A Good Image of God's Kingdom

Father’s Day June 16, 2024 Mark 4:26-34 4th Sunday of Pentecost Year B A Good Image of God’s Kingdom Prelude Greeting Call to Worship One: Our relationships with our fathers are complicated. Many: For some of us, our father's love is like God's love -- too deep, too long, too wide, too strong to measure. One: Some of our dads are here; some were never here. Many: For some of us, God's love fills in the empty spaces our fathers left behind. One: All of us are shaped by the relationship or lack of relationship with our fathers. All: On this day when we remember what it means to have a father or be a father, we recognize the importance of fathers in our communities. We pledge as a congregation to love and nurture the fathers among us so that they will manifest the love of God in all that they do. ( United Methodist Discipleship Ministries, LaGretta Bjorn) Opening Prayer Mighty Lord, Today we lift our voices to praise you, for our pride is not in wealth or weapons, but our pride is in your name! Like the Hebrews of old, we ask you to answer us. Help us find victory over the challenges which surround us. Grant us confidence in your presence among us both here and in all the places we go this week. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Song This is a Day of New Beginnings A Sermon for all Ages Have an apple, extra apple seeds, a knife, and a cutting board prepared in advance. Once the children are gathered around, ask them to describe the apple (e.g., taste, shape, colour, texture, smell). As you cut the apple open while separating out the seeds, ask them what you can make apples into (e.g., pies, applesauce, apple crumble). Talk about how those things are different from the original apple—they are transformed. Then give them each an apple seed to dissect once they get home to discover what is inside. (You might wish to provide a small envelope or bag for transporting the seed.) Invite them to discuss with their family the wonder of God’s design that the seed transforms into an apple tree big enough to climb and produces apples for us to eat. (Gord Dunbar, United Church of Canada) 1. What’s the best activity that you do/or have done with your Dad? 2. What do you think is your Dad’s best talent? 3. If you could give your Dad any gift in the world (no cost of course) what would it be? 4. What’s the most important thing that your Dad has taught you? Prayer for Transformation and New Life: Pastoral Leader: As we gather in worship, let us take this moment to consider our needs for transformation and forgiveness. I invite you to quietly reflect on our need for grace. (Allow a short moment of silence.) People: Dear God, the creator of all things based on love. You created us in your image of love and there have been times we have fallen short of that love, not only to you but to each other and all of creation. I ask for your forgiveness and from you, present today, my siblings, sisters and brothers in Christ. I thank you for the comforting strength and compassion of the Holy Spirit to do better in bringing love and grace and all I do. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Words of Grace Pastoral Leader: Scripture tells us that we have been shown the way to reconciliation by the Christ which is within us whenever we turn to God for guidance and strength to transform our lives for a better kindom here on earth. Know the peace of the Divine grace that is always there for you in the name of Jesus. Amen. (United Church of Christ, Roberto Ochoa) Passing of the Peace God calls us in surprising ways, inviting us into a new creation. Share the good news with one another: The peace of Christ is with you. The peace of Christ is with you. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Peter Bankson) Scripture Mark 4:26-34 Sermon A Good Image of God Mortals Only See the Beginning All their lives the two young brothers had lived in the city behind great stone walls and never saw field nor meadow. But one day they decided to pay a visit to the country. As they went walking along the road they saw a farmer at his plowing. They watched him and were puzzled. "What on earth is he doing that for!" they wondered. "He turns up the earth and leaves deep furrows in it. Why should someone take a smooth piece of land covered with nice green grass and dig it up?" Later they watched the farmer sowing grains of wheat along the furrows. "That man must be crazy!" they exclaimed. "He takes good wheat and throws it into the dirt." "I don't like the country!" said one in disgust. "Only crazy people live here." So he returned to the city. His brother who remained in the country saw a change take place only several weeks later. The plowed field began to sprout tender green shoots, even more beautiful and fresher than before. This discovery excited him very much. So he wrote to his brother in the city to come at once and see for himself the wonderful change. His brother came and was delighted with what he saw. As time passed they watched the sproutings grow into golden heads of wheat. Now they both understood the purpose of the farmer's work. When the wheat became ripe the farmer brought his scythe and began to cut it down. At this the impatient one of the two brothers exclaimed: "The farmer is crazy! He's insane! How hard he worked all these months to produce this lovely wheat, and now with his own hands he is cutting it down! I'm disgusted with such an idiot and I'm going back to the city!" His brother, the patient one, held his peace and remained in the country. He watched the farmer gather the wheat into his granary. He saw him skillfully separate the grain from the chaff. He was filled with wonder when he found that the farmer had harvested a hundred-fold of the seed that he had sowed. Then he understood that there was logic in everything that the farmer had done. The moral of the story: Mortals see only the beginning of any of God's works. Therefore they cannot understand the nature and the end of creation. Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes, quoting from A Treasury of Jewish Folklore: Stories, Traditions, Legends, Humor, Wisdom and Folk Songs of the Jewish People, Edited by Nathan Ausubel Copyright, 1948, Crown Publishers, Inc., New York We only see the obvious things about life, But God is able to see the bigger picture. We know what happens when you plant seeds, but the mystery of God’s kingdom and our place in it, not so much. That is why Jesus uses parables, or metaphors from every day life to help us to get a bigger picture. Mark 4 is the sharing of parables that help us to understand spiritual growth. Ordinary Objects To what ordinary object would Jesus compare the reign of God today — an object that we would recognize without having to have two minutes worth of explanation before we understand? How about these: The reign of God is like a tiny pebble. It doesn't look like much, but it can bring the strongest man to a stop if it's in his shoe. The reign of God is like a wasp. A wasp is a tiny insect that can be crushed with a fist. You wouldn't think that it's very strong. But introduce one into a crowded room and see how disruptive it can be! The reign of God is like a grain of sand. It can be so small that you can hardly see it. It's entirely insignificant, unless it gets in your eye. Traditional Illustration, ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc. Two other metaphors that I want to focus on today to help us think about what it means to grow spiritually are seeds and people. In Mark 4 Jesus uses the metaphor of seeds in 4 different stories. Sermon Opener – The Kingdom and the Seed - Mark 4:26-34 Most of us have planted a garden or lived on or near a farm. In my case, I grew up in Chicago where they have to put cows in zoos because so many city people are shielded from agricultural life and would never otherwise get to see one. But for eleven years I served as the pastor of a church in the agriculturally-oriented community of Davenport, Iowa. Davenport is located in Scott County which is Mississippi River land. It is reported to be some of the richest soil in the world. I learned a lot about farming while living there. I learned about soil and seeds. I learned about the need for cooperation and balance between the various parts of nature - the sun, the soil, and the rain. Having returned recently from a trip to Iowa, I was very mindful of the soil. As we drove along the highway we saw some fields which were completely washed away, others that were too dry. For all farmers, life is intricately linked to the soil. Having some agricultural background is helpful when it comes to looking at the three parables of the soils and the kingdom in the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Mark. The first such parable is called the Parable of the Sower (4:4-20). There are four different kinds of soil, Jesus said, • hard soil (a path); • rocky ground; • thorny ground; and • good soil. People, Jesus said, are like those four kinds of soil. The Word of God is the seed which falls into four different kinds of soil. The second parable in the fourth chapter of Mark is the parable of the harvest (4:26-29). The seed grows as the farmer goes about his work day by day. The day comes when the grain is ripe. Then comes the harvest. We must live with a knowledge that for each of us there will be a harvest day, a time of death, and a time of astounding change. Who would guess the wonders of heaven having seen the original seed of life? The third parable about soil is the parable of the mustard seed (4:30-32). The Kingdom of God, like the mustard seed, starts small, but grows into a large shrub with many branches. These parables of the soil are designed to take the familiar and use it to show something new. New perspectives are thus encouraged. New Kingdom participation is encouraged... Here in Illinois, we may not know a lot about mustard seeds, but we do know corn. A Seed for the Whole World In the Midwest, they plant more corn than mustard seed. One variety of corn is called Golden Bantam. Apparently, all the Golden Bantam corn in this country came from one stalk discovered on a Vermont hillside. How it got there is anybody's guess. But appreciating its special qualities, the person who discovered it carefully preserved its seed and planted it year after year. Now it is available to the whole world. That's how the kingdom of God works. Kristin Borsgard Wee, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (First Third): Do You Love Me?, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. What seeds in life have you planted lately? Not all seeds that we plant go into the ground. Everything that we do in life today is a seed planted for the future. We don’t always know the consequences of what we do, but whenever we do a positive act it makes a difference. When you do plant seeds in the ground, you have no control over the growth. When Paul talks about faith he says the he planted, another person watered and God gave the increase. Martin Luther said the whenever he preached a sermon, he would give it his all, and then go home drink a beer and let it settle in the minds of other people. What seeds of faith are you planting in the world? The second important metaphor for growth is people. It is said that Queen Victoria was fascinated by the brilliance of the scholars who made up England’s Royal Society. On one occasion she whispered to Prime Minister John Bright, “Where do all these learned men come from?” Bright replied, “From babies, your Majesty, from babies.” Every time a baby is born into the world a potential mustard seed of greatness is planted. It’s like a small church in rural Kentucky which over the years has produced several outstanding clergy. While interviewing a new slate of pastoral candidates, a member of the search committee mentioned the former pastors from that small church who had gone on to serve in prominent church positions one as president of a seminary and pastor of a large city church, another also as a seminary president, and a third as president of two denominational conventions and an international alliance. “How in the world did you find that many potentially great men in this little church?” the astonished candidate asked. “Find them!” said the committee member. “We didn’t find them. We made them!” (3) Growth Is in Our Reach A third-grader taught the teacher an important truth: The teacher asked, "How many great people were born in our city?" "None," replied the pupil. "There were no great people born. They were born babies who became great people." Greatness may not be within the reach of every one of us, but growth is. We are each capable of being a more mature person today than we were yesterday, and tomorrow can find us further along than we are today. And when we forget this vital truth, we lose sight of the essential meaning of life and the sources of its deepest fulfillment. If a seed in its dark, restless journey underground is not content until it breaks through the mountain of soil and strains ever higher toward the sunlight, will we human beings be content to have our faith remain simply a seed full of potential? Merritt W. Ednie, God’s Program In Process The job of planting seeds in the lives of others is the responsibility of us all. It has been said that the responsibility of all communities is to raise the children to become great. The bible says that directive comes to us straight from God. Don't Eat the Forbidden Fruit Whenever your kids are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God's omnipotence didn't extend to God's kids. After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And the first thing he said was: "Don't." "Don't what?" Adam replied "Don't eat the forbidden fruit." God said. "Forbidden fruit? We got forbidden fruit? Hey Eve! We got forbidden fruit!" "No way!" "Yes way!" "DON'T EAT THAT FRUIT!" Said God. "Why?" "Because I am your Father and I said so!" said God, wondering why he hadn't stopped after making elephants. A few minutes later God saw his kids having an apple break and was angry. Didn't I tell you not to the fruit?" the First Parent asked. "Uh huh," Adam replied. "Then why did you?" "I dunno," Eve answered. "She started it!" Adam said. "Did not!" "Did too!" "Did NOT!" Having had it with the two of them, God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own. Thus, the pattern was set and it has never been changed. Morgan Murray ______________________________ It was Dietrich Bonhoeffer who said “The true test of a society is how it cares for its children.” Taken to its logical extension, it means that we cannot just be proud that OUR kids received a great education when other children receive a poor education. We cannot be satisfied that our children get fully nutritious meals when some children go to be hungry at night. We can be proud that our child has a spacious bedroom, but shouldn’t we also be concerned that 4400 children are homeless in our state alone? In our lesson from Mark, Jesus is describing the kingdom of God: "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how . . ." Now Jesus is not talking about fatherhood in this passage, but isn't this the very first area in which we participate in the coming of God's kingdom to earth? It is in the raising of our children. Raising good children is like scattering seed upon the ground…. Today as we honor the fathers in our lives, we should point out that our most endearing metaphor for god is life a father. Jesus called God abba, or daddy. Jesus looked to God for constanat advice about what to say to the people. Later today when we pray the prayer the Jesus taught us to pray – we will pray our father. Is God Like Daddy? Think of a four-year-old coming home one Sunday after a lesson that taught about God as our Heavenly Father. Sound theology would quickly note that God is neither male nor female, but youngsters do not concern themselves with theological niceties. A four-year-old hears "Father;" the only father he knows anything about is the one that lives with him and says, "Pass the biscuits, please;" so he asks..."Is God like Daddy?" Wow! What a heavy load! But a good load to consider on Fathers' Day...and a good one to consider when we realize that what Daddy is can become a role model for our children's concept of God. David E. Leininger, Collected Sermons, When you think of your father for father figure in your life. Let’s talk more about fathers and what they mean to us. • What are some words you’d use to describe your father? It’s true, of course, that some fathers weren’t so good, but think about someone you love who acted like a good father in your life, such as an uncle, grandfather, friend, a friend’s father, or an older brother. What was that person like? What qualities did he have? o strength, integrity, care, love, providing for family, discipline, power • What sorts of things did your father or father figure teach you? • What did your father do for work? Around your home? In your community? • Why do fathers sometimes say “no”? How can we pass the seeds that have been planted in us on to others? The message for us to remember to today: God gives us a glimpse of heaven in the people that we meet and to work that we do. When we plant seeds of faith, we don’t always know the process in which they grow, we don’t make them grow. But in life we partner with God, and when it comes time for the harvest, we celebrate with God for bringing new and exciting things into the world. God's Garden Inch by inch, row by row Gonna make this garden grow All it takes is a rake and a hoe And a piece of fertile ground That's the way a wonderful children's song by David Mallet starts. It's entitled "Garden Song" and continues this way: Inch by inch, row by row Someone bless these seeds I sow Someone warm them from below 'Till the rain comes tumbling down. Grain for grain, sun and rain, Find my way in nature's chain Tune my body and my brain, To the music from the land. Plant your rows straight and long, Temper them with a prayer and song. Mother Earth will make you strong If you give her love and care. Those words from the chorus which say, "Inch by inch, row by row, Gonna make this garden grow." remind me of our text for today. Jesus made clear that the Kingdom of God grows the same way. He says, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head." Mickey Anders, God's Garden, ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc. Amen Song This is my Father’s World UMH 144 Pastoral Prayer Lord, in this season of growth, open our hearts to grow in your love. Help us to truly trust in your creative process in our lives. We look around and we see the beauty of your world, the blossoming flowers and plants, the growth of children, the joy of celebrations of graduation and marriage, of receiving new life, the honoring of Fathers. And we also see the sadness and sorrow that has invaded the world when systems of injustice and hatred lay claim to people’s lives. Prepare us, O Lord, to become ambassadors of peace and hope. Help us to place our trust in you, so that when we are serving others, they may come to know your abiding love and power. Give us courage and great joy as we serve you. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Mark’s Gospel includes many parables, including the ones in Mark 4, known as the parable of the growing seed and the parable of the mustard seed (Mark 4:26-32). Even for people who are not farmers, we understand it takes planting before anything can be harvested. Today we have the opportunity of planting “seeds” as we receive our morning offering. Do you remember the old song “Bringing in the Sheaves”? The images are there: “sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness…we shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves” What we share, what we SOW, becomes the means by which we come to a time of harvest after our ministries grow into maturity. We especially see this in our ____________________ (name a particular ministry, such as: ”support of our choir”, “food pantry outreach”, “funding our youth group’s activities and minister”. Or, on this Father’s Day, highlight the congregation’s support for families, the men’s organization, or your counseling for men). Let us joyfully share our offerings, and rejoice when we come to a time of “bringing in the sheaves”. Prayer of Thanksgiving Gracious God, we offer these gifts as symbols of all we yearn to harvest. May these checks, coins and on-line gifts come vital seeds which will grow into a bumper crop of good as we seek to partner with you in the coming of your Realm. AMEN ( Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Life is a mystery. We walk by faith. God calls us when we least expect it, inviting us to be in Christ. Walk out into the world, knowing that you are part of God’s life-giving new creation. Life is a mystery. We walk by faith. Amen. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Peter Bankson) Community Time ( Joys and Concerns) Acknowledgement of our Graduates Benediction Pastoral Leader: Dear friends, we have been nourished and renewed this day, go out and spread the seed of God’s kindom and love to all you encounter in the Divine name who created us, who redeems us, and who sustains us. Go in peace in Jesus’ name. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Roberto Ochoa) Additional Illustrations