“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed.” So begins one of my favourite parables, a parable that many of us are very familiar with. Some of the seed falls on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns and some in good soil. The seed is the word of God. That which falls on the path represents those for whom God’s word never takes root, the seed in rocky soil those with shallow roots who turn away when problems overwhelm, that scattered amongst thorns are those who allow the worries of life and the lure of wealth to distract, and of course the seed that falls on good soil stands for those who produce a rich harvest. (Mark 4:3-20)
It is so easy for me to interpret this parable from an urban dweller’s perspective, to look down on those who don’t receive the word of God or who turn away because it has not grown deep roots, or been choked out by the cares of the world. It is only recently that I realized a farmer would interpret this completely differently. The central principle of organic gardening is – Build up the soil!
Any ground can be made more fertile and become productive. Stony ground can be moved as all of us who have travelled to Ireland know.
And brambles can be cleared as any gardener here in the Pacific NW is well aware of.
It is the farmer who works to convert poor soil into good, just as it is those of us who spread the word of God who are responsible to build up the soil in which we plant it. Too often we place the responsibility on those who hear to respond appropriately when we do little to prepare and nurture the work God is doing in their lives. Our spreading of the seed (evangelism and proclamation) is not done to put another “soul saved for heaven” notch on our belts, it is to introduce them to the renewed community of God’s shalom world. Having introduced them we are responsible to grow them into shalom representatives, teaching them to be plants that produce a harvest of plenty.
Build up the soil, it is as important for followers of Christ as it is for the farmer. And what do we build up the soil with? The best organic fertilizer of all is compost – garbage transformed to gold. My colleague Andy Wade has just written a couple of great posts on this on the MSA blog.
So what is the garbage in your life that God has transformed into gold? How could you use that to nurture, grow and help sustain others so that they too can become healthy and productive plants in God’s fertile garden?
This is the second posting of prayers from Light for the Journey. If you use one of these prayers please make sure that you acknowledge the appropriate source.
This world would have us believe
that true happiness comes from
possessions,
and those who find contentment
with the simple things of life
are wrong;
yet to such as these you came,
and such as these you sent,
to herald a kingdom
in which to lose all things
is to gain everything,
and where true happiness
comes from the possession
of this,
the knowledge of Jesus Christ
as Lord of our lives.
Lord of creation,
create in us a new rhythm of life
composed of hours that sustain rather than stress,
of days that deliver rather than destroy,
of time that tickles rather than tackles.
Lord of liberation,
by the rhythm of your truth, set us free
from the bondage and baggage that breaks u,
from the Pharaohs and fellows who fail us,
from the plans and pursuits that prey upon us.
Lord of resurrection,
may we be raised into the rhythm of your new life,
dead to deceitful calendars,
dead to fleeting friend requests,
dead to the empty peace of our accomplishments.
In the name of our Creator,
our Liberator
our Resurrection and Life,
we pray, Amen
(from Common Prayer – Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals)
Compline prayer of Thanksgiving from the Coptic Office, Agpeya.
Let us give thanks to the beneficent and merciful God, the Father of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for He has covered us, helped us, guarded us, accepted us unto Him, spared us, supported us, and brought us to this hour. Let us also ask Him, the Lord our God, the Almighty, to guard us in all peace this holy day and all the days of our life.
O Master, Lord, God the Almighty, the Father of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, we thank You for every condition, concerning every condition, and in every condition, for You have covered us, helped us, guarded us, accepted us unto You, spared us, supported us, and brought us to this hour.
Therefore, we ask and entreat Your goodness, O Lover of mankind, to grant us to complete this holy day, and all the days of our life, in all peace with Your fear. All envy, all temptation, all the work of Satan, the counsel of wicked men, and the rising up of enemies, hidden and manifest, take them away from us, and from all Your people, and from this holy place that is Yours.
But those things which are good and profitable do provide for us; for it is You Who have given us the authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, by the grace, compassion and love of mankind, of Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, through Whom the glory, the honor, the dominion, and the adoration are due unto You, with Him, and the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giver, Who is of one essence with You, now and at all times, and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.
(posted by Contemplative network)
Your love does not fade
as we choose to walk
a different path,
or listen to voices
persuading us
to put faith aside
and pick up instead
a forbidden fruit.
Your love is constant
and accepting.
Your love is merciful
and forgiving.
Your love is grace-full
and inspiring.
Your love is…
Your love is…
all we are not
and everything you are,
our loving God and King.
You are Lord of each moment.
From our rising to our lying down
you are with us wherever we go,
our travelling companion
accompanying us along the road.
You are Lord of each moment.
In our thinking and conversation
your voice and wisdom are active
in that gentle whisper guiding
in the difficult moments of our lives.
Arise and embrace a new day!
O Master and holy God, who are beyond our understanding: at your word, light came forth out of darkness. In your mercy, you gave us rest through night-long sleep, and raised us up to glorify your goodness and to offer our supplication to You. Now, in your own tender love, accept us who adore You and give thanks to You with all our heart. Grant us all our requests, if they lead to salvation; give us the grace of manifesting that we are children of light and day, and heirs to your eternal reward. In the abundance of your mercies, O Lord, remember all your people; all those present who pray with us; all our brethren on land, at sea, or in the air, in every place of Your domain, who call upon your love for mankind. Upon all, pour down your great mercy, that we, saved in body and in soul, may persevere unfailingly; and that, in our confidence, we may extol your exalted and blessed Name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, always, now and forever. Amen.
(Contemplative network)
Once again I am a little behind in posting these prayers from Light for the Journey. So much happening at the moment that I want to comment on.
Lord Jesus Christ, may our hearts be in tune with you,
May our thoughts and our deeds proclaim your kingdom.
May we shout aloud your freedom,
And point the way to justice.
Until your ways are known on the earth,
And your love reigns over all.
(Christine Sine)
God kindle in my heart within
A flame of love to my neighbour,
To my foe, to my friend, to my kindred all,
To the brave, to the knave, to the thrall,
O Son of the loveliest Mary,
From the lowliest thing that liveth
To the name that is highest of all,
Kindle in my heart within
A flame of love to my neighbour.
(Adapted from a Gaelic blessing)
Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight,
and give Your Angels and Saints charge over those who
sleep.
Tend Your sick ones, O Lord Christ.
Rest Your weary ones,
Bless Your dying ones,
Soothe Your suffering ones,
pity Your afflicted ones,
Shield Your joyous ones,
And all for Your love’s sake.
Amen.
(Contemplative network)
———————————-
Remind us often, Lord
that we are chosen
to share the good news,
and point the way to you.
Remind us often, Lord
that in our labours
we can show your love
in everything we do
Remind us often, Lord
that through your power
we can do all things,
your Spirit sets us free.
Remind us often, Lord
that we are chosen
to live by your Word
and reveal your glory!
Lord Jesus Christ,
Speak more loudly when we do not hear,
Shine more brightly when we do not see,
Hold more tightly when we feel lost,
Lord Jesus Christ,
Draw us closer in all the paths of life.
(Christine Sine)
M/V Anastasis Greece 1980
Many of you know that I spent 12 years of my life on the Mercy M/V Anastasis setting up and then directing the medical ministry. I love the work that Mercy Ships continues to do, though the Anastasis has now been replaced by the Africa Mercy. You can imagine my delight a few weeks ago when I was asked by Susan Parker to write a prayer for the ship’s crew. Here is the prayer that I wrote.
Africa Mercy 2013
An Africa Mercy Community Prayer
Merciful Father,
You have called us from many tribes and nations,
Drawn us from many cultures and creeds,
As rich and poor, young and old,
You have embraced us together with all the hurting people of this world,
You have welcomed us as part of your eternal family.
Compassionate Christ,
You have shown us so much of the world’s injustice and pain,
And in its midst you are always there.
Let us see you in those with deformed faces and broken lives.
Let us hear you in the grieving and the oppressed,
Let us know you in the hungry and the vulnerable,
Transforming Spirit,
You whose indwelling presence brings renewal and restoration,
Flow through our hands and pour out healing,
Flow from our hearts, extend hope to the hopeless,
Flow through our lives with saving grace,
Flow through all we do and make others whole.
Eternal God, Creator, Redeemer, Comforter,
One in essence, Three in person,
Touch and transfigure us,
Let your love grow strong and deep within us.
Let your compassion bloom and overflow through us,
Let your righteousness bear fruit of mercy love and justice,
Until your world is changed,
And all creation is restored and made new.
This morning two images have merged in my mind. This Martin Luther King quote from the Idealist and another quote from Randy Woodley’s book Shalom and the Community of Creation.
When we cease to trust the Creator for our daily provision, evil takes over and oppression occurs. Shalom, with its embedded concern for the poor, the marginalized, the animals, the birds and the earth, is the divinely preferred way for humans to live. Justice and righteousness are weapons to be employed in order to combat evil, once the systems begin to become corrupted. Truth, which I define here as following the natural paths of God’s intentions, is also one of the main weapons that humans have been given in order to fight the temptation towards self-reliance (80)
When we don’t do what is right and trust our God for provision but rely instead on the values of greed, exploitation and oppression, evil does indeed take over. We have seen it in the enslavement and genocide of peoples. We have seen it in the confiscation of native lands. And we have seen it in the destruction of the earth’s animals and habitats. My home country Australia is suffering from record breaking temperatures that have soared to over 50C or 122F. sparking hundreds of bushfires. The government’s climate commission admits that climate change had contributed to making the extreme heat conditions and bushfires even worse.
Surely there has never been a better time to refuse to look the other way. All of us need to do what is right for those who are still oppressed and marginalized in our world. We need to do what is right to reduce emissions and reduce our consumption to contribute our small bit to the fight against climate change.
As Martin Luther King suggests, our souls suffer along with our bodies and our world when we do not do what is right. I pray that today all of us will catch a fresh glimpse of God’s incredible shalom kingdom in which all humanity is set free, creation is restored and we all live together in peace, harmony and mutual concern.
What do you think?
It has been very cold here in Seattle for the last few days and we have been enjoying one of my favourite winter soup recipes. This is a very inexpensive and nutritious soup that I often make in large quantity so that we can enjoy it throughout the week. I have adapted and combined ingredients from several recipes to come up with this one. Unfortunately we rarely have enough winter squash in our own garden. I like to use Queensland Blue or other sweet dry pumpkin. Butternut, acorn or whatever is your favourite will work just as well. Also you might like to add the stock slowly – consistency will depend on what type of pumpkin or winter squash you use. If you like a really thick soup you may not want to add as much liquid. Enjoy and welcome friends to your table to enjoy it with you.
===============
Curried Pumpkin Soup Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
– 2 each garlic, peeled
– 1 onion, peeled and quartered
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
– 4-5 lbs pumpkin
– 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
– 2 teaspoons hot curry powder
– 1 teaspoon turmeric
– Pinch of cayenne or chipotle
– Pepper
– 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
– Freshly ground pepper
– 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, shelled raw
– 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
– 1 teaspoon ground cumin
– 2 cans lite coconut milk
– 1 1/2 cup dry white wine
– 2 cups dry black beans, cooked for 1 hour
METHOD:
1. Soak beans overnight in large saucepan. Cook until soft (about 1 hour). Set aside.
2. Place garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside. Place jalapeno in food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
3. Slice pumpkin in large wedges, remove seeds & string. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet cut side down. Bake at 350 until the flesh is fork tender (about 1 1/2 hours). Peel pumpkin and puree half pumpkin. Cut remainder into small chunks. At the same time, cut onions into wedges, coat with oil and bake until brown and soft – about 1 1/2 hours. Set aside. Add onion to food processor. Pulse until fine. Alternatively, dice onion and cook in large stock pan until translucent.
4. Add all remaining ingredients except pumpkin seeds & parsley to the stock pan. Bring to boil, reduce heat and cook about 8 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan, heat remaining tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pumpkin seeds and remaining 1/2 t salt and cook for about 30 seconds, shaking pan constantly to prevent burning, until all the seeds have popped. Remove from heat and add parsley.
6. Stir puree back into the soup. Adjust seasonings, and stir in the cream or yoghurt, if desired. We love to serve it with a big dollop of Greek yoghurt. Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds.
SERVINGS: 12
===============
photo by Coe Hutchison
I don’t usually post about political issues, but the debate on gun control in the U.S. has so impacted me that I felt I could not keep silent. However when back in January this year, the NRA accusing the President of being an elite hypocrite because there are armed guards at his daughters’ school really made me angry. I don’t think the President’s children are more important than any others, but I do think they are more vulnerable and this type of comment will probably make them even more vulnerable.
It seems to me that the concerns about gun control revolve around our understanding of freedom. Does having assault weapons freely available make us “free”. I don’t think so but then I realize I did not grow up in this country and so have a very different understanding of freedom from the average American.
To Americans the concept of freedom focuses on the freedom of individual choice, which can be as trivial as the right to choose whether I want my eggs sunny side up or over easy, or as serious as the right to bear arms. What I struggle with is that there seems to be little recognition of the often dire consequences our individual choices can have for the society or for the world in which we live. Freedom to do what we want and carry whatever type of gun we want, in my opinion, is not freedom at all. Yes I know the dogma: “Guns don’t kill people, people do.” but if guns are not available there are far less gun deaths and we do need assault weapons to go hunting – that I think is massacre of another kind. And in a society with less guns all of us become free from fear.
To Australians freedom revolves around the freedom of society and the recognition that our decisions all have consequences not just for us as individuals but for all of our society and our world. Consequently most Australians are willing to give up their guns for the good of a safe society in which we don’t have to worry about drive by shootings. In the Australian political system voting is compulsory because of the belief that with the freedom of citizenship comes the responsibility of participation in the process that provides our freedom.
All of this leads me to my most important question about freedom “What does freedom look like in the kingdom of God?” Obviously there is a element of individual freedom – all of us need to take on the individual responsibility to kneel at the foot of the Cross, repent and reach out for the salvation of Christ. However our entry into the family of God faces us with serious consequences for how we act in society. Our freedom as Christians means that we no longer focus on our own needs but rather “consider the needs of others as more important than our own” (Philippians 2) It means that we live by the law of love – what James calls “the royal law” (James 2:8). Paul sums this up very well “Do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbour as yourself.”
If we truly loved our neighbours, not just those across the street that we wave at every day, but the poor, the vulnerable, the marginalized, how would it change our attitude towards guns? Jesus us calls all of us to be citizens of a kingdom in which love not hatred reigns, in which peace not violence is proclaimed and in which freedom means we accept the restrictions on our individual behaviour to participate in the liberation of all humankind.
What do you think?
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