John 15; 1st John 4-5
May 17, 09
Patrick Preheim
Soil becomes seed
Two weeks ago I really got the itch. For what seemed like the first time all
spring the air temperatures climbed above 15 degrees-- a whole 18 degrees by
environment Canada measurements. I understand why farmers begin tinkering with
their machinery weeks before planting is to begin. Part of that exercise is to
make sure the equipment is operational, but a part also has to do with
channelling one’s excitement. The flower beds are an easy way to burn off a bit
of spring energy, but my real interest is the garden. I don’t have a 40 foot
planter or tractors to fuss over, so I stood on the edge of my acreage with
shovel in hand. Please nod your head if you have found yourself poking around
you garden, fields, or flower beds. As I suspected I am not alone in my agrarian
itch. I longingly examined my home quarter to see how it had wintered. I wanted
to know the looseness of the loam, the moisture beneath the winter blanket of
leaves, the temperature of the earth. The soil temperature was the most
discouraging aspect of my first garden tour of the year. In areas receiving
direct sunlight the clay was cold, and in those areas shadowed by the garage
planting prospects appeared remote. Too cold, even for the likes of kale,
spinach and lettuce. For a few weeks more, I decided, my garden must abide in
the sun’s warmth.
John moves back and forth from agricultural imagery and theological language in
chapter 15 and in his pastoral epistles. The agricultural imagery is used in an
effort to help his congregations understand what it means to be in relationship
with God and God’s world. The image of the branches and vine spoke to the
“interrelationship, mutuality, and indwelling” of God with the community. “The
metaphor of the vine suggests a radically non-hierarchical model for the church.
As the description of a vine and its branches suggests, no branch has pride of
place; no one branch can claim precedence or privilege over any
other...Fruitfulness is the only differentiation among branches, and the
discernment of fruitfulness falls to the gardener alone, not to any of the
branches”. The bearing of fruit—that is to act in love with brothers and
sisters—is the sole measure of any branch (New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary,
volume IX, p. 760). John used the image of vine and branches because it was a
metaphor with which people were familiar. The people would have known about
vines and branches, even the town kids would have known about these things. Most
of us know little of vines and branches, and yet other aspects of the natural
world with which we are more familiar can powerfully communicate the good news
of Christ abiding with and in us. In the spirit of John, then, I will try to
repackage the theology of John 15 in an agricultural image more familiar to us--
the metaphor of the garden.
As hymn #40 StJ notes, we are the soil. We must be aware that soil temperatures
are critical for the seeds to germinate, emerge and grow. The extension office
at Oregon State University gives some helpful guidelines on what to plant when.
Crops that will germinate in the coolest soils (down to 4.5 degrees) include
arugula, fava beans, kale, lettuce, parsnips, peas, radishes and spinach seed.
With a soil temperature above 10 degrees, leeks, onions, Swiss chard, and
turnips can be planted. When the soil warms to 15.5 degrees, warm season
vegetables can be sown, including beans, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
cabbage, carrots and cauliflower. Wait until the soil warms to above 21 degrees
to plant warm season vegetables including tomatoes, eggplants, peppers,
cucumbers, squash, corn and melons. (http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/)
We are varied members of one congregation, and therefore, we will find a variety of soil temperatures in our individual souls. Some souls have been basking in the warming light of God; other souls are cooler on account of shade or a frosty experience. On the basis of our soil planting guidelines from Oregon I am inclined to say that there is no correct or incorrect soil temperature, just different seasons. This observation gets at the egalitarian sentiment of John 15. Some people are just emerging from a long cold dormancy. It would be silly to expect tomatoes to survive in such a garden plot, but perhaps kale or spinach. Others among us have been warmed steadily the last little while and can support crops of peppers, squash or corn. And there are also gathered this morning those whose soil of the soul feels frozen. We all experience winter periods; it is natural, part of the cycle of the seasons. Times such as these give the land rest. Unfruitful times can be disconcerting if a person expects to be producing tomatoes all year round. Neither the soil nor our souls were created in such a way. Yes a prolonged winter, such as we find in Narnia at the time of The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe is a cause for concern, but most of us follow spiritual cycles similar to the seasons of our land. We trust the Good Gardener, the Best Farmer to plant in us that which will grow. If we are looking for eggplant we may miss the radishes which God has sown in us knowing better than ourselves the temperature of our soul in this moment.
In this analogy our chief task is to know our soil temperature so that we can nurture that which God is trying to grow in us. When we pay attention to our own soil condition and the temperature specific seeds which God has planted, the spiritual life of the community flourishes. The potlucks become wonderfully varied in this metaphor. What kind of potluck would it be, after all, if there were just one kind of food? Tomatoes benefit from onions and basil. Lettuce goes well with corn. The fruits we bring are different and greatly enrich God’s table. We may not like kale or lentils, but woe to the person who criticizes simply because it is not their taste. Some of us happen to really enjoy lentils and kale.
Earlier I mentioned that my garden needs to abide in the sun a little longer
before I begin planting. My soul also needs to abide in the warmth and light of
God to enter a new season. Whatever the condition of our soul, God invites us to
abide in him even as he abides in us. God does not remove the sun from us and
even in the coldest days of winter and spring it is there to warm us. There were
times this winter that I just sat in front of our living room window soaking in
the winter sun. I felt it warming me to the core in a way my Carrier furnace
could not. Last Sunday afternoon, on our way home, Patty and I stopped at the
Saskatchewan dunes near Leader. The air was cool but the sun soaked sand was
warm, so we just threw our jackets down and wallowed in the warmth for an hour
or two. I feel badly for the sliver of my garden plot which the garage shades
because it never warms as quickly as the rest of the soil. In a spiritual sense
I need to work to be sure there are not too many things eclipsing the light of
God which warms the soil and brings it to its next season. If there are too many
trees, or if the neighbours have built a third story on their house, or if we
turn from the light we will not be able to abide as fully in the light and love
of God.
As a conclusion to this section on soil I would pose several questions for
reflection. The first: how warm do you feel your soil is? This will give you
some clues to perceiving the kind of seeds that God is planting in your life.
The second question: are there things blocking the light and warmth of God in
your life? Consider if it is necessary to trim a tree, or relocate the garden on
account of shade, or simply reorient yourself if you are facing away from the
light. And a final question: in this season of our life what helps you abide in
God’s love? Is it particular readings, people, disciplines, genre of music? Is
it a particular place? Is it a particular activity? It is good to examine the
shape of our soil and what may warm it up.
We are also seed and plant in addition to being soil. In one of the miracles of
nature the soil of the garden becomes the seed and plant. The seed draws
nutrients from the soil and organic matter of the soil abides in the plants.
This touches the abiding theme of John 17. You can have vegetables without soil,
but they are not the same. On one occasion this past winter I impulsively bought
a hydroponic cucumber because it looked good. The cucumber was less than
satisfying. It was watery; it lacked appropriate crunch. Since then I have
learned that many of the factory greenhouses feed their vegetables with
nutrients from a petri dish rather than from soil. To maximize space they place
roots in a solution that has all the right chemicals. Missing, however, is the
organic matter. The soil and the seed become one in the garden plant. They abide
together. The seed left on its own on a shelf will not germinate. The seed needs
the soil to become active and then it draws the soil into itself as it develops.
The soil needs the seed to fulfill its calling in the world. Seed and soil abide
together.
So it is with spiritual life. So long as the liberating good news of Jesus
Christ remains on a shelf or in a package it is of no use to the world. Jesus
Christ has the power to liberate us from failures of the past. Jesus Christ has
the potential to free us from attitudes and actions that currently bind us.
Jesus Christ has the ability to strengthen us in struggles against evil
perpetrated in our society, in our homes and in our hearts. Jesus Christ can
change our lives and our world. Jesus Christ can do this, but Jesus needs soil.
Only when people like you and me allow the good seed into our lives can the good
news flourish. The seed and soil work together in producing something which will
feed hungry people. And that takes to a final aspect of my agricultural imagery
for today: food.
It is a rare gardener or farmer who prepares soil, sows seeds, and tends plants
with no intention of harvesting. Does anyone here go the trouble of farming or
gardening without hoping the crop will be used? The horticulturalists among us
rarely place their plants out of sight-- they want people to consume their
plants visually.
John 15 makes clear that like any gardener or farmer God is interested in the
food we produce. “God removes every branch in Christ that bears no fruit. Every
branch that bears fruit God prunes to bear more fruit”. This bearing of fruit,
1st John elaborates, is not merely devotion to the gardener whom we have not
seen. It has much to do with loving the brother and sister whom we have seen.
The entire garden plot is connected. Tomatoes and basil grow well when placed
together. Marigolds are helpful to warding off certain pests intent on
destroying the produce. Lentils, peas, and other legumes return nitrogen to the
soil which small grains benefit from in subsequent years. We are interconnected
in this garden of God. And it means that we need to actively cultivate a love
for each other--- not just love the others who look like us or produce what we
produce. We demonstrate love for each other when we take time to learn something
about a NPMC community member about which we know little. We demonstrate love
for each other when join together in service in our world. We demonstrate love
for each other when we learn to appreciate diversity rather than strive for
uniformity.
The growing time is upon us- physically and spiritually. As we till and plant
our soil, or simply enjoy the emerging spring, let us consider the spiritual
lessons of the season. May God bless the planting, the growth, the harvest, and
the distribution of God’s good gifts. Amen. As Lynn sings a song of response
based on our 1st John reading, let us consider the state of our spiritual
gardens. Let us ask for warmth where coldness persists; germination where seeds
have been sown; a spirit of sharing where there is produce.