"Weeding the Mission Field is NOT Our Job -- Thank God!"

Back in the day when I was a kid riding in the car with my family, I remember there were a few times when I was looking out the window, and I saw a bumper sticker that got my attention, though I wasn't exactly sure what it meant at the time. The bumper sticker declared, "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention...." Fast forward a few years to when I was a teenager driving myself around, and I saw that same bumper sticker on an older car: "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention." That's when it began to dawn on me that those words were referring to the widespread social unrest and rampant injustice many people had experienced during the late 60s and early 70s. Think Vietnam War and Kent State and Watergate and the Civil Rights marches and protest movements and so many other things!... When I searched for the origin of that bumper sticker quote recently, I discovered that those same words are enjoying renewed popularity in our own time. And I have to say, the revival of that particular quote doesn't surprise me!... I mean, every day it seems you and I awaken to some new atrocity streaming from what amounts to a proverbial firehose of lies and greed and corruption. It's exhausting and it wears us down. And THAT, my friends, is precisely the intention of those who are pointing the firehose at us! They want us to grow weary and turn away. They want us to tune out and hide under the covers. They want us to drown our sorrows in "bread and circuses" - to soothe ourselves with comfort food and mindless entertainment .... BUT Scripture and history teach us that the price of this kind of distraction is destruction and division, and we're seeing and hearing and feeling the pain of that destruction and division today. {Amen?...] And that's why some of today's modern prophets are reviving the call to us to pay attention and be justifiably outraged, so that we can harness the energy of righteous anger and come together in serving our neighbors and working for justice.

"If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention...." I think that quote sprang to mind for me these past few days because in reflecting on this provocative parable from Matthew 13, I've found myself thinking, "If you and I are not unsettled by the words Jesus speaks here, we're not paying attention!..." Speaking of things that are unsettling, I'd like to tell you about three conversations I've had recently with people from the wider Canby community who aren't members of Zoar. Like Jesus's parable, each of these conversations has unsettled me by reminding me that God's mission field is made up of both wheat and weeds and that we humans are not qualified to judge which is which. As you listen to my stories, I invite you to reflect on your own experiences: When have you been in a situation where someone made it clear they viewed you as a "weed?" Or have you ever been the one who quickly judged someone else to be a weed, only to find that they weren't? ... So, the first conversation I want to tell you about was rather unpleasant for me because! felt like I was being called a "weed" that needed to be uprooted. Essentially, my conversation partner implied that I don't preach the gospel because my sermons sometimes touch on political matters. Of course, I beg to differ because I believe the gospel is intended to challenge and unsettle us, as well as comforting us with God's promises. I mean, consider how the prophets and Jesus himself confront persons and institutions that stray from God's Commandments, choosing to use their power in ways that hurt God's people. And yet...l have to admit I was stung by the criticism of my conversation partner. It hurts to receive the message that I'm a "weed" in God's mission field.... Several days later, I attended the city council meeting where Zoar's Community Dinner volunteers and Canby Kiwanis members received a proclamation recognizing them for 15 years of service providing more than 75,000 dinners to our community. Wow! It was such a joy to celebrate with our people, and after the meeting, my joy was increased and deepened by interactions I had with two individuals. One person, whom I didn't immediately recognize, approached me and told me how a conversation I'd had with them more than a year ago had helped them navigate a crisis and begin to turn their life around. I thanked them for telling me because in situations like that I often don't get to hear how things turn out. As I was leaving the library to walk to my car, I thought, "Hmm...maybe I'm not such a 'weed' after all!..." Just then, another acquaintance came toward me on the sidewalk. It was someone I've spoken with a couple of times before, and my guard went up a bit because I'd always had the impression that this person, who belongs to different Christian tradition, thought I was a "weed." But it turns out, that's not the case! This person was so gracious and understanding, and even though, we probably disagree about many things regarding our understanding of the gospel and the church, I came away feeling that they genuinely see me as "wheat." And that gives me pause. It gives me pause because it makes me realize I need to work on being more patient and less "judgy" toward folks from other faith traditions. You see, friends, no matter what church we belong to, each and every one of us is a mixture of "weeds" and "wheat" - or, as Martin Luther put it, we're a mixture of "sinner" and "saint...." Besides giving me pause, that conversation also gives me hope - hope that if the disciples of Jesus can be kind and patient and trust in God's grace then maybe, just maybe some of us can find ways to reconcile our differences and support each other in the work to which Jesus calls us: namely, the work of caring for God's vulnerable little ones whose earthly lives are inextricably entwined with "weedy" persons and institutions that pose a real and present threat to their wellbeing....

Yesterday afternoon the Holy Spirit provided me with yet another word of hope regarding our work of tending God's earthly mission field. Due to time constraints, I wasn't able to travel to Olympia with Robert for the memorial service of our friend, the Reverend Golden Neal, but I did watch it on YouTube. It was a beautiful celebration of life for a faithful follower of Christ, who died of pancreatic cancer in mid-June at age 63. Speaker after speaker talked about "Golden's Rules," chief among which are "showing up" and not giving up. As an African American man growing up in a predominantly white area in rural Washington state, Golden was well acquainted with the painful effects of racism. But he didn't let his painful experience tear him down, and he didn't let it discourage him from engaging in hard conversations about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Thurston County. Indeed, his faith gave him the courage he needed to reach out to folks who disagreed with his views and likely regarded him and other diverse peoples as inferior "weeds...." Even many of Golden's closest friends had no idea of the impact of his tireless, steadfast efforts to address the systemic injustice that's inflicting great damage on many of God's most vulnerable children.... And speaking of children, our friend had a real gift for working with youth; in fact, several young adults who were former members of his youth group spoke about how his deep love and pastoral care for them had helped them grow in faith.... Shortly before Golden passed, a friend asked him, "What's something you'd like to say to people at your memorial service?" Golden replied, "I didn't have enough time...." Friends, I take that as a cue for myself and for all of us who follow Jesus: We're called to live each day to the fullest, as our friend, Golden did. We're called to trust in God's grace and keep doing the work to which Jesus calls us - namely, the patient and painstaking work of stewarding God's mission field by loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves....

One of my favorite biblical interpreters, Debie Thomas, has written a personal reflection on Jesus's parable that really hits home for me. I'm curious to know whether you'll find it as self-convicting as I do! Here's a segment of her essay:

I have to laugh at the earnestness of the householder's servants in this parable, because it mirrors my own. Like the servants, I tend to get worked up about weeds. Weeds in my own life, and - even more so, if I'm honest - weeds in other people's lives. I tend to get eager and preachy and passionate. Zealous for the purity of the field. Possessive about the integrity of the householder. Impatient for a quick, clean harvest.¹

Thomas then concludes with a sobering reminder that we human beings are only stewards entrusted with caring for what ultimately belongs to God:

When we rush ahead of God and start yanking weeds left and right, we do terrible harm to ourselves and to the field. Our sincerity devolves into arrogance. Our love devolves into judgment. Our holiness devolves into hypocrisy. And the field suffers.... Our job is to bless the field, not curse it. Remember, the field is not ours, it is God's. Only God knows it intimately enough to tend it. Only God loves it enough to bring it safely to harvest. ²

My friends, the parable of the weeds and the wheat reveals God's vision for how the disciples of Jesus are to live here and now. Jesus tells us straight up that there's a lot of ambiguity in this world, and there's a lot of ambiguity within the community of God's people. In essence, Jesus tells his disciples, "Stop judging who's a 'weed' and who isn't because it's not that simple, and you may not get it right. In fact, in your efforts to 'root out' those you deem undesirable, you may end up doing irreparable harm to the harvest.  And besides that, it's not your job to decide who's  a 'weed'; that's God's job!..." That reminds me of a church sign I've seen on social media that I think is spot on! [show image] It reads, "Just love everyone. I'll sort 'em out later. -God...." [Amen?!..]

Thanks be to our God, who is merciful and gracious,

Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness! Amen.

1 Debie Thomas, "Let Them Grow Together," www.journeywithjesus.net., 12 July 2020.

2 Ibid.

"Weeding the Mission Field is NOT Our Job -- Thank God!"