From the One Grain, Grows the Vineyard

From the One Grain, Grows the Vineyard March 29, 2009

John 12:20-36

20Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour. 27“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. 34The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. 36While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.” After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.
On the Fifth Sunday of Lent we remember the prayers flags above our heads. Several weeks ago we made commitments of sacrificial love during these forty days. Like our new year’s resolution, we have always another opportunity to pick it up again and move the ball forward. These forty days in the Wilderness stretches us beyond our comfort, we give till it hurts.

Our gospel lesson today reminds us of the path that the Lamb, the Son of God took on our behalf. There is nothing in our life that will ever compare to the love and sacrifice that Jesus made on Calvary. It’s been many years, but the effect and impact takes a life time to try to comprehend it. When we walk this Lenten path we try to grow more sensitive and knowledgable to what it means to be a disciple of Christ. As an act of love and worship, we pick up our cross and walk this lonesome valley.

Sometimes we want to take the easy road. “Come on, can’t I just come here get my warm fuzzy, a cup of coffee and cookie and be on my way?” This does not measure up to the call that that Christ has set for us. Jesus laid down us life in order for us all to be liberated from any bond that this world tries to place on us. What have we given our Risen Lord as a living sacrifice in return? We remember Paul’s call to the Roman Church, “Therefore I beseech. . . by the mercies of God, that present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” During these forty days of Lent, we need to undomestic the gospel and accept the demands and challenges of being faithful to Christ.
As an act of worship, in our effort to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, we give back as an act of love, not out of a sense of guilt or obligation. Karl Barth wrote, “Faith is never identical with piety.” The Hebrew Scriptures are replete with corrections to the pious attempts to satisfy one’s requirement without a change of heart. Our living sacrifice has to be more than a mere going through the motions. It is not about checking off the boxes and moving on to our next to do list. God does not want our burnt offerings; rather God wants to see that we are practicing the love, peace and justice that God has placed in our hearts and deep in our bones. We make sacrifices of love, knowing that this is the path Jesus of Nazareth set for us in his brief life and ministry.

John’s gospel is rich with symbolism. Jesus is the Lamb, the Living Water, the Good Shepherd. Scholars outline the gospel with these different signs and symbols. In our Lesson today, Jesus is the grain that must be destroyed and broken open in order for the new life to come. It is right that we celebrate Easter in the Spring. Many of us bring lilies and place them on chancel as a symbol of the new life that Jesus has brought us. All around us, we see signs of the new life emerging. The cold night of winter brought death, but know we see that the seeds of new life have been waiting to glorify our Creator God. As Bette Midler sings:
Just remember in the winter, far beneath the bitter snow.
Lies the seed that with the Sun’s love in the Spring becomes the Rose.

In addition to John’s image of Jesus as the grain, John portrays Jesus as the true Vine. From the one germinating seed cracked open on Calvary has created the eternal vine, the core and center of our Lord’s Vineyard. As disciples, we need to remember how critical it is for us to remain connected to the vine that nourishes the branches. This Vineyard has grown from Calvary and the Empty tomb to the four corners of our world. Every Sunday, we stand and worship in awe of how vast this Vineyard has grown from the one grain that fell on Calvary.

The context for Today’s lesson is that Jesus has just completed his third entry into Jerusalem on the eve of Passover. His followers and new disciples are scurrying to be within listening distance of the long awaited messiah. The powers that be surely have taken notice that the witnesses who saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead are also present. Can you sense everything coming to a head?
The final indication that the hour has come is when even the Greeks join the Passover feast. The celebration that commemorates liberation from bondage in Egypt, is now being embraced by even the Greeks who once oppressed the Jews. (Remember the story of Hannukah? )

We see several times in the gospels where Jesus is very intentional about the timing of his expanding kingdom. First to the house of Israel, and then to the nations. The vine must incorporate these first set of branches before the vineyard expands to the nations. What began as mission to God’s chosen ones has expanded to (Gentiles). Jesus’ life and ministry is a completion of the promise God made to Abraham that his spiritual descendants would be like the number of stars in the sky. How appropriate that at the end of the passage Jesus charges the disciples to be children of the light. We are the promised stars.
These fruits of the Vineyard have transformed our world in ways that we still try to comprehend. Yes, we have a separation of church and state, this protects both the government and the church, but one really can not understand Western Civilization without factoring in how Judeo-Christian values have shaped who we are. These are some of the fruits that grew from the one grain that fell on Calvary. Read the moral documents of the modernity and you see will principles that generated from the Lord’s Prayer and Sermon on the Mount. When we advocate on behalf the least and most vulnerable, this is fruit that grows out of the germinating seed Jesus Christ placed in the soil of our hearts and minds.

We can embrace these more pastoral images of who we are and move away from the militant metaphors. Jesus has transformed our world through his life and death, but this would not come through the sword but rather through his instruments of sacrificial love. We remember that in his final hours, Jesus admonished his disciples to put their swords away. “Those will live by the sword die by the sword.” We must practice non-violent sacrificial love. If our faithful trek the valley brings death, the seeds from our witness will be dispersed to fertilize the soil with love. We must be willing to lose our lives to save our lives. The only sword God uses is the sword of truth that breaks up our hearts of stone.
Last week our nation mourned the four slain officers in Oakland. Like our men and women in uniform, these officers did not die in vain. They made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. Every time an officer or fire fighter put on their uniform there is weight upon their shoulder. “Could this be the day that I don’t come back?” Our public servants who risk their to protect us understand the path of Christ on a deeper level. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families who bear the burden of grief and loss. Their sacrifice is a seed that will bear fruit in God’s time. May we find ways to make meaning out of these tragedies. When we see the processions of officers and fire-fighters we remember the fallen and recommit ourselves to memorialize their life and service.
As a church, we should also remember the martyrs of the church who had the courage to lay down their lives for the gospel. There are many regions of our world where converting to Christianity could cost you your life. Families and communities shun and ostracize our brothers and sisters who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. In America, it can be hard for us to fathom the courage and resolve required to be faithful to the Gospel in these situations.
When I went to Austin last week for Interim training, I visited the LBJ library again. My grand parent’s and parent’s generations went through a terrible time in the 60’s. So many of our nation’s leaders perished in just 6 years. JFK, Malcolm X, Dr. King, & RFK were willing to lose their lives in order to their save their lives. They had the courage to stay true to their calling in spite of the threats the powers and principalities of this world threw at them. They were literally living sacrifices for the building of a more just and peaceful world. Our fallen heroes gave their lives as seeds that would blossom later as treasures in heaven.

Walking through the LBJ museum, I shared this experience with colleagues who grew up in this tumultuous time. Gen Xers like myself need to be students of history, with teachable spirits. Life is always more complicated than the sound bites and news clips. As our Boomers move into the ranks of AARP, I hope their children and grandchildren will learn from them about this time in their lives. A difficult time, but a critical time for us to understand our calling to to lay down our lives for what we believe in.
As branches of the Vine, we remember the grain that fell in order for us to be here. We prepare ourselves to bear the seeds that spread the fruit to all of God’s children. We pray and commune with the furthest branches of the one true vine, who gave his life to be the seed that this glorious vineyard into being. The fruits of our love and service produce additional seeds and pollen that are carried on by the winds of history.
Today, the church is in a new context. The branches are strong and the vine will always be with us to nourish us with the life giving water, and the wine from the cup of salvation. In these final days of Lent, we approach the glorious day of Palm Sunday. We shout Hosanna, knowing that a painful week will follow. We don’t dismiss Good Friday, but we take comfort in knowing this was not the end. These three days from Calvary and Empty tomb bring us the one grain, the eternal, life-giving seed that has brought this glorious Vineyard into being.