Good Soil

4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” 9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ 11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 
                                                                                                                                    ~Luke 8:4-11

In this parable Jesus shares that the seeds that were sown represent the word of God. They represent Jesus to the world. Seeds that fall on the path are the people that hear the word but the devil steals it and they don't believe. The seeds that fall on rock are the people that receive the word of God joyfully but have no roots so when tempted they fall. The seeds that fall among thorns are the people who go about their lives and the word of God is choked out by the riches and pleasures of this world. But the seed that falls on soil are those people that hear the word of God and commit themselves to do good and they are able to bear fruit.

I remember an adult talk at one of our youth Discovery weekends about a decade ago where the adult youth leader gave a talk on this scripture. She did not want to do it but I #voluntold her she was doing it. (Sorry Suzy-I stole the word voluntold from you) I know it was a great talk because I remember parts of it all these years later. Suzy had a great relationship with all these youth and the volunteers. She's also one of the few people in my life who can tell me to do something and I actually HAVE to do it-no questions asked. Love you Suzy!! Suzy gave an impassioned talk about each of the youth being this good soil that Jesus was talking about in this parable. She looked across every corner of the worship center and told each of the youth that they were this good soil that Jesus talked about. It was very impactful. These youth hear the word of God and commit to spread the word of God and by sharing they bear good fruit. The more people that share about Jesus-the more people hear about Jesus. It's simple math, really. 

I love this excerpt from The Making of Methodism I have: "Worship is a gracious encounter between God and the church. God speaks to us, especially through scripture read and proclaimed and through symbols and sacraments. We respond, chiefly through hymns and prayers and acts of dedication. Worship is the work of the whole people of God: a congregation is not an audience or a group of spectators."

For something to grow it has to be cultivated. Whether it is in worship, in service to others, or in inviting others to church. In the church the word of God must be cultivated by the pastor AND the lay people-in fact the lay people can be more impactful in this because there are more lay people than pastors and research shows (or at least the facebook meme tells us) that people are more than ten times likely to come to church when invited by a friend than by a pastor. John Wesley understood the importance of the lay people and empowered them to lead effectively alongside the pastor. United Methodist pastors are itinerant then as they are now. But in Wesley's time it was different because pastors would travel from church to church on foot or on horseback so the church members would have to lead in the time between when a pastor would be present. 

In order for each of us to grow in our faith where we can influence and help reach others for Christ we must commit to being this good soil. It's a big part of our discipleship process. We can be taught by the pastor. Even as a pastor I am taught by other pastors and lay people alike so that I can improve as a Christ follower. It's past time that we all step up and show others that we are that good soil that Jesus talks with the disciples about: that we all hear about Jesus and we commit to doing good and sharing about Jesus.

Grace & Peace
Kevin

Nothing Else Matters

Today we visited the River Jordan, the place of Jesus’ baptism. I had the opportunity to remember my baptism thanks to Lisa being willing to go in the water with myself and Steve. 

There were a lot of people there and we were a little pressed for time before going to our next destination. We quickly put on the robes and went straight down to the river Jordan. It was busy and chaotic and we had to rush. There were people of many nationalities present to remember their baptism or be baptized. They were all disciples of Christ-as Tim so eloquently pointed it out in our devotion time. Did I mention there were a lot of people there? 

As we got into the water and Lisa said words for us to remember our baptism, everything else went away. As Steve put it at devotional tonight, in that moment nothing else matters. And it was true. We didn’t notice a small child sitting and watching at the edge of the water the whole time. We didn’t notice others taking pictures. We weren’t thinking about how we would have to rush and change and be back on the bus in ten minutes. In that moment it was simply the three of us and God. I’m not surprised that being in such a meaningful place that we were able to block everything else out.

Such an amazing experience to be in the presence of the God we serve. I know many others have had a similar experience in such a special place. 

Grace & Peace

Kevin

Magdala

Sometimes I go into something with preconceived notions and expectations of what I think is going to happen or what I’m going to experience. I try my best to not have have these expectations when I venture to places I have never been. But as I journeyed to the Holy Land I couldn’t help but look at the itinerary and see what sites we were visiting each day. I looked at the first day and got excited about visiting the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Beatitudes, and the church of the fishes and loaves-which is the traditional site of the feeding of the 5000. The site on the itinerary about visiting the town of Magdala was really an afterthought when up against those other powerhouse locations from scripture. Well I should have known that it would be the most powerful because i didn’t think it would be that meaningful.     

Don’t get me wrong, all the sites were amazing but Magdala really stood out for a variety of reasons. We saw the ruins of a relatively newly discovered first century synagogue which included a rectangular stone from when the temple was standing. The chancel area in the chapel had a boat (yes-a not) that was uniquely positioned with a view of the Sea of Galilee behind it so it looked like the boat was on the water. It’s almost like it was placed that way on purpose. And the church on site was made in honor of Mary Magdalene, Old Testament women, New Testament women, and most importantly women of today. What a powerful message and representation of such a magnificent church.

My point is that sometimes we need to simply let go of our expectations and simply BE. Be in the presence of God and hear what God has to say through us through creation.

As Psalm 46:10 says: “Be still and know that I am God.” Do that and you might be surprised how God will speak to you.

Grace & Peace

What is Your Value?

Take a look at the picture of currency from different countries. They are from the United States, Kenya, New Zealand, and Fiji. Notice a couple things about them. First, the money has pictures of well known people on them such as presidents, gold medal winning rugby players, and of course-cool animals. Second, you'll notice two different looking Kenyan schillings. The 200 bill is almost out of circulation so it will have no value and is being replaced by the newer, fancier, cooler looking bill (which is shown by the 500 bill). Third, as awesome as the $7 Fiji bill is-it has no monetary value here in Texas. Likewise the Kenyan schillings have no value here. By the same token (pun intended)-the $2 bill would hold no monetary value outside of the United States. The $2 bill is worth two bucks but I value it more than someone else would because it includes a stamp on it that is the logo of a musician friend of mine. Years ago when I ordered one of his cds he sent the stamped $2 bill in the shipment as a thank you. Now the bill is my favorite bookmark. It begs the question, what is the value of money? It's all in the eye of the beholder. Here's a scripture that helps me understand value.

"Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, "Show me the denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?" They said, "The emperor's." He said to them, "Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's and to God the things that are God's" And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, they became silent.    ~Luke 20:21-26

When Jesus is questioned about taxes he places value on the money but not much value on it. He recognizes something far more valuable than money. The people are trying to trick him into saying something that can get him arrested. When asked if it is lawful to pay taxes to the emperor (who was viewed as God by some) Jesus seemingly has two ways to respond. If he says yes it is lawful to pay to the emperor then he will lose credibility with his followers because as the son of God why would he be paying someone else who claims to be a God. If he says no it is not lawful then he could be arrested for going against the emperor. So naturally, Jesus cleverly comes up with a third better option. He simply asks whose face is on the coin and they respond by saying "the emperor's." Jesus then says to give the things to the emperor that are the emperor's and give to God the things that are God's. He has cleverly subverted their expectation with his answer and we all learn from it.

But what exactly does he mean when he says give to God what is God's? It's in direct opposition to giving money to the emperor. So what are we to give to God? We are to give ourselves to God. We are to give every fiber of our being to God. God doesn't want us to offer all the money and materialistic things we have, God wants us to offer ourselves and all that we are. And God values each and every person more than anything else and none of us can ever be replaced. Just my read on what Jesus is trying to say here.

Grace & Peace

Kevin

Why I'm United Methodist

I have been United Methodist since I was a child and I plan on remaining United Methodist. My experience in the United Methodist Church interacts with scripture and informs my understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ. I appreciate the connectionalism of the UMC. There's a great metaphor from a book called The Lego Principle that speaks to this: 

"While LEGO bricks are so varied, they all have one purpose: to connect at the top and at the bottom....This is the LEGO principle: Connect first to God and then to one another." (The Lego Principle, page 3) 

I feel like sometimes we focus so much on connecting with God we forget to focus on connecting with others. As I said on Sunday, as a youth and college student I drifted away from attending church on a regular basis. During that time in the wilderness, I never missed an opportunity to go to summer camp at Ceta Canyon Methodist Camp. I struggled with the local church but unbeknownst to me-going to the Ceta Canyon kept me plugged in to my faith as I struggled with my own local church until a mentor invited me back. My struggle is more of a reflection on me than on the church I attended but being able to stay connected through conference camp ultimately helped keep me in the fold. I connected with other youth and other camp counselors and that helped to sustain my faith. I witnessed this as a youth director when busy schedules and excuses got in the way of youth regularly attending Sunday and Wednesday activities but they wouldn't miss a chance to go to summer camp or on a summer mission trip with youth they had met from other churches.

My reason informs me that I don't know or understand everything (as much as I might like to) and that I must witness and live out the gospel in a way that is thoughtful and respectful to everyone. I appreciate the diversity of the United Methodist Church. Not just a diversity of of race, and culture but a diversity of opinions. This diversity and difference allows for discussions with those different than ourselves. These discussions and relationships are how we learn and come to appreciate other people and other points of view. Although we are different "United Methodists as a diverse group of people continue to strive for consensus in understanding the gospel. In our diversity, we are held together by a shared inheritance and a common desire to participate in the creative and redemptive activity of God." (BOD paragraph 105) We don't have to be of one mind but can and should be of one heart and that heart is to lead everyone to follow Christ. We learn and grow when we are in conversation with those who are different than us. The church should be the model we see at the birth of the church in the book of Acts and that church is a church of diverse people.

Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to love God and the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor. And our neighbor is everyone. One of our foundational beliefs as United Methodists is our believe in grace. We are given grace as a gift from God-it is undeserved and unmerited. God gives us grace before we even know God and God loves us so much that God sent Jesus to die for us to atone for our sins. This grace is something we need to extend to everyone. Jesus didn't shut people out and neither should we. Jesus even gathered with his betrayer Judas knowing that Judas was responsible for his death. If we are to be like Jesus then we must show grace to everyone-even those we don't agree with.

Grace & Peace

RevKev