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In the long line of parable stories from Matthew's Gospel account we come across today a parable about weeds and wheat. And we discover through this parable that God's way of farming is much different than ours --- and I for one am very glad of it.

"Gardening Like Jesus"                                                     Cicero United Methodist Church

July 20, 2008                              Jack Keating                         Pentecost 10

In the long line of parable stories from Matthew's Gospel account we come across today a parable about weeds and wheat. And we discover through this parable that God's way of farming is much different than ours --- and I for one am very glad of it.

You see, I think that this parable and the one right before it about the sower and the seed are really parables about the church - about the field that God plants in the hope of a rich harvest of a blessing for himself and the world he has made.

We are in the field of God - we are the ground he works - the plants he nurtures - the people he rests his hopes upon - the folk he plants his seed in - the congregation he anoints with his Spirit.

The farmer's parables are really parables about us - about you here in the church - you who are called by the name of Christ - as much as they about God and what he does.

We are the field of God.

Now I would guess that the two main reasons that modern folk give for not being Christian and for choosing to not associate with or even attend church are the following:

One - People in the church are just as lousy as everyone else in the world ­that in general they too are hypocrites - and in particular - there are thieves, liars, gossips, cheats, snobs and even adulterers among them.

And Two - Because the whole idea of a good God is clearly ridiculous ­because if He was so good ... why would he allow so much evil to exist in the world?

Does any one of those reasons sound like something you've heard before? Just

say Amen if it does!

It's true. That's where many people are at when they think about the church. They are upset - and I think rightly so - that not everything is perfect.

Like the farmer's servants in today's parable they are concerned:

Concerned there are weeds among the wheat

Concerned that the harvest might not turn out just right.

Concerned that the good purpose of their master just might fail.

At least some are - the rest are just plain critical - they don't understand the things of the Spirit nor do they want to understand the things of the Spirit.

The very highly esteemed Bible teacher, Dr. Howard Hendricks said something quite interesting a few years ago. Let me quote it exactly here ....

"From research and personal experience, "says Dr. Hendricks, "I've come to the conclusion that in every church, 16 percent of the members will never change. The tragedy is that I see young pastors every day leaving the ministry because of that 16 percent. It's as if they're batting their heads against a brick wall. What they should be doing is concentrating on the 84 percent who are ripe for change. That's where the real ministry of the local church takes place."

And I think Dr. Hendricks is right on here. And what is true for young pastors is true for many people.

It is easy to be intimidated but what we might call the weeds in the church; it is easy to focus on that which exists here in the church and out there in the world; it is easy, so easy, that we can forget the vast bouquet of flowers that make up the rest of the garden called the church, the 84 percent that is the baby instead of the bath water - or perhaps it's just 5 percent! But that 5 percent is the leaven that raises the whole loaf! The electricity that makes the whole engine operate! The power that makes it all come alive and come true!

There is almost no explaining why God allows the devil to cast his horrid seed in his garden.

But the word that God gives his servants about it is very clear ---

"Do not disturb it! Do not try to pluck it out - because if you do - you're going to wreck the whole place; you're going to end up pulling up the wheat as well no matter how careful you are, you're going to develop an eye of judgment - and while you may be right in that judgment - you may end up doing wrong. Leave it to me. The weeds will be burned at the time of harvest - and all of you will have a hand in it - you will see justice done. The weeds will perish - and the wheat will be stored in the granary of heaven."

Leave it to me. Wait for the time I have set ...

You know, it's hard to wait. And it's hard to understand-especially when you see such terrible things happening in the world; but when it comes to dealing with other people-with other folk - both in the church and out of it, God calls us to mainly plant and not to pull up weeds - at least for a while.

So we are to resist evil of course - in ourselves and in others - through his power.          We are called to recognize evil and to name it - and to pray to God that he will take care of it, much as the farmer told his servants in the parable that he would take care of it.

But most of all we are told to do good instead of evil....

- to bless instead of curse

- to praise instead of criticize

- to help instead of stand off

- to love instead of hate

- to forgive instead of resent

- to tell the truth instead of lies.

It seems that there is a plan, that God does indeed have a system, but still ­when you look at it with only the very dim light of human wisdom, or the closed eyes of human doubt and human pride, there is almost no explaining why God allows the evil one to cast his horrid seed in God's garden ...

Why, O why does God allow weeds in his field?

I want to finish today by saying that I am sure glad of one thing in this whole mess,

- in the strange system of divine agriculture

- in this field that is so mixed and cluttered with weeds (and boy, some of

them are real whoppers!),

I am sure glad that God waits a while and that he tells his servants to hold back.

You see - every now and then I get this idea into my head that perhaps I'm being a weed right now.

And I know for sure that I've been a weed in the past - that some things I have done or failed to do - were more of the evil one than they were of the Lord.

And knowing that - knowing what God has done and can do with and for me - when I let him; I'm really rather contented to have the weeding put off to the end!

How about you???

How often have you been a weed in the garden of the Lord? Would you -- with what you know right now - fancy being plucked up at those times?

But my friends, God is so merciful that he allows evil to exist so that what is good might grow. He allows it to exist because so many times he can turn it to the good.

And there is almost no explaining any of these things - but there is truth - there is a substance to it - that can be touched and experienced much as the disciples touched and experienced the risen body of Christ; and that truth is a saving truth, a healing truth, a truth that can be found in that crazy mixed up field in which God plants his seed, in the love of Christ Jesus our Lord, who gave himself over to death so that we might live and who lives so that we might never die.

There may be someone in your life or our church who does not seem to accept instruction or correction. All your attempts to set this person right have come to nothing.

And now you hear Jesus saying; ,"No. I do not want you to pull up the weeds. I know how messy they can get, I want you to leave it to me."

I would like you to ask yourself: "Am I willing to do this? And I willing to take my hands off this person and let Jesus take care of them?"

If you are willing to do this and you really mean it, then tell Jesus. You can tell him that you can't get through to this person; that you're going to stop all your efforts and leave this person on his hands.

We are going to have a time of silence for you to think about this and to tell Jesus what you have decided to do. May be you'd want to write down what you decide to do.

I'd ask that you'd join me in prayer and then we'll have a time of silence.

"Father, guide us by your Spirit to understand what you are saying to each one of us today. Grant us humility to change our ways and the faith to trust you more fully. We pray in Jesus name."