Episode 72: Seeds, Weeds and Ladders or Pentecost +6A
For Sunday, July 20, 2014
Episode 72
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Welcome to the Pulpit Fiction Podcast, where two local pastors discuss the lectionary reading for the week.
This is episode 72 for Sunday July 20, Proper 11A/Ordinary 16A/Pentecost +6, Year A.
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 - Seeds and Weeds
Genesis 28:10-19a - Jacob's Ladder
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Introduction and Check-in
- Supreme Court Decision - religious rights vs. reproductive rights - what is right?
- The Leftovers - rapturish show based on book by Tom Perrota
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- What happens to a raptured fetus?
- Christian Post article - no spoilers
- What happens to a raptured fetus?
Primary Scripture - Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 - Seeds and Weeds
- Initial Thoughts
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- Kingdom of Heaven- Jesus’ favorite topic
- Constant reversal - takes typical images of what someone would think the Kingdom of God looks like and turns it upside down:
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- Banquet- attended by the poor, prostitutes, and lepers
- Bread - not unleavened Manna, but filled with yeast
- Field - with a weed, a tree and birds
- Field filled with wheat AND weeds
- Banquet- attended by the poor, prostitutes, and lepers
- Kingdom of Heaven- Jesus’ favorite topic
- Bible Study
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- Interesting side note from Elizabeth Johnson at workingpreacher.com:
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- “What Matthew most likely refers to, however, is darnel or cockle, a noxious weed that closely resembles wheat and is plentiful in Israel. The difference between darnel and real wheat is evident only when the plants mature and the ears appear. The ears of the real wheat are heavy and will droop, while the ears of the darnel stand up straight.”
- “What Matthew most likely refers to, however, is darnel or cockle, a noxious weed that closely resembles wheat and is plentiful in Israel. The difference between darnel and real wheat is evident only when the plants mature and the ears appear. The ears of the real wheat are heavy and will droop, while the ears of the darnel stand up straight.”
- Judgment or Grace
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- First thought might be judgment - weeding the kingdom
- Actually grace- not our job to weed, but only to grow and tend the field
- First thought might be judgment - weeding the kingdom
- Theodicy - The question of Evil - Why does God allow bad things to exist and even flourish? For the sake of the good seed- the wheat
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- Omnipotence and Other Theological Mistakes by Charles Hartshorne
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- Can God just snap “his” fingers and fix the world? No, because God chooses to limit Godself out of love for us and our ability to grow into fat wheat (and risk us growing into fat weeds - see above)
- Can God just snap “his” fingers and fix the world? No, because God chooses to limit Godself out of love for us and our ability to grow into fat wheat (and risk us growing into fat weeds - see above)
- Barbara Brown Taylor - "that growth interests him more than perfection and that he is willing to risk fat weeds for fat wheat. When we try to help him out a little, to improve on his plan, he lets us know that our timing is off, not to mention our judgment, and that he does, after all, own the field."
- Both wheat and weeds have a place in God’s Kingdom
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- Does not define different people but different things
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- We do not separate people into wheat and weeds, but we can identify the good seeds (that draw us close to God and neighbor) and the veil seeds (that draw us away from God and neighbor)
- We do not separate people into wheat and weeds, but we can identify the good seeds (that draw us close to God and neighbor) and the veil seeds (that draw us away from God and neighbor)
- Does not define different people but different things
- We are not called to weed the garden
- Doesn’t mean we simply stand by ignorant of the weeds, injustice or sin.
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- The slaves/ servant rightly identify the wheat and the weeds
- Prophetic witness is different from judgment
- The slaves/ servant rightly identify the wheat and the weeds
- Omnipotence and Other Theological Mistakes by Charles Hartshorne
- Interesting side note from Elizabeth Johnson at workingpreacher.com:
- Preaching Thoughts
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- How do we embrace our calling for prophetic witness while resisting the temptation to “weed” the garden?
- Are we able to tend the garden and reserve self-righteous judgement until the fruits of the wheat or the weeds presents themselves?
- Tolerating weeds is frustrating- especially the weeds within ourself- how can we (as the church) help support one another in tending the garden without getting choked by the weeds?
- How do we embrace our calling for prophetic witness while resisting the temptation to “weed” the garden?
Secondary scripture - Genesis 28:10-19a - Jacob's Ladder
- Initial Thoughts
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- Immediately follows the story of Jacob tricking Isaac into blessing him.
- Jacob’s journey has two functions, one is to escape Esau’s anger. OTher is to go to his uncle Laban’s house to find a wife.
- At the end of the saga at Laban’s house (14 years and two wives later), Jacob wrestles with God before meeting Esau (Gen. 32:22-32, the lectionary reading for Pentecost +8A). Thus, both the trip to Laban’s house and the trip from Laban’s house is marked with a divine encounter.
- Immediately follows the story of Jacob tricking Isaac into blessing him.
- Bible Study
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- Setting of the Dream
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- Jacob at his most vulnerable. There is no action of Jacob to initiate this encounter with God.
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- Exile from family.
- No wife or property accumulated
- Asleep - He’s not even conscious.
- Exile from family.
- Jacob’s ladder probably “looked” more like a stairway than what we think of as a ladder (Led Zeppelin had it right).
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- “The news is that there is traffic between heaven and earth. The object described is probably a ramp rather than the conventional ladder. It refers to something like the Mesopotamian ziggurat, a land mass formed as a temple through which earth touches heaven. Such a ramp as a religious figure reflects the imperial religion of the culture. But now it has become a visual vehicle for a gospel assertion. Earth is not left to its own resources and heaven is not a remote self-contained realm for the gods. Heaven has to do with earth. And earth may finally count on the resources of heaven.” (Walter Brueggeman, Interpretation: Genesis, p. 243).
- “The news is that there is traffic between heaven and earth. The object described is probably a ramp rather than the conventional ladder. It refers to something like the Mesopotamian ziggurat, a land mass formed as a temple through which earth touches heaven. Such a ramp as a religious figure reflects the imperial religion of the culture. But now it has become a visual vehicle for a gospel assertion. Earth is not left to its own resources and heaven is not a remote self-contained realm for the gods. Heaven has to do with earth. And earth may finally count on the resources of heaven.” (Walter Brueggeman, Interpretation: Genesis, p. 243).
- God appears to Jacob, and says nothing about the ways that he scammed Esau and tricked his father. God simply extends the promises that were once made to Abraham.
- Promises of God
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- I will give to you the land on which you lie.
- Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and shall be spread abroad.
- All the families of the earth shall be blessed in you.
- I am with you.
- I will keep you wherever you go.
- I will bring you back to this land.
- I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised.
- I will give to you the land on which you lie.
- God is steadfast to Abraham’s descendants, namely to Isaac and then to Jacob. The promises to Jacob are similar to the ones made to Abraham. It is clear though, that it is Jacob who is favored over Esau - even though he has done nothing to deserve such favor.
- Jacob at his most vulnerable. There is no action of Jacob to initiate this encounter with God.
- Jacob’s Response
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- Response found in lectionary seems to be one of appropriate fear, awe, and reverence.
- When he sought Isaac’s blessing, he said, “Because the Lord your God granted me success” (Genesis 27:20b, emphasis added).
- When Jacob awoke, he declares “Surely the Lord is in this place- and I did not know it.”
- Must read past lectionary to see that Jacob hasn’t really changed:
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- Even after the dream, Jacob is still conniving. He won’t call God “my God,” unless he has a little proof:
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- After the lectionary reading, Jacob says, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that i come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God…” (Gen. 28:20-21) Refers to God as “my God,” but still this affirmation is set with conditions.
- After the lectionary reading, Jacob says, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that i come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God…” (Gen. 28:20-21) Refers to God as “my God,” but still this affirmation is set with conditions.
- Even after the dream, Jacob is still conniving. He won’t call God “my God,” unless he has a little proof:
- Response found in lectionary seems to be one of appropriate fear, awe, and reverence.
- Setting of the Dream
- Preaching Thoughts
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- Jacob did not seem to know God as he was brought up. Despite being the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, he did not know God. He has not acted as a righteous man, and clearly will have some scores to settle. Yet this is the man that God lays his promise on. God continues to go “all in,” with this disturbed family. What kind of God would put such a huge stake in such a faulted man?
- Jacob responds to God’s promise with awe and reverence, but then quickly reverts back to bargaining. How do we bargain with God? Even though all is promised, how often to do we wait for proof or some kind of tests before we’ll really believe?
- Jacob did not seem to know God as he was brought up. Despite being the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, he did not know God. He has not acted as a righteous man, and clearly will have some scores to settle. Yet this is the man that God lays his promise on. God continues to go “all in,” with this disturbed family. What kind of God would put such a huge stake in such a faulted man?
CLOSING
TY listeners
Shout outs:
- Carol Barner - Thanks for the prayers on facebook for Robb’s moving day!
Our theme music is Misirlou by Dick Dale and the Del Tones and our closing music is “Oh No” by Paul & Storm.
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