Good Tilled Earth

Photo by Ron McGinnis Photography.  Used with permission.

It’s not only Hobbits that appreciate the good earth and green things that grow.   The smell of sunlit earth in spring brings with it promises of harvest to come.  It’s a slow and meticulous work to prepare that soil, making certain to remove the rocks and release the dense ground.  But what joy and thanksgiving await as reward for the toil.

Jesus’ parable of the Sower, found in the Gospels of St. Matthew, Mark and Luke, compares the seed being sown in good earth to the Word of God being sown in the human heart.  We’re reminded that not all who hear the Gospel will produce the fruit of the Spirit, as some seed will fall by the wayside, some will fall on rocky ground and not take root.  Some will fall among thorns and be choked by weeds, but yet other seed will fall on good earth and yield a crop. 

  

This is one of the few parables where Jesus explains the meaning. He tells us that anyone who hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one may come and snatch away what is sown in the heart.  This is the seed by the wayside.  He who receives the seed on stony places, this is the one who receives the Word of God with much joy, yet he has not root in himself and endures for only a short time.  When trials and tribulations come, he immediately stumbles.  The one who receives the Word among thorns is the one who hears, but the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches choke the truth in the heart.  But the one who receives the Word on good soil, this is the one who hears and understands and bears fruit.

Taking root.  What can we do to prepare our soil, our hearts, to receive the Word of God so that we can produce fruit?  What can we do so that others may prepare good earth?

It is only by the grace of God that we are enabled to till the heart, to make it ready to hear the Word and take root in Christ.  The Christian life is dynamic, one of growth and abiding in Christ, being renewed by Him on a daily basis.  It is about prayer, surely, most all Christians would agree with that.  But it is also about discipline...podvig, the ascetic spiritual struggle that helps us to become closer with the Lord.  It’s about nourishing our spirits with healthy things, like reading the Word, the lives of the saints, other spiritual writings or church history to increase our understanding of the faith we hold.  It’s about giving without expecting something in return, loving our enemies.  It’s about fasting and removing  empty things in life that vie for our time and energy.  

I’ve been a Christian for over 30 years and I continue to learn so much.  I feel like an infant most of the time, with my struggles, asking God to mature my spirit.  I can share one thing though, that I’ve learned beyond doubt: 

 The more “fluff” I remove from my life, the more clearly I see.  By “fluff”, I mean television, radio, internet, shopping and anything else that fills my eyes with advertising, pointless chatter, gossip columns, etc.  Empty things.  The more these weeds are removed from my life and nourishing things added in their place, the closer my walk with God, the more wisdom and discernment I have.  Solutions to problems often become crystal clear.

When we’re evangelizing to others, let us remember to share Christ in a loving and humble way.  Remember to pray for that person, as well as yourself, that God would be merciful and grant grace to open hearts to His Word, to make blind eyes see... to make hearts like good tilled earth.  

Suspended in Air

Ever had something like this happen to you?






I have.  On more than one occasion during my student years.

If you're a young Christian  heading soon to college and the realm of "higher learning", be prepared.  There's a very good chance this type of scenario will confront you, too.   Or perhaps you've already encountered it in high school?  Were you prepared to give an answer?

1 Peter 3:15 says:

¹⁵ But sanctify the Lord God^[a] in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

That word "defense" , in the original Greek translated apologia, which means to defend, or a speech in defense.  So, contrary to a prevalent Western understanding, Christian apologia, or apologetics is a formal defense of the faith, not an expression of regret.

St. Peter, the rock upon whom Christ built His church, implores us to stand firm and to be ready when questioned about the faith we hold.  But how many of us can do that?  How many are even interested in doing that?!  Are your beliefs just suspended in air or do they have a firm foundation?  

There are two reasons why this should matter to you as a Christian:  1)  If you have a heart for Christ and desire to fulfill His commandment to spread the Gospel, then you need to know what you're talking about.  And 2)  because without this firm foundation, you are in danger of blindly accepting another worldview because it's the latest trend...it's "common sense" you may say.  Or collective ignorance.   So, at least be honest with yourself and be able to defend whatever view you hold.  Facts are stubborn little things.

Why do I bring all this up?  Well, because I have my finger on the pulse of our young generation.  I pray for them, I speak to them and encourage them whenever I can.  I see a need for critical thinking skills, for our youth to be proud of their Christian beliefs rather than cowering to worldly voices.

I know several teenagers who have abandoned the faith of their upbringing in order to espouse an "enlightened" worldview that sees Christianity as fairy tales and secular humanism as their new salvation.  They would never identify humanism as religion though,  because they think they can escape definitions and paradigms with which to view the world and make their moral choices.  It's a fascinating study, human nature.  

In my case, those years ago in the classroom, I made my case for Christ to my professors because I'm a loud mouth and don't ever mind to share my opinion.  I rather like confrontation when it involves Truth.  But I've learned a lot since that time and am now embarrassed at some of the things I said.  Well, a little bit.

For example, it doesn't do much good to say "Because the Bible says so!"  if the person you're speaking to doesn't believe the Bible to be true.  You must be able to explain the Bible itself ... it's history and why you believe it's accuarate and authentic.  This involves evidence, historical data, corroborating facts.  When someone says, "religion is just a crutch"  it also doesn't help to point a finger at their addictions as their own "crutch" to get through life.  Lord have mercy. Apologetics should never involve barbed wire.

If you're someone interested in Christian apologetics, let me share a few nuggets of wisdom that I learned the hard way:

- Not everyone is a Truth seeker; don't assume they are.  You can waste a lot of time and energy on someone who just wants to debate at best and ridicule you at worst.  

- As follows the above, to give Truth to him who does not love the Truth is only to give more reasons for argument.

-Debate is healthy and follows logic;  it's adherents can agree to disagree peaceably.  Arguing can lead to anger and violent tempers; Truth is tossed to the wind in these cases.

- In the case where debate turns to arguing and anger, shut up and ask God to forgive your unbridled tongue.

- The Christian religion is a historical one.  That means you can do  research on it's claims outside of the Bible.

- The study of Christian apologetics is rewarding -- it will undoubtedly increase your knowledge and quite possibly facilitate a measure of wisdom.  All the while increasing your faith.

- Do not make judgements about those with a different worldview.  There are many good and intelligent atheists out there, for example, and some of them genuinely do want to understand why you believe the way you do.  

 - Always separate the human being from the worldview they hold; criticisms should remain on the theological plane.  


I encourage you, Christian, to be able to give a defense for the faith you hold, remembering the words of Scottish author and minister, George MacDonald: 

"It is often incapacity for defending the faith they love which turns men into persecutors."

Living Water

                   

Water is on our minds these days in West Virginia, as you’ve probably read about the chemical leak that is now preventing some 300,000 households from clean drinking and bathing water.  It’s an inconvenience to be sure, but as Fr. Stephen reminded us at Liturgy this morning, ‘be mindful of the millions of people throughout the world who never have access to clean drinking water.  We are inconvenienced by driving to Kroger to buy bottled water.’   

Our family is fortunate;  we live a distance away from the chemical leak and obtain our water from a different source.   We’ve offered to help where we can.  Thankfully, the people we know have plenty of water to drink.  It’s a process and I fear it may be a few days yet before our neighbors will have access to clean tap water in their homes.

All this talk and reading about water has got me pondering more on my favorite Gospel, that of St. John and Christ’s famous words in chapter four:

14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

This is part of the conversation Jesus had with the woman at the well.  He makes a distinction for her between temporal water and the waters of eternity, the joyful spring that flows from the Holy Spirit.  The waters of eternity that not only satisfy and quench, but creates in the person a well in which to draw toward eternal life.  I delight in this encounter with the woman of Samaria; it's full of hope and promise.  Her amazement at meeting Jesus is palpable, not just because of the words about the water He gives, but he goes on to tell her all things she had done in her life.  She is so astonished she leaves her water pot at the well to go running into town.  There she beckons her friends to come and meet the Christ!

This is just one of many references in the New Testament to the life giving water of God.  Today this passage provided a much needed reminder that I am to seek God for that Living Water continually.  It is a spring, ever flowing and regenerating and yet I endeavor to find in the world what I believe to be nourishment.   This happens because I am lazy; indulgence brings fog as C.S. Lewis said.   

I tend to look for nourishment in relationships and material things.  Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t as though those things are bad in and of themselves.  It’s just that one can place unreasonable expectations on those things when we look to them to satisfy the desires of our heart.   The purest desire of the human heart is a longing for love --an unconditional, all encompassing love and acceptance.  God is the source, the origin of that love.  We are told on more than one occasion in the Good Book that if we seek God, we shall find Him.  

I plan to do more seeking in 2014... to draw nearer to God and exclude frivolous things from daily living.  For the grace that He gives is everything that I long for.  I must stop believing the lie that satisfaction and harmony can ever be found in this world apart from Him.  

Crackling Fire

The aroma of burning wood fills this air of my underground work space.  I love the coziness of our fireplace contrasted against the cold and wind just outside our door.  Indeed, this is one of my favorite things about winter; finding solace in quiet, unhurried moments -- a suspended schedule that only seems to occur in these cold months.  

There is something most civilized about a fire, the way it centers and calms and fills the senses.  In fact, a great many things that I hold dear in life are associated with fire.  Scent has memories attached;  it often happens that a whiff of wood smoke may call up a remembrance of friends gathered about a campfire, laughing, sharing stories and enjoying fellowship.   Or a memory may be triggered of making s’mores with our girl scout troop or of dad’s snow-laced work books trekking through the rec room in order to set more firewood upon the hearth.  

When we were kids, my sister and I, there were occasions of extended power outages in winter that necessitated gathering around the fireplace for warmth -- even cooking, at times.  These are fond memories because, as kids, we weren’t concerned about work or the condition of the roads (except for sledding purposes!)  or any of the other worries that plaque parents.  We just knew how good it felt to be together... to be warm.. to have enough. Honestly, looking back, it was the epitome of love in my small mind-- that feeling of warmth and security.  

It’s no small wonder that I most enjoy writing, reading, movie watching or editing photos in this underground abode when a bright fire crackles happily at my hearth.  

May peace, contentment and the love of Christ be yours in this new year.