Surely God was in this place

Jacob was not a popular brother. He had deceitfully tricked his father Isaac into giving him the blessing that was meant for the oldest son, Esau. But since Isaac was blind, Jacob made it seem that he was in fact Esau. The blessing was like an arrow and could not be retracted. And so with this act of deceit under his belt Jacob left home and we picked up the story in the Genesis passage that we heard read.

Jacob dreams a dream with angels going up and down a ladder to and from heaven. It is a dream that changes his life. He is in awe and knows that he is in a Holy place and that something sacred has happened to him. So in keeping with a common way of handling something so incredible, Jacob takes the stone that he had used as his pillow and anoints it with oil and this makes it an unequivocally holy place.‘Surely God was in this place! And I didn’t know it!”

God has definitely got Jacob’s attention. Has God ever got your attention before in any surprising ways? Hold on to that thought . You remember the story of Moses in Exodus 3, when he sees the burning bush? It’s a symbol we refer to in the Presbyterian church. God tells Moses to take off his sandals because he is on holy ground. God was in that place.

Then we read the passage from the gospel of Mark. Mark was the earliest gospel written, most likely by someone who knew the disciple Peter, and had listened to his stories. It was written around the year 70 CE, when the temple in Jerusalem -a holy place - was being destroyed by the Roman armies. The Jews had rebelled against the Roman authorities and had been put under siege. It was a dangerous time. And at the same time - Christians were being persecuted and they faced violent opposition. Mark’s words would have been shared among them -quietly - in this difficult time.

And so Jesus is in a boat, about to tell a story to all the people who have gathered to hear him. Listen! He says. And he tells them a parable of the Kingdom. In all of the first three gospels, it is the first parable told. It is a watershed moment; a significant parable to grasp. However, the disciples just don’t seem to get it. At the beginning of the gospel they really do seem a bit dull. In fact they struggle to get any of what is happening, and it’s only after Jesus’ resurrection that they understand.

So the parable seems to ask us to reflect on the complexities of faith. Does our faith endure hardship, discouragement? Prosperity? Is our faith just for emergencies or is it just a ‘holiday accessory,’ as one New Testament scholar framed it. Is the effort worth it? Here at St. Andrew’s church, at Knox, at Trinity - we are in a time of change. We cannot say what is next, but God is always up to something. God can be very sneaky.

The springtime is sometimes referred to as a greening season. New life emerges from dirt and dust. - so, personally I figure this may be a good excuse not to bother dusting… At any rate before things grow, there can be mud. It can be messy. This; now, - in this holy place, it is an interim time - a new journey is beginning, and it takes courage to cross a new threshold.

There is a lot of work that goes into planting a new crop too . First, the farmer plows the field to turn the soil over. After plowing the harrowing of the soil takes place. The clods of earth are broken up and the surface is prepared . I want to share with you a poem called The Harrowing. It is written by Parker Palmer and is in his book Listening to your life.

The Harrowing - by Parker Palmer

The plow has savaged this sweet field

Misshapen clods of earth kicked up

Rocks and twisted roots exposed to view

Last year’s growth demolished by the blade

I have plowed my life this way

Turned over a whole history

Looking for the roots of what went wrong

Until my face is ravaged, furrowed, scarred.

Enough. The job is done.

Whatever’s been uprooted, let it be

Seedbed for the growing that is to come.

I plowed to unearth last year’s reasons…

The farmer plows to plant a greening season.

Listen! Jesus says. The sower is tossing seeds with great abandon. It reminds me of a painting of the sower that was painted by Vincent Van Gogh. He painted and drew over 30 pieces of art about the parable of the sower. He found it very meaningful, and it represented hope, growth and the cycle of life for him. He started out as a lay preacher and his faith was important to him. God is scattering seeds of mercy, grace and love. It is God who is the sower. And God’s seeds often take root in unexpected and surprising places. Have you ever seen a flower emerge from a crack in the pavement?

That can get our attention too.

God is wastefully generous, creating something new all the time. Our response; our openness to God’s plans is important. We are called to serve our Divine Creator as best we can, and to respond to this abundant creativity. We can water the plants. We can try to weed, to feed the new growth, to prune and tend as best we can. And we also need to try not to get in God’s way. This doesn’t imply that we need to be amassing good deeds, focussed on works, but it is about sharing God’s grace, forgiveness, peace, joy, and love- with generous abandon. But, ultimately - it is God who is the Divine sower.

Philip Yancy points out that Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more. And Grace means that there is nothing we can do to make God love us less. Yes - God is always up to something.

We may be tossing seeds to help, tiny seeds, that seem unspectacular. But God creates the harvest, and unexpected things that grow. The seeds may seem barely noticeable. Can you think of seeds that others have sown in your life? How did it get your attention? When my husband Ian and I were first married, things were very tight financially. I remember our dear friend Merle, leaving groceries outside our door. She knew our needs, and she blessed us many times in many ways.

How have people scattered seeds in your life?

When I was about 9 years old I was diagnosed with an unusual blood disease. There were fears that it might be Leukemia. At any rate, I spent a long time in the hospital. I laid in bed and read books, and went through countless diagnostic tests that I can still recall, and hear. One Sunday afternoon our minister came to visit me. I remember it so well. He brought me - me! A nine year old! - the flowers from church that morning. I remember his kindness and caring . The diagnosis turned out to be an odd disease, as I said, but I recovered. Surely God was in that place and I didn’t know it! It was a Holy place.

The seeds he planted in my heart that day took hold. It contributed to my search for God. The roots of what was planted clearly are important to me. When I was blessed to serve as a Spiritual Care provider at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, I often thought of my minister, Rev. Sangwine’s simple, but loving visit. And I still remember many of my own visits to CHEO. I remember asking one boy who was probably about 9 as well, - so what do you think God is like? Without hesitation he replied: God is very kind, very smart, and very handsome. He was a refugee from Lebanon. Maybe it is as simple as smiling at a stranger . Maybe it is asking someone’s name, offering a hug to someone.

The philosopher Martin Buber said - do not withhold yourself! I think he was wise. Some of you may know that I carry socks and granola bars in my car to share with those on the street looking for help. If someone is standing by the turn signal lane and there is a bit of time, I engage the person and offer them socks and granola bars. They may not want them, but I ask their name and there is a smile. Most folk are delighted. I remember one man was so delighted, he immediately took his shoes off, changed into the new socks and put his shoes back on - all before the light changed.

Surely God was in that place, that moment.

Some people found offense in Jesus’ stories. Jewish leaders were suspicious of him, and we know how that turned out. We are called to serve, to do our best to enable growth - but it is less about us thinking about what kind of soil we are. God can grow stuff anywhere. Birds, bees, animals, the wind, - they can all spread the seeds God tosses into the air. And God uses us too. It might be something very small, you never know…..

Over the years I have had some wonderful encounters and conversations with people who live on the street. One time I was upset and fighting back tears. There were several people begging near my car. We had spoken a while earlier, but this time they asked me if I was ok, and they gave me hugs. God’s grace and mercy show up in unexpected moments. Like dandelions flowering in a crack in the road.

God was in that place. It got my attention.

I want to tell you one more story. I had gone to the grocery store recently to pick up a few things, and as I went outside to put my cart back, I turned and saw a young woman leaning against the wall crying.

She wasn’t begging but was definitely having trouble. I went over to her and asked if she was ok. She shook her head and quietly said no. I asked her what was wrong. Meanwhile all kinds of people were walking past us. She said her boyfriend had suddenly left her, and had taken all their money with him and she didn’t know why. Then she told me she hadn’t eaten in a couple of days. I looked in my purse, and surprisingly I actually had some cash which can be a rare occurrence. I gave her some and told her to go and buy some food. She looked at me, taken aback and asked if she could hug me. Of course. And while everyone wandered by we hugged. I asked her if she had a place to go. She had a tent in Gonzales park. We talked a bit more just to bring the emotions down and said good bye.

Now I tell you this not to blow my horn to look like some hero, because I am not. I listened. I did what I was able, and God can take what happened and hopefully something good will grow in her life too. God is sneaky. Who knew that Thrifty’s was such a holy place. God is in this place. It is a holy place. Where has God got your attention? Listen! I have one more poem to share.

Beloved, the Sower is Dancing - by Rev. Allison Burns-LaGreca

Beloved, listen

The Sower is dancing.

Not politely

Not carefully

Not waiting for the right conditions.

No

He is spinning wild across the field,

Hands flinging seed like mercy on the wind,

Grace everywhere.

Hope everywhere.

And he does not skip the hard ground.

He does not skip the places

The world has already written off.

I see him on the trampled paths,

On streets pressed flat by poverty and despair.

And I swear, I can almost hear Him whisper to the dirt,

“You are not forgotten. Life will break you open yet”

I see Him among the rocks and He looks at them

Like they are not hopeless

Like he knows even the smallest crack can split wide

When love takes root.

And yes , He wades straight into the thorns

Thorns that smell like power and profit

Thorns dripping with the blood of the poor.

the brambles tear His skin, but He doesn’t stop.

“Even here,” He seems to say,

“The Kingdom will push through.”

Beloved, hear me.

This is not just His dance anymore

The music has shifted.

The Sower has turned ,

Looked straight at you

And held out His hand.

The seeds are in your palms now.

So scatter them like you believe God will waste nothing.

Scatter love into conversations,

That feel too far gone,

Scatter hope where cynicism sneers.

Scatter justice loud enough

To be called reckless,

Loud enough to be called dangerous.

Because this is the Holy secret

It’s not your skill that grows the harvest

It’s your courage to keep sowing,

Even when it looks foolish.

One day, the whole field will rise,

Green, wild, unstoppable.

And you will stand in the middle of it,

Ankle deep in grace,

Heart pounding with wonder, saying,

“God, You did it. You really did it.”

So come beloved

Take His hand.

the music is already playing.

Sow anyway. Dance anyway. Love anyway.

Amen.