1 SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST: PROPER 11A JULY 20, 2014 Genesis 28:10-19a Fork Church Psalm 139:1-11,22-23 Doswell, VA Romans 8:12-25 Ruth Partlow Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 8:19 READS: THE FIRST VERSE OF A POEM BY MAGGIE DURRAN DERIVED FROM ROMANS I walk with you, my children, through valleys filled with gloom; in echoes of starlight and shadows of the moon. In the whispers of the night wind are gentle words for you to touch you and assure you it s my world you re walking through. And all creation s waiting on tiptoe just to see The children of God come into their own. 1 THIS POEM WAS SET TO MUSIC SOME FORTY YEARS AGO. I LOVED THE WORDS AND ESPECIALLY THE REFRAIN. IT REMINDS ME OF GOD S LOVE FOR US AND IT PAINTS A PICTURE OF ALL OF CREATION WAITING FOR US HUMAN BEINGS TO COME INTO OUR OWN THAT IS, TO COME INTO THE FULLNESS OF WHAT GOD HAS CREATED EACH OF US TO BE. THE NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION, PUTS IT IN THIS WAY, FOR CREATION WAITS WITH EAGER LONGING FOR THE REVEALING OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD. WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD. ROMANS 8:16-17 STATES, FOR ALL WHO ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD ARE CHILDREN OF GOD. WE ARE SPIRIT-LED PEOPLE GOD S SPIRIT IS IN US, ON US AND AROUND US. WHEN WE CRY, ABBA! FATHER! IT IS THAT VERY SPIRIT BEARING WITNESS WITH OUR SPIRIT THAT WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD AND JOINT HEIRS WITH CHRIST. (Romans 8:16-17) HOWEVER, SOMETIMES WE DON T FEEL LIKE WE ARE TRULY GOD S CHILDREN. WE FEEL ALONE, FEARFUL, WORRIED. SOMETIMES IT SEEMS THAT THE WORLD IS CRASHING IN AROUND US. EVERYWHERE WE TURN THERE IS SADNESS AND 1 Maggie Durran. Fresh Sounds. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI. 1976. Pp 146-148.
2 TRAGEDY. FROM PEOPLE HURTING EACH OTHER THROUGH ACTS OF VIOLENCE GUNS, STABBING, INVASIONS, WAR, SHOOTING DOWN A COMMERCIAL AIRLINER, TO DROUGHT IN THE WEST, STORMS AND FLOODS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COUNTRY. AND THAT S NOT TO MENTION OUR OWN WORRIES AND TROUBLES. NO WONDER WE ASK, HOW CAN THIS BE IF WE REALLY ARE GOD S CHILDREN? I WAS SO DISCOURAGED THE OTHER NIGHT WE JUST SIMPLY TURNED OFF THE EVENING NEWS. SOMETIMES IT IS TOO MUCH TO BEAR THE SHRILL, DISTURBING VOICES THAT BRING THE WORLD S MAYHEM INTO RIGHT OUR HOMES. YET. [And] all creation s waiting on tiptoe just to see The children of God come into their own. 2 IT IS CLEAR THAT THERE IS IN EACH OF US BOTH GOODNESS AND BADNESS. IT IS ALL MIXED IN TOGETHER. THE OTHER DAY A FRIEND SHARED A STORY ABOUT HIS DOG ATTACKING A CAT. HE TOLD US THAT HE WAS HORRIFIED AT THE VIOLENCE OF THE ATTACK. HOW COULD SUCH A LOVING DOG ATTACK ANOTHER CREATURE? HE WAS SHAKEN BY THE BRUTE STRENGTH OF HIS DOG AS HE PULLED HIM OFF THE CAT. THEN HE ADDED, YOU KNOW I M LIKE THAT TOO I M A MIXTURE OF GOOD AND BAD. AFTERWARDS I THOUGHT ABOUT JESUS PARABLE OF THE WEEDS IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT PERHAPS IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT A WHEAT FIELD OUT IN THE COUNTRYSIDE. PERHAPS I AM PERHAPS YOU ARE THE FIELD PLANTED WITH WHEAT A GOOD CROP. THE GOOD WHEAT GROWS WITHIN US SILENTLY, HIDDEN. BUT THEN SOMETHING HAPPENS AND A CROP OF BADNESS BEGINS TO GROW THERE TOO THE PARABLE CALLS IT EVIL! 2 Maggie Durran. Fresh Sounds. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI. 1976. Pp 146-148.
3 GOD PLANTS WITHIN EACH PERSON A SPARK, A BIT OF GOD S SELF. THIS IS- GOODNESS BURIED DEEP WITHIN. THIS IS OUR TRUE SELF. THIS RESIDES GOODNESS IS IMPLANTED IN EVERYONE. WE ARE ALL BORN WITH THIS. HOWEVER, AS WE BEGIN TO GROW, WE DEVELOP ANOTHER PERSONA. IT BECOMES THE SELF THAT MEETS THE WORLD, THE SELF THAT SEEKS TO PLEASE OTHERS, THAT PROTECTS US FROM HURT AND HARM, AND THE ONE RESPONDS IN VARIOUS WAYS TO THE DIFFICULTIES AND PROBLEMS OF LIFE. THIS PERSONA IS THE FALSE SELF OR THE EGO. IN TIME THIS BECOMES THE FACE WE EACH PRESENT TO THE WORLD. THE TRUE SELF HIDES WITHIN US. OFTEN, WE ARE COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF OUR TRUE SELF. OF THE FALSE SELF OR EGO, THE APOSTLE PAUL WROTE IN ROMANS 7:19, I DO NOT DO THE GOOD I WANT, BUT THE EVIL I DO NOT WANT IS WHAT I DO. DOES THIS EVER HAPPEN TO YOU? IT DOES TO ME. SOMETIMES I KNOW WHAT IS RIGHT AND GOOD AND YET SOMEHOW I DO OR SAY WHAT I SHOULD NOT. IN OTHER WORDS, I MESS UP. I SIN! THE FALSE SELF IS INTERESTED IN ITSELF WHAT I HAVE,. WHO I CONTROL,. WHO I AM. THEOLOGIAN PAUL RICOUER CALLED IT THE PROBLEM OF HAVING, POWER, AND WORTH. THE FALSE SELF SO OFTEN CHOOSES ONE OR MORE OF THOSE WAYS: THE WAY THAT LEADS TO WEALTH AND POSSESSIONS, THE WAY OF POWER OVER OTHERS, OR THE WAY OF ATTAINING OF GREAT ESTEEM AND HONOR. IN THE PARABLE OF THE WEEDS, WE LEARN THAT THE GOOD WHEAT AND THE WEEDS ARE HARVESTED TOGETHER. THEN THEY ARE SEPARATED -- THE WEEDS, TO BE ELIMINATED BURNED AND THE GOOD WHEAT TO REMAIN.
4 IF OUR TRUE SELF IS THE GOOD WHEAT AND THE FALSE SELF THE WEEDS, WHAT MIGHT THIS SAY TO US OF OUR LIVES? GOD WANTS US TO BE THE GOOD WHEAT. IT MEANS THE WEEDS OR FALSE SELF MUST DIE OR AT LEAST DIMINISH. KATHLEEN DOWLING SINGH HAS WORKED IN HOSPICE FOR MANY YEARS. SHE HAS WALKED WITH MANY PEOPLE AS THEY WERE DYING. IN HER BOOK, THE GRACE IN DYING SHE TELLS OF HER EXPERIENCE AND IMPRESSIONS IN THIS WORK. SHE CONCLUDES THAT SHE WANTS HER FALSE SELF TO DIE WAY BEFORE HER PHYSICAL DEATH. SHE SAYS, MAY THE PERSON I THINK I AM DIE BEFORE I DO. IN OTHER WORDS MAY THE FALSE SELF THE PERSON I THINK I AM DIE, BEFORE MY PHYSICAL DEATH. IT IS ONLY WHEN WE LET GO OF THE FALSE SELF OUR EGO SELF THAT WE ARE FREED TO BECOME THE PERSON GOD CREATED US TO BE.. IT IS ONLY THEN THAT THE TRUE SELF SHINES FORTH FROM US. THIS IS THE VERY THING JESUS HINTS AT WHEN HE TALKS OF THE GRAIN OF WHEAT FALLING INTO THE GROUND AND DYING SO THAT NEW LIFE CAN ARISE. (John 12:24) OFTEN THIS COMES ONLY AFTER GREAT SUFFERING OR AT THE END OF LIFE WHEN ALL ELSE IS TAKEN AWAY FROM THE DYING PERSON. BUT GOD DESIRES THAT EACH OF US BECOME THE GOOD WHEAT AND ALLOW THE TRUE SELF TO SHINE FORTH WAY BEFORE OUT PHYSICAL DEATH. WE HAVE TO LET GO OF OUR FALSENESS, OUR OUTER PERSONA SO THAT WE BECOME THE PERSON THAT GOD CREATED US EACH TO BE. THE MYSTICS FROM MEISTER ECKHART, JOHN OF THE CROSS AND TERESA OF AVILA TO THOMAS MERTON, RICHARD ROHR, CYNTHIA BOURGEAULT AND MARTIN LAIRD ALL WRITE ABOUT THIS IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. THIS IS OUR CHRISTIAN JOURNEY TO BECOME THE PERSON WHO GOD CREATED US TO BE TO LET GO OF
5 THE FALSE SELF LET IT BE BURNED AS CHAFF. AND TO LET THE TRUE SELF SHINE FORTH. THIS IS OUR LIFE S JOURNEY. AS WE LOOK AT OUR BROKEN WORLD, THE ONLY WAY TO CHANGE IT IS TO BEGIN RIGHT HERE WITH YOU AND ME, TO ASK GOD TO SHOW US THE WAY TO FIND OUR TRUE SELVES. And all creation s waiting on tiptoe just to see The children of God come into their own. 3 3 Maggie Durran. Fresh Sounds. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI. 1976. Pp 146-148.