesus is, has not changed a bit.

          The Apostle Paul then tells us if we live by the Spirit, if we live for God, then we will live eternally. Further, if we live by the Spirit, if we live for God, then we are children of God. If we do not though, then we die in our sin.

          Like last Sunday then, we have another farming or agricultural parable or story from Jesus. This parable from Matthew 13, is often called the parable of “The Wheat and the Tares”.

Most of us probably have an idea at least of what wheat is. I mean we buy “Wheat Thins,” “Frosted Mini-Wheats,” and “Whole Grain Wheat Bread”. Many of us know that wheat is were we get a lot of bread products. Wheat also contains this wonderful thing called “gluten,” and some people are allergic to gluten. As a result, these people need “gluten free” products.

          So, this Sunday once again, Jesus gives us the parable or the story of “The Wheat and the Tares”. You might think then, well then what is a “Tare”? I have seen people in my life get into arguments or get mad and breaking things. A few times I have heard someone say, “Well John is really on a “tare” isn’t he”.

          In this parable or story for this morning though, a “tare” is a weed. Anyone that has ever gardened or grown crops are all too well aware of weeds or “tares”. For those of us that garden or farm, wouldn’t you love it if there were no more weeds? Meaning you plant flowers, crops, or an entire field, and no more weeds? Wouldn’t that be great?

          How many of you in your own life, have spent hours and hours pulling weeds? When I was kid, sometimes one of my chores was to pull weeds. I do not like weeds! Do you?

          So, this morning, the very farming or agricultural story that Jesus tells us is about wheat and weeds, or “tares”. I looked up for this sermon how much wheat is grown and produced every year worldwide. What I learned, is that wheat is essential, at least right now, to human survival. So, if our wheat plants are choked out by weeds or “tares,” then this is a problem, no? Of course, being “gluten free” or having a “gluten allergy” must be extremely hard and challenging at times, because wheat is in so many things. So again, how big is the wheat production in the world” Here is what one source that I found has to say:

“Wheat is grown on more land area than any other food crop (220.4 million hectares, 2014). World trade in wheat is greater than all other crops combined. In 2017, world production of wheat was 772 million tonnes, with a forecast of 2019 production at 766 million tonnes, making it the second most-produced cereal after maize” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat).

          Even in the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus himself taught us, He instructs us to ask God the Father, to give us “Our Daily Bread”. There is even a daily devotional book called “Our Daily Bread”. If bread then, is the staple food, or one of the main staple foods of your society, then keeping that crop safe is important. Yet in his parable or story this morning, Jesus talks about not just wheat, but also weeds or “tares”. Next Sunday, we will hear another parable or story of “The Mustard Seed,” among other parables (Mt. 13:31-33, NRSV). More farming or agriculture references.

          Diving back into this Sunday’s gospel lesson though, let us look again at Matthew 13:24-30, where Jesus says:

“He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”         (Mt. 13:24-30, NRSV).          So according to Jesus, when we plant crops, a garden, or anything else, the weeds or the “tares,” in more King James Bible English translation, were put there by one of our enemies. So, the weeds are not your fault folks, as your enemy as put them there! For those of us that have spent countless hours pulling weeds, oh how we are not happy at that weed or “tare” sowing enemy.           The Apostle Paul reminds us in Galatians 6:7: “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow”  (Gal. 6:7, NRSV).           So, if we sow weeds or “tares”, or if were sow false truths, or non-biblical understandings of the Christian faith, then I could rightly expect to reap exactly what I have sown.            Now in this parable or story though, the master tells his slaves and his servants to not pull the weeds or the “tares” between the wheat. You see wheat grows so closely together, that if you pull the weeds or the “tares” out, you then destroy the wheat to. In this actual parable, some scholars have also argued that Jesus’ reference to weeds or “tares” was actually: “Lolium temulentum, typically known as darnel, poison darnel, darnel ryegrass or cockle, is an annual plant of the genus Lolium within the family Poaceae. The plant stem can grow up to one meter tall, with inflorescence in the ears and purple grain. It has a global distribution” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolium_temulentum).            So, the sower, sows the wheat seeds, but then the enemy, the devil, comes and sows’ weeds or “tares”. The largely farming and agricultural crowds that Jesus spoke to probably understood exactly what Jesus was saying from a farming or an agricultural standpoint. Maybe they did not initially understand the deeper meaning of what Jesus was saying, but they definitely understood the farming or agricultural examples that he used. Unfortunately, many young people today do not understand these examples.            To finish off our gospel reading for this morning, lets looks once again at Jesus’ explanation of the parable or story of “The Wheat and the Tares,” in Matthew 13:36-43: “Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!” (Mt. 13:36-43, NRSV).

While Jesus teaches this parable or story around farming or agriculture, what He is really driving at here, is that the wheat, the good crop, are those who love and follow him. Along side of us though, and throughout this world, will be those that do not love and follow Jesus. So, this fallen world that we live in, will include those who love and follow Christ, and those who do not. Yet, we will all live together while on earth until Christ returns. It is at that point that the followers of Christ, the wheat, will be separated from those who never knew him, which are the weeds or the “tares”.           In the case of the parable or the story of “The Wheat and the Tares,” Jesus then is not talking about the weeds that you pull in your garden or on your farm. Jesus is talking about His return, or the end of time. We will live side by side on earth, we will not be uprooted, or we will all be destroyed, but in the end, Jesus will be our judge.          As people then, should we make it our own personal mission to make the world into exactly what we think God wants it to be? No, not if it is not Biblical. We should follow Christ, spread the Good News of His gospel, and do everything that we can to make the world better. We should be serious about making the world better, about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and helping the oppressed and the vulnerable. Do we separate the weeds from the “tares” though? No, in the eternal sense, only Jesus does that.

Another way to put it is this, we are to “be in the world, but not of the world”. We cannot build a perfect world here on earth because Jesus has not returned yet to usher in the fullness of His kingdom. We can continue to make it much better, but we cannot make it perfect. This is because we are not perfect. Further, God and God along will distinguish the wheat from the “tares,” not us. We are not God, and we cannot make the world that only Jesus can make. We are not Jesus.          I honestly believe brothers and sisters that our society stands on a cliff’s edge at this point in time. We can decide through radical means who is a wheat or a “tare,” or we can do what the church has always done, we can love, heal, and forgive. We can preach the Good News of Jesus Christ, live it out, and allow God to use us to transform Sidney and the world. We are not the hope that we have been waiting for, the hope we have been waiting for has already come. This hope lived, breathed, died for our sins, rose again, and will return one day in glory. This hope is Jesus Christ, and friends I believe that his gospel is the hope of the world. We are not the hope, but Christ in us is what brings the kingdom of God closer and closer. So indeed, my friends, as my sermon title for this morning says, “The Kingdom Of Heaven May Be Compared To…” “Wheat and Tares”. Amen.