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Sermon - Tuesday in Holy Week (B) - 7th April 2009
St Alban's Anglican Church Epping
Reflection by Anna McCurdy
Picture, if you will, the following –
It is just past dawn. The early golden light glows through the misty morning air. It is late spring, and though the air still has the chill of night, it also holds the promise of a lovely warm day. You are standing at the edge of a large field of rich red Australian clay. It has been recently turned and the smell of the earth and the morning dew fills the air. You see a farmer getting ready for his morning’s work – the first day of planting. He has already carefully prepared the soil, and the with the day’s warmth he knows the time is right. He reaches down and picks up a bag full of seeds; seeds carefully chose to match the soil the climate and the needs of the farmer. For a moment he pauses, inhaling the scent of the earth while combing his fingers through the bag of seeds. He reaches in and grabs a handful, looking at the grains and smiling. Then he steps forward, head up, smiling, and the first handful of seeds are spread across the ground. The seeds are sown.
Today is Tuesday in Holy Week, a special day while also being another day in the season of Lent. Today, like many other days, we gather together here in this place to spend a moment (or even a while) learning about Christ. We also gather together as a community to talk and to share. Today is one day on our journey. There are many days with many meanings and many times for many things. Most importantly though today is an opportunity - an opportunity to grow and to blossom in beauty in the eyes of God. Today, we are here to grow in the love and knowledge of Jesus by taking time and looking how we came to this moment and how we have grown to be the Christians we are today.
Now take the farmer that I was just speaking of – He labored over the soil, preparing it, making sure it had all of the nutrients needed to feed the crop he was about to sow. He also knew all about the climate and the weather pattern of the area; when is good to plant and what to do to make certain to gain the best harvest. God created our world specifically so that we could be independent and grow to be the culmination of His creation. I really want to delve into this idea. God created our world so that we could be the best of His creations.
Let’s look at the soil. The ground in which plants spread out their roots to allow for growth above in the air. God laid out our ground, our soil, in the formation and structure of the Church. The Church is there for us to dig into, to know where our linage comes from and to learn from the past. The nutrient in our own personal soil is derived from the teaching of the Bible and from those who have come before us. What else could possibly feed us better? We learn from our parents, our friends, our forefathers. We also learn how to grow from the teachings of the Bible and the structure of the liturgy.
Once our roots are firmly established in the soil, we grow out into the air. We as individuals are like shoots coming up from the soil, reaching for the sun. As much as the soil feeds us, it is the community around us that protects us from harsh weather and from weeds that might come in a smother us. Together as a community, we can brace against the wind. To me, one of the most beautiful things in the world is to watch the wind dance over a field of wheat, but this effect only works if you have a field of wheat standing together. A single stem struggles to keep from bending and breaking against some of the harsh conditions of this world. Also, it’s quite often very valuable to plant certain plants together – they naturally help each other deal with pests or weeds. The Church as a community is just as important as the Church as house of knowledge. You need both to produce a healthy robust crop of Christians.
The soil, the crop… I still haven’t addressed the point of what I’m trying to talk about today. What of the seed.
God created us each individually to be here on earth. I heartily believe that God created me to be me. He created me with the so much potential and so many gifts and the ability that if I want to I can use those gifts to honor Him. I also believe that he created each of us to be individuals, no two alike, and each one of us with our own purpose. As a part of His creation He planted us here with all the expectant hope that a farmer has when he plants his field.
I am a seed, I have everything in me to grow into a great Christian and blossom into one of God’s chosen creations – but I am the one who has to do it. My Christian life is very much like the life of a seed. Just as I am ready, with the energy inside me being stirred by the Holy Spirit, I am baptized. My shell is soaked in water, making my protective shell easier to cast aside. It is my energy alone that begins this process of breaking free. It’s all within me. Once out of my shell I can then delve into the church to learn and to soak up knowledge. I can find a firm foundation in the Church, and I can do more. I can grow into a Christian, standing tall with my friends, my family, my community. Their support helps me as I grow, and I in my turn help them when a sudden gust might blow them over.
All of this is possible, it’s all within me, but I’m the one who has to recognize the potential that God gave me when he created me.
Today is another day in Lent, a season of meditation and a time of preparation. Take this time to germinate, to grow, and to stand together. It’s up to each of us to make it out of our shell, to cast of the life of being just a seed and rise into the life that Christ has shown us.