Entitled to the Kingdom

What follows is the text from my sermon this past Sunday. 

Entitled to the Kingdom

October 5, 2014

Matthew 21:33-46

Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts together be pleasing to you, Oh God.  Amen

We are living in the age of entitlement.  Jo Greer's treasure box isn't quite what it used to be.

It still looks like it once belonged to a pirate — still has the wooden lid and metal hinges — and it still has a sticker or a piece of gum inside, depending on the day.

But what was once a coveted birthday honor in Greer's preschool classroom is now somewhat of a dud. These days, when the birthday boy or girl gets to open the box and claim the treasure inside, the response is increasingly indignant: "I don't want any of that," the 4-year-olds say. "Is that all you have?"

"The gratitude is vanishing," Greer says.

This change in behavior is a symptom of a greater phenomenon that psychologists, family experts, sociologists and scholars say is gripping the world. Now, more than ever, entitlement — the idea that "I should get everything I want when I want it, even if I haven't worked for it" — is rearing its ugly head.

But the problem isn't just in preschool classrooms; it's in homes, high schools, offices and even the highest levels of government. It impacts the way children treat their parents and siblings, interferes with education and can contribute to a lifetime of unhappiness, financial instability and disdain for work, experts say.

I think many in our society have developed a toxic sense of entitlement and an undeserving expectation for instant gratification.  We live in a world where we can watch TV on our computers, send emails from our phones and turn on our car’s heater with an app, we can’t handle waiting more than five minutes for our food at the burger joint or stand in line for any amount of time without complaining or getting visibly annoyed at the hardworking employees.

In our gospel today we hear of similar feelings of entitlement.  We find tenants hired to tend the vineyard, only to turn on their owner when his slaves came to collect the profits.

                Listen again to the beginning our gospel, Jesus is speaking, ³³ “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. ³⁴ When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. ³⁵ But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. ³⁶ Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 

                Who is Jesus really talking about here?  If we look more carefully, we will come to understand that the landowner is God, the tenants are the religious leaders, and the servants are the prophets and the garden is the Promised Land.  With that understanding we begin to see a clearer picture of Jesus’ message to his listeners.  We begin to understand that Jesus is not only talking to his followers, he is talking about them.  And to the Pharisees and Scribes, he referred to them as the tenants.

                They were the entitled ones, pious and above criticism, feeling “better than the rest”, they believed their position of leadership and authority gave them special privilege and their thoughts and ideas were the only correct ones.  They did not like anyone who got in their way of, “having it all”. 

The vineyard is the Promised Land, the kingdom of God.  We remember from what we have heard in recent weeks that the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are not the same.  We live here and now in the Kingdom of God.  Here, in the Kingdom of God, there is much work to be done.

When we go on to hear, again from our Gospel that the servants who came to collect the harvest, they were beaten and killed.  Much like many of the prophets who came before Jesus—were persecuted, beaten and killed.  The Pharisees, like the tenants, were afraid something was being taken away from them.  In the case of the tenants, it was the harvest to which they were not entitled.  In the case of the Pharisees it was religious authority and power, to which they were not entitled.

A friend told me that when he was younger he hated going to weddings.
It seemed that all his aunts and the grandmotherly types used to come up to him, poke him in the ribs and cackle, telling him, 'You’re next!” They stopped after he started doing the same thing to them at funerals.  That has nothing to do with my message, I just had a break in thought while I was preparing this message and ran across this anecdote and it tickled me.  Okay, so back on track.

In our gospel, we also hear about the servants who were sent to collect the harvest.  They are like the many prophets who were sent to proclaim the coming of one who would be greater, one who would come to set us all free, the one who would fulfill the covenant God had made with his people.  Most prophets were persecuted, beaten and even put to death out of fear that they who were prophesying would take power and authority away from the religious leaders.  These leaders felt their ‘entitlements’ slipping away.  When in fact these ‘entitlements’, had not been earned, but the leaders felt they were deserved.

                Listen now to another portion of our Gospel, Jesus speaking ³⁷ Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ ³⁹ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 

And of course, here we know Jesus is talking about himself, as the one sent.  Like the son in the parable, he would stir up the religious leaders.  They would become frightened and afraid he was going to take their power from them and they would eventually put him to death.  

Continuing from our gospel…Jesus asks, ⁴⁰ Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” ⁴¹ They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”

Now the focus should not explicitly be on the failure of the Jewish leaders, but upon the responsibility of the newly anointed “others.”  If we are now the tenants of the vineyard, we have no less responsibility to bear fruit, and the judgment we are quick to level on others can just as easily be directed at us.

When we remember to ask ourselves, how would we do? We realize we may not be any better equipped to work in the vineyards, God’s Kingdom, than those whom we are criticizing.  Like those who feel overly entitled we feel we do not need to work in the Kingdom.  We have accepted Christ, we are good people, we attend church, and so, the Kingdom, the love of God and the blessings of the Son are ours.  However, God does ask us to work by sharing the message of Jesus with others and to work bringing them to a relationship with Him.  Not for personal reward, but to grow the Kingdom.

Then mid-way through the Gospel, Jesus goes on to explain how the tenant’s rejection is a rejection of God.  ⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?

 We know now the stone to which he referred was Himself. 

                And Jesus’ message to his followers then, and to us today is: ⁴³ Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom^] 44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

                This is a challenge and a warning from Jesus to those who oppose him.  To the Jewish people, he is encouraging them to be productive and to accept the Gentiles as workers in the kingdom, as well.  To all of us, he is saying, “to reject him is to be excluded from the Kingdom.”

Cinderella’s castle at Disneyland was packed with kids and parents. Suddenly - all the children rushed to one side. It’s a good thing it was a castle and not a boat, or it would have tipped over. The pristine princess had entered the room. Cinderella. A gorgeous young girl with each hair in place, flawless skin and a beaming smile. She stood waist-deep in a garden of kids, each wanting to touch and be touched.

The other side of the castle was now vacant, except for a boy maybe seven or eight years old. His age was hard to determine because of the disfigurement of his body. Dwarfed in height, face deformed, he stood watching quietly and wistfully, holding the hand of an older brother. Do you know what he wanted? He wanted to be with the children. He longed to be in the middle of the kids reaching for Cinderella, calling her name. But can’t you feel his fear, fear of yet another rejection? Fear of being taunted again, mocked again? Don’t you wish Cinderella would go to him?

She did! She noticed the little boy and immediately began walking in his direction. Politely but firmly inching through the crowd of children, she finally broke free. She walked quickly across the floor, knelt at eye level with the stunned little boy and placed a kiss on his face.

Max Lucado tells this story in his book, The Gift For All People.  He concludes "The story reminds me of another royal figure. The names are different, but isn’t the story almost the same? Rather than a princess of Disney, these essays are about the Prince of Peace. Rather than a boy in a castle, our story is about you and me. In both cases a gift was given. In both cases love was shared. In both cases the lovely one performed a gesture beyond words."

But Jesus did more than Cinderella. Oh, so much more. Cinderella gave only a kiss. When she stood to leave, she took her beauty with her. The boy was still deformed. What if Cinderella had done what Jesus did? What if she’d assumed his state? What if she had somehow given him her beauty and taken on his disfigurement?

That’s what Jesus did. 'He took our suffering on him and felt our pain for us ... He was wounded for the wrong we did; he was crushed for the evil we did. The punishment, which made us well, was given to him, and we are healed because of his wounds' (Isaiah 53:4-5).

Make no mistake:

Jesus gave more than a kiss - he gave his beauty.

He paid more than a visit - he paid for our mistakes.

He took more than a minute - he took away our sin.

                Christ did it, he came into the world to fulfill the prophecy, to serve as the foundation under which we are to build our church and our faith, to suffer the most horrifying of deaths so we now may be justified with God.  The gifts he gave were not for us alone, they were not for the Jews or the Gentiles alone.  They were for the salvation of the Kingdom of God.  We are all called to serve in God’s Kingdom.

                The question is not one of how to enjoy the gifts of the cross, but rather, how we can spread this great gift to all who we encounter.  We should not take pride in our own faith but in our ability to bring others to faith through our service to the Kingdom.

Amen

Jesus doesn't want the best, he wants you

What follows is the text from the sermon I gave at our church today.

Jesus doesn't want the best, he wants you

August 10, 2014

Matthew 14:22-33

Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the mediation of our hearts together be pleasing to you, Oh God.  Amen

 In light of the local flooding this past week, it seems appropriate that our Gospel for today deals with water. On Wednesday, the Men’s Breakfast group found ourselves hurrying to finish our meal before the table was completely surrounded by water, had we stayed much longer we may have needed Jesus help getting out of Shari’s. As it was, Russell attempted walking on water but ended up with wet feet.

There is a book I often use as a resource when I am teaching marketing and management classes to small business owners.  It is entitled The E-Myth and was written by Michael Gerber.  The book is about system theory and how to incorporate those practices into a successful business model.  One of the primary premises presented in the book deals with creating the most productive workflow at the least amount of expense and least amount of labor. 

Gerber lays out in the book how in the formation of a functional system, an order of steps need to be created which can be easily duplicated.  Let me give you a great example of this.  A McDonalds Big Mac is a McDonalds Big Mac.  It doesn’t matter where you go the Big Mac is pretty much the same from any McDonalds. 

This occurs because McDonalds has created a system for making the Big Mac and every other product they sell.  In fact they have a college where management employees and franchise owners can be trained on successfully executing the system.  It’s called Hamburger University, it is a real place, in Chicago, Illinois.

They teach everything from the amount of condiment to use to the placement of the pickles so they don’t fall out of the bun.  Why, is how a Big Mac made so important to McDonalds?  Two reasons, it assures that every Big Mac is the same whether it is in Bloomington, IL or here in Twin Falls, ID. 

So when you go to McDonalds and order a Big Mac anywhere your expectations are met based on your previous experience.  But, more importantly, for McDonalds, it creates a system which is efficient, is easily duplicated and can be performed by the least qualified person.

With such a system in place McDonalds is able to hire the people with the lowest level of skill, train them in the system, which allows them to perform the task of successfully making the Big Mac on a consistent basis.

Today’s Gospel picks up where we left off last week.  Jesus has just fed the five thousand men plus the women and children who had been gathered to hear him. Needing to be fed, He had performed one of his best known miracles by turning five loaves and two fish into enough food to feed them all with plenty of leftovers. 

We hear in our Gospel today that He went to the mountain alone to pray.  The fact Matthew mentions Jesus praying indicates that big stuff is about to happen in His ministry.

The disciples, having been sent to the other side of the sea by Jesus, were adrift on the water and now far away from shore.  Their boat had been tossed around by the wind and the waves and they were adrift.  It was now, during the fourth watch, which indicates a period between 3am and daybreak.  Because of the early morning darkness, the disciples became afraid of the storm. 

This is when a figure appeared to them, thinking it to be a ghost, they became more frightened.  It was now that Jesus spoke to them saying, “Take heart it is I. Do not be afraid” take special note of the phrase “It is I”.  Remember, in Exodus 3:14, Moses asking God, “Who do I tell them you are?”  From the burning bush God responds with similar words, “I am that I am.”  The expression of “I am” in Moses encounter indicates God.  When we hear Jesus saying, “It is I” we sense once again that it is God.

 In today’s Gospel lesson, we find Peter, yep good ole Peter, who thought because Jesus could walk on water he should be able to do the same.  You know, as I have read more and more about the disciples, I have come to realize that Jesus, too, had found those with the least possible level of skill to be his disciples.

Let’s take a look at these twelve “pillars of the community” Jesus selected to be his disciples:  Simon (whom Jesus nicknamed 'Peter' meaning the 'Rock') Andrew, his brother who were both fishermen, James and his brother John, they were teenage boys and Zebedee was their father he was also a fisherman, so it is assumed that they would have followed on in his profession. Matthew, was a tax collector, the rest of the disciples’: James, the son of Alpheus, Philip, and Bartholomew (also called Nathaniel'), Thomas ('the twin'), Thaddeus, also called 'Judas' or 'Jude', Simon the Zealot, and, Judas Iscariot. (We know Judas as the one who betrayed Jesus), their occupations were unknown but we can rest assured he didn’t find them roaming the halls of an Ivy League University.  These chosen twelve were not statesman, politicians, scholars, known leaders, nor were they rich or famous.  They were regular Joes, common folks leading very ordinary lives.

A while back, Mark Brunell and I were in the back of the sanctuary talking during a church workday.  As our conversation progressed, Mark would periodically walk to the door, open it, and yell green side up.  After about the tenth time, I finally asked him what he was doing.  It was then he explained that Claiborne was outside laying sod.  You see sometimes we need the willing worker not necessarily the one best suited for the job.

Why, why would Jesus choose the less gifted, less smart, less talented to do this most important work of witnessing and then proclaiming what they had seen? After all there were many occasions when these guys abandon Jesus, most notable in the garden the night he was betrayed.  While he prayed, they slept.

Let’s consider Peter further.  Here we have the first chosen disciple, Peter the apostle is one of the most prominent characters in the Gospels, a rough and tumble man whose emotions often got him into trouble, and yet he was clearly one of the favorites of Jesus Christ, who loved him for his big heart.  Not for his wit or intelligence but for his big heart.

When confronted with the inexplicable reality of a God who controls chaos with his toes, Peter does the inexplicable: he asks to meet Jesus in the raging water. The text does not say that Jesus calmed the seas to make Peter’s steps easier. In fact, it is the wind that frightens Peter and causes him to sink. It was only Jesus’ call that made it possible for Peter to make any strides in the first place.

His aggressiveness made Peter a natural spokesman for the twelve. Often, however, he spoke before he thought, and his words led to embarrassment.  We remember Peter for denying Christ three times during the night of Jesus' trial. Following his resurrection, Jesus took special care to rehabilitate Peter and assure him he was forgiven.

Jesus included Peter in his inner circle when he took Peter, James, and John into the house of Jairus, where Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead (Mark 5:35-43). Later, Peter was among those same disciples Jesus chose to witness the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9). Those same three also saw Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33-42). 

I can’t help but wonder if Peter was included in Jesus’ inner circle because he needed more help in learning and understanding what Jesus was all about and he needed to witness and experience these events for himself in order to believe and understand what Jesus was teaching them.  His training was much more hands on.  He would have done well at McDonald’s. Once he had learned the system he was good to replicate it.  In fact, we know he was aggressive which lead him to be a strong witness for Jesus.

Don’t misunderstand, Peter’s transformation from disciple to apostle. For those in adult Sunday school last week, you will remember Pastor Steve explained the difference between disciples and apostles; disciples are those who follow and apostles are those who proclaim the gospel.

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the apostles. Peter was so overcome that he began to preach to the crowd. Acts 2:41 tells us 3,000 people were converted that day. Through the remainder of that book, Peter and John were persecuted for their stand for Christ.  Peter would go on to become a cornerstone of the church. His zealous preaching and devotion to Jesus and the Gospel would lead to his being martyred.

As for the rest of the disciples, we know, they too were cowering in the boat when Jesus appeared to them. However, they chose to stay where they were, to stay in the safety and comfort of the boat and Jesus came to them.  The boat very much represents the Kingdom of God, when we are in the kingdom we find safety and security.  When we wander out on our own, like Peter, we flounder and fail.  As we live in the kingdom we are challenged by many outside influences, money, power, the belief we can walk on water, all of these things lead us away from God’s Kingdom.  But Jesus calls us back, lifts us up, and gently places us back in the boat.

We are now challenged to become voices for Jesus, as followers we are called to share the good news. 

Susie and I went rafting a couple of weeks ago up at Anderson Ranch Dam, with her brother Dennis, her sister-in-law Mary, and our pet nephew, Wally the wonder dog.  As we were driving to our launch point we were viewing the devastation from last year’s wildfires. 

What was most amazing to me were the yellow rudbeckia which had grown out of the ash and were in bloom.  This area had been completely burnt out, yet from this supposed dead soil grew life.  Life from death, hope of renewal. 

This is us.  We have been planted in soil which is dead, but through the promises of the Gospel and the infusion of the Holy Spirit, the ground has been made fertile, we have been given a new life, a new covenant.  By God’s grace we ordinary, least qualified people have been given the promises of God’s Kingdom.

You see, like the McDonalds employees and the disciple, we are all the least qualified. We are broken, we are unfocused, and we are at times the least “Christian” of people. But, through Jesus Christ we are made perfect to serve. 

To carry out his call to us to share the Good News.  Sometimes clumsily, sometimes uncomfortably, but God doesn’t ask us to be perfect, he simply asks us to do our best, with the assurance that He is with us.

In our second reading today from Romans, Paul writes two passages of note:

First, verses 6-8:  ⁶But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷“or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸But what does it say? “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 

The Gospel is the source of faith because it both invites and creates faith

And verse 14: ¹⁴But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? 

Paul’s questions are designed to teach by God’s design, faith is created only through the Word proclaimed. 

The apostle’s, in this case Paul’s, spirit had to be shaped according to the Father’s will. And the Lord kept working on him long after Paul left the desert and began his ministry. Every person who reads his letters is a witness to the work of God in a submissive man.

 Like Paul, you are the Holy Spirit’s student, and the knowledge you reap from Scripture should be changing your life. Be like the apostle in this way to become a disciple maker by sharing what you learn with others.

You see God has created the perfect system.  A system by which even we can all follow.  He made it simple so even the least qualified could be successful. It’s a system by which we receive the word and are simply asked to share it with others by loving them.  In doing so we have completed the two things he asked us to do:  love everyone and proclaim the good news.

Good Dirt

I presented the message for the worship service at our church today.  Below is the manuscript which I am happy to share.

Good Dirt

July, 13, 2014

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

They say the third time is the charm or maybe its three strikes and you’re out, you see, for the third time in the past six years I am preaching on this gospel.  In fact it’s my second time here at OSL. To further understand this, our Gospels are on a three year rotation which means, for the last three rotations the pastor has opted out of preaching on this particular gospel.  I have duly noted; this is a text pastors do not want to preach on and once I am in a parish this will be a vacation week for me every three years. 

Let me introduce you to Eddie, Eddie was born prematurely to a hard working Irish farm family, the eighth of eleven children. Illness due to his premature birth would be a lifelong struggle.  He worked as a shepherd, tending cattle and sheep, a position which suited him because of his frail nature and perceived lack of mental capacity.  However, he attended school and graduated from Summerhill College at the age of eighteen. 

His family were devout in their religious beliefs.  Prayer was central to their and to Eddie’s life.  He immigrated to America with his sister after graduating from college. He entered the United States through Ellis Island.  Eddie settled in Maryland where he would begin his studies.  He would go on to graduate with honors from St. Mary’s College, with this degree he qualified for entrance in Dunwoodie Seminary.  It was here in his first year of seminary where he would contract double pneumonia  and because of his weak lungs was unable to fully recover and was told by the doctor’s he would have to leave seminary for at least one year.

For his recovery he would move in with a brother who lived in Nebraska and was nursed back to health by his sister.  After a complete rest, he sailed for Italy and attended Gregorian University.  However, the harsh Italian winter made him ill again and he would return to the United States where he rejoined his family.  Recovering again, he began work as an accountant until he was healthy enough to resume his seminary studies.  Once again he would travel abroad to Germany and finally Innsbruck, Austria where he, now twenty-six years old, would complete his studies and fulfill a call he first heard at the tender age of six with his ordination to the priesthood.

Soon after his ordination, Eddie would board a ship bound once more for the United States.  He would now follow his brother as assistant pastor to the local Irish community in O’Neill, Nebraska.  Six months later, during Holy Week, Eddie would be transferred to Omaha, Nebraska to assist an ailing pastor there. On Easter Sunday, a violent tornado struck Omaha and wiped out a third of the city.  The next morning Eddie was on the streets with a local mortician picking up the bodies of the dead and making arrangements for their burial. One hundred fifty-five in all were killed in that tornado.

For the next two years Eddie would minister to the needs of those affected by the tornado.  From there his ministry would reach out to finding shelter for the seasonal workers who became stranded in Omaha because of the drought.  Eventually Eddie would convert an old hotel into a shelter for men.  He recruited the homeless men to refurbish the old hotel and initially it housed fifty seven of them.  Over the next few years Eddie would find a larger space and continue to provide housing for the homeless.  Eddie would listen to the stories of these men and came to realize a common thread among them.  None of them had come from a loving family, their families were broken and often they were neglected.

It was at this time Eddie decided to learn all he could about the juvenile justice system, studying social theories and insights of the time.  The following summer, he took seven boys from the courts, met with them three times a week and established a healthy routine for them.  By now he had discovered his purpose, and with the permission of the arch diocese, he moved five boys, eight to ten years of age, into his first home for boys.  This is the beginning of what would be known as Boy’s Town.  To this day Boy’s Town serves the needs of more than 1.4 million boys, girls and families.

And Eddie, the frail little boy who tended sheep because he lacked mental capacity for anything else…that’s right… Eddie is… Father Edward Joseph Flanagan.  Boy’s Town’s founder Father Flanagan. 

The book of Matthew is made up of five discourses.  Today’s gospel comes from what is referred to as the Parables discourse.  The parables discourse provides several parables for the Kingdom of Heaven.  The other four are:

1. The Sermon on the Mount, and is one of the best known and most quoted parts of the New Testament. It includes the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer.

2. The missionary discourse provides instructions to the Twelve Apostles.

3. The community discourse is often called the Discourse on the Church. It includes the parables of The Lost Sheep and The Unforgiving Servant which also refer to the Kingdom of Heaven and finally,

4. The ecological discourse and it is also referred to as the Discourse on the End Time.  The discourse is mostly about judgment and the expected conduct of the followers of Jesus

Each of the discourses has shorter parallel passages in the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Luke. 

In our gospel today we hear the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells of the sowing of seed and the effective results dependent on how the seeds are sown.  First, we need to understand that we are all sowers of seed, as well as, the ground to which the seed is sown.  We are told that even good seed will not produce good fruit if it is carelessly sown. 

My dad was an agronomist, his career was spent in the dirt. He was able to look at a crop in the field and tell you precisely what was needed in the soil to improve the crop health and yield. He would often talk about how unhealthy soil would lead to under producing, unhealthy crops.  He was also able to look at soil sample test results and tell you what additional nutrients the soil would need to improve the yield of the specific crop in the field.  He understood that seed put in soil was not enough to guarantee a desirable yield, he understood the soil needed to be cultivated, fertilized and have the right amount of moisture to produce a good crop. Good soil, good seeds, good results.

In addition, he understood that the quality of the soil could vary in the same field.  There could be areas which could not produce as well as other areas.  They may be too wet, too rocky, or contain less or more nutrients all of which would change the resulting yields. 

Jesus tells us in the gospel today that we, like a field, have fertile soil.  We also have shallow soil, and rocky soil.  He explains that in the shallow soil the seed may take root but will eventually wither and die because of its lack of depth.  We experience that in receiving the word when we falter in our faith and the first signs of resistance.  For example, it is easy for us to talk about Jesus and our faith in the confines of this building or to someone who we know has a relationship with God already.  But, when we are approached by a situation where we may not know the circumstances, a stranger, a coworker or a casual acquaintance we withdraw and are not as bold in our proclamation of faith and of our relationship with God.

In the rocky, thorn ridden soil, no seeds will grow.  This is where the evil one exists.  Satan lies in wait to destroy the seeds which fall within his grasp.  It’s in those moments of weakness where we fail to live up to our call as Christians, where we fall short of His grace, it is here, where we have forgotten the promises of Jesus, that Satan wins and where we will not bear fruit.  It is in this soil where we are deceived by the falsehoods of the world, material Gods, earthly wealth which gets in the way of our relationship with our Father.

It is in the rich fertile soil where God plant’s his Word, rich soil which is planted with seeds of our baptism, cultivated by the promises of the Eucharist and fulfilled in our salvation, won for us on the cross.  Promises of a relationship with God, which cannot be severed.   It is in this soil we plant our God given gifts and abilities and where they grow so they can be utilized to glorify Him.  In each of us are given special gifts:

IT DEPENDS WHOSE HANDS IT’S IN

A basketball in my hands is worth about $19
A basketball in Michael Jordan’s hands is
worth about $33 million
It depends on whose hands it’s in

A baseball in my hands is worth about $6
A baseball in Albert Pujolz hands is worth $23 million
It depends on whose hands it’s in

A tennis racket is useless in my hands
A tennis racket in Pete Sampras’ hands
is a Wimbledon Championship
It depends on whose hands it’s in

A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal
A rod in Moses’ hands will part the mighty sea
It depends on whose hands it’s in

A sling shot in my hands is a kid’s toy
A sling shot in David’s hand is a mighty weapon.
It depends on whose hands it’s in

Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in my hands
is a couple of fish sandwiches.
Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in God’s hands will feed thousands

It depends on whose hands it’s in

Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse
Nails in Jesus Christ’s hands will produce
salvation for the entire world.
It depends on whose hands it’s in

As you see now it depends on whose hands it’s in.
So put your concerns, your worries, your fears, your hopes, your dreams, your families and your relationships in God’s hands because

It depends on whose hands it’s in

An example of allowing the seeds planted in fertile soil occurred twenty-four years ago today, at Wembley Stadium in London, Live Aid was the brainchild of Bob Geldof, the worldwide concert raised more than $110 million. In 1984, Geldof traveled to Ethiopia after hearing news reports of a horrific famine that had killed hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians and threatened to kill millions more. After returning to London, he called Britain's and Ireland's top pop artists together to record a single to benefit Ethiopian famine relief.  "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was performed by "Band Aid," an ensemble of those artists. It was the best-selling single in Britain to that date and raised more than $10 million.

"Do They Know It's Christmas?" was also a No. 1 hit in the United States and inspired U.S. pop artists to come together and perform "We Are the World," The single went to the top of the charts and eventually raised $44 million.

This is a great example of talented individuals using their hands, their heads, and their hearts to serve those in need. A product of seeds planted in fertile soil which came to fruition.

The central lesson [of the Gospel] is that ‘the kingdom of God inaugurated by Jesus will not be established without many serious failures.’  The final success of the kingdom is assured. The goodness of the good soil is not an innate characteristic of some who hear, but is the quality of what they produce.

Those who hear and understand God’s word will bear a fantastic harvest, which will wipe out all the losses caused by the deficiencies of the other soils. God has chosen us and planted his Word in us. We pray that he will enlighten us through his Holy Spirit that we may receive it, understand it, and growing in faith, hope and love, may live according to us. So, God’s kingdom indeed comes of itself. We pray that it may come also to us, and through us, to others. The life of the Christian is the result of the power of the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit human beings are destined for death, even the "good" ones.

The church faces many difficulties as those who are called move between their earthly empowerment which leads to death, and the empowerment of the Spirit which leads to life. But the future of the church is assured. God has given his word, and it will not fail. God waters the earth and causes the crops to grow. Likewise, God alone insures the richness and vitality of the kingdom.