Creating and Cultivating Culture
So, in my parish here in Brazil this morning, the reading was on the parable of the sower, the version from Matthew:
3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Most of the time, when this parable is covered in sermons or studies or classes, it is a fairly quick thing, because, duh, Jesus gives us the answer right there, but if we know only a little about parables, I would argue that a singular meaning is not always the simple solution we'd like.
So let me start my discussion with a couple things I've learned already, that I found interesting and sometimes use as base givens in this analysis:
1. Birds, in a first century context, were often metaphors for evil. We may not think of birds as evil, since now people have them as trainable pets, and their beauty is admired in the wild and at animal sanctuaries, but for a culture that heavily relied on farming (and for those today for whom subsistence farming is still a hard and necessary way of life) birds are the evil things that would take your future and eat it, giving nothing in return as they left. So they were unwelcome, unwanted, and could bring down ruin on a family.
2. The seed in question is the seed of faith in God and the salvation given each of us through Jesus Christ. And this parable talks about it in the context of new believers (which all who believe, were at some point or another)
Ok, so that's fairly straightforward so far. However, nearly every time I have ever heard this topic covered in any context, we assume that each ground option is about a personal inward nature. That a singular person, within themselves, is one of these options (and usually only one). It is at this point that I'm not sold.
If this is a purely singular trait, I'd say it changes within us each from time to time throughout our lives, but I also find an even more necessary explanation from this gospel today. So here's what I've got:
What if, for people who are already followers, part of the Jesus Movement, Christians; this parable is not about us as individuals? What if it is talking to us about the culture we create under those names, and what that culture does to those who potentially come to us?
The culture of the Path: paths are made when a lot of walking happens in the same spot. Either one person or group in a routine that doesn't change, or many people all heading in the same direction. I'd call this "tradition for the sake of tradition", or "following the crowd" and I'd purport that a LOT of churches do exactly this. Traditions are great (I wouldn't be an Episcopalian if I didn't give a crap about tradition), but only when used and observed properly. And trying to create an environment that isn't "too churchy" can be fine, but when churches start to bear more resemblance to rock concerts and motivational speaker workshops, there's something amiss. And I find it quite amusing that in my analysis of this, these two paradigms of churches (the frozen chosen and the mega-church phenomenon) which are normally categorized as opposite ends of the spectrum, fall in the same category here. They both provide little depth, and their traditions or teachings can easily be twisted to the purpose of evil (hasn't even your least favorite politician quoted scripture at some point???). They don't create a profound relationship with Christ or with each other.
The culture of the Rocks: In this, I immediately thought of one of the more typical aspects of US culture. In many ways, the culture is dependent on personal strength and solo achievements. You stand alone and achieve your proud accomplishments in your own name. You seek to be the pillar of the community while ignoring the fact that, just like rocks, all your achievements are actually built on the backs of others that will never receive the recognition, since they won't be the rock at the top. I mean, who keeps the Olympic medals? Not the parents who paid for all those years of lessons and driving kids back and forth for hours. Not the coaches who started teaching them the fundamentals as kids or even toddlers. Not even the sponsors or donors that paid for them to attend the games. The athletes alone get a medal, and everyone below that pillar gets to bask in the glow with nothing of their own to show for it. (And I don't have time or personal restraint of my feelings to get into all the things this paradigm says about the US historical and current attitudes toward slavery, racism, and feminism...I'd make some folks mad, and also end up with a super duper long post that even supportive folks wouldn't have time to read!) In the culture of the Rocks, plenty of people can thank God for their achievements (again, just look at the athletes' post-trophy speeches), but when it comes to the day to day, the deeper relationship, there's frequently no true faith to be found. When a life is focused so much on achievements, it cannot also be focused heavily on Jesus...unless you're kinda cross-eyed. In churches, this culture usually looks like a parish focused on boasting the biggest numbers, the most programs, or the most invitations for representation at external events. Does your church website boast words like "largest __(insert denomination here)__ church in the state/region/nation" or "historical membership includes presidents/senators/judges/astronauts/Nobel Peace Prize Winners" in the About Us section? That may be a small heads up that things have gotten rocky already.
Culture of the Thorns: Even in Jesus' explanation, this is about preoccupation with what's to come. And, I've found that this is a glaring difference between the churches I'm familiar with in the US and the church I am a part of here in Brazil. There is almost always a fundraising campaign that must be completed BEFORE a new project or ministry is started back home (usually complete with little thermometer chart...why is it always a thermometer??? Who even uses those anymore??? My phone tells me how hot or cold it is outside.). Now, don't get me wrong, stewardship is still an important responsibility, but the common culture in the US and specifically the church is set up to prioritize stewardship over faith. For a counter example, where I work here in Brazil, the building was completed not too long ago, but there's a big difference. 1. They had an old building in the spot. One room, and a student capacity that was greatly overshadowed by the level on need in the area. 2. They decided to build a bigger building to accommodate more students and facilities (kitchen, bathroomS, etc). 3. They set about publicizing this decision to raise money. 4. BEFORE they had the whole amount to finish the new building, they knocked the old one down anyways and started the process. (this would make many a vestry stateside gasp and panic mid meeting, I'm certain) 5. They relied on faith to continue the project, and--no surprise to believers who understand the inherent call to serve that lies in our baptismal covenant--the funds kept being offered from various and unexpected sources just in the nick of time for everything to continue. So, the culture of Thorns occurs in churches when we say only by rote "give us this day our daily bread" and not truly depend on God for everything, including those very basic provisions, before we head out to do the work God has given us to do.
Culture of the Fertile Soil: So obviously this is the ideal scenario in this parable. Fertile soil is accepting of seeds, ready and waiting to nourish them and envelope them. And really, there's not a lot more for me to say about this, because I think most of us innately know what a culture that supports and nourishes us looks like, or feels like.
Like I said, normally in dissection of this parable, we come at it from a perspective of us being the ground types. What if, like in other phrases from the gospels, we are, in fact, the workers in God's fields?
If we are actually the workers, then it is us, as communities, that create these environments or cultures that new believers encounter. What is needed to create a culture of the Path, Rocks, or Thorns is fairly simple. We often default to them anyway. Fertile soil takes work! It takes the workers' time, care, and attention. We must notice the invasions of weeds that would seek to use the fertile soil for un-blessed things, and we must continually and patiently remove them, even when it is difficult and sometimes they take parts of the good soil with them as they are removed, but it is necessary for the future generations of seeds that the weeds be gone.
So what do weeds look like in our cultural paradigm? Well, that is, sadly, a big answer. One weed I have found, not only for my self, but one that leaves me heartbroken at its pervasiveness through my students and youth (mainly the females) lies in the cultural standards and behaviors towards beauty, self-image, and self-esteem. In fact, I was talking the other day with my mother about these topics and her comment was this: "Even when I wasn't overweight I didn't love my body."
This is a statement I have heard from nearly every female over 30 I've ever talked to about this. There are jokes and cartoons online with images saying "I wish I was the same weight now that I was the first time I thought I was overweight." that are constantly shared on facebook and other social media. It's scary how young this obsession with the physical starts. I had a kindergarten student I used to babysit tell me she needed to go on a diet because she was too fat to share clothes with her best friend. This is a cultural ideal that generations pass on, both directly with blatant hurtful comments, but also indirectly or with well meaning things. For example, a toddler with Mom in a grocery store sees a stranger walking toward them in the aisle and says "Fat". The mother responds by shushing and telling the child "We don't call people fat. That's not nice." Thus the cultural association of fat being mean is started. If the kid said "tall" or "blonde" or "man" there would be no reprimand. It starts small and it begins early, and this goes for an abundance of other "weeds".
To create the ideal fertile soil, we must tend our weeds: racism, ignorant dismissal of other or unknown cultures, stereotyping, sexism, erroneous cultural priorities, and greed (as a small set of examples). Just like in an actual garden, we must learn what is good and what the bad stuff looks like, and, while it is still small and easy to pull out, we must do so, in plain sight. We must call out even the "insignificant" because letting weeds grow until they are significant only makes them harder to remove. (Side note: this is why I am often personally frustrated with the argument that first world females or minorities should not blatantly call attention to their mistreatment issues with culture, because "someone out there has it worse")
I am no gardener. I don't much care for dirt, especially activities that end with it under my nails and all over me. I'm better at killing plants by neglect, actually. However, I've tried, and--more importantly--I've watched my Master Gardner of a grandmother as she's done it. From her, here's what I do know about weeding:
Weeding in the field is done in the daylight, so we too must weed our fields in full view, in public, where maybe we are judged, maybe we lose friends, maybe we get hot and sweaty and tired of the work, but where we are a public example, proclaiming the heart of the Jesus Movement: Love. Love for all that was created by God.
Also, like actual weeding, you don't get to do this standing up and yelling at the weeds. It is done, bent, humbled, one on one. Sometimes it's back-breaking work, and it's not ever done to receive applause of the crowds because there are no crowds when you weed. They say if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything, and in this parable, we see that it's true: you must stand. However, you don't stand in a position of power. You stand, humbled before the work the Creator has assigned us, ready to give your love, your power, your energy for the work, even though it is hot, long tiring, and endless.
The result of creating a culture of fertile soil, of acceptance and nurturing, is worth it. In the words of Jesus, the yield will be 30/60/100 times what is sown. This is why the Episcopal Church has "Tend" as one of the 5 marks of mission, and why we all speak up to witness and support the newly baptized.
So let us each seek to tend our communal culture, in small and persistent ways, so that our parishes, our communities, our missions may become areas of fertile soil amid a massive amount of worn paths, rocks, and thorns. Let us pray to do it when it really isn't fun, or easy, or clean, and let us be happy to stand for something, but humbled in posture and service.
Amen.
3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Most of the time, when this parable is covered in sermons or studies or classes, it is a fairly quick thing, because, duh, Jesus gives us the answer right there, but if we know only a little about parables, I would argue that a singular meaning is not always the simple solution we'd like.
So let me start my discussion with a couple things I've learned already, that I found interesting and sometimes use as base givens in this analysis:
1. Birds, in a first century context, were often metaphors for evil. We may not think of birds as evil, since now people have them as trainable pets, and their beauty is admired in the wild and at animal sanctuaries, but for a culture that heavily relied on farming (and for those today for whom subsistence farming is still a hard and necessary way of life) birds are the evil things that would take your future and eat it, giving nothing in return as they left. So they were unwelcome, unwanted, and could bring down ruin on a family.
2. The seed in question is the seed of faith in God and the salvation given each of us through Jesus Christ. And this parable talks about it in the context of new believers (which all who believe, were at some point or another)
Ok, so that's fairly straightforward so far. However, nearly every time I have ever heard this topic covered in any context, we assume that each ground option is about a personal inward nature. That a singular person, within themselves, is one of these options (and usually only one). It is at this point that I'm not sold.
If this is a purely singular trait, I'd say it changes within us each from time to time throughout our lives, but I also find an even more necessary explanation from this gospel today. So here's what I've got:
What if, for people who are already followers, part of the Jesus Movement, Christians; this parable is not about us as individuals? What if it is talking to us about the culture we create under those names, and what that culture does to those who potentially come to us?
The culture of the Path: paths are made when a lot of walking happens in the same spot. Either one person or group in a routine that doesn't change, or many people all heading in the same direction. I'd call this "tradition for the sake of tradition", or "following the crowd" and I'd purport that a LOT of churches do exactly this. Traditions are great (I wouldn't be an Episcopalian if I didn't give a crap about tradition), but only when used and observed properly. And trying to create an environment that isn't "too churchy" can be fine, but when churches start to bear more resemblance to rock concerts and motivational speaker workshops, there's something amiss. And I find it quite amusing that in my analysis of this, these two paradigms of churches (the frozen chosen and the mega-church phenomenon) which are normally categorized as opposite ends of the spectrum, fall in the same category here. They both provide little depth, and their traditions or teachings can easily be twisted to the purpose of evil (hasn't even your least favorite politician quoted scripture at some point???). They don't create a profound relationship with Christ or with each other.
The culture of the Rocks: In this, I immediately thought of one of the more typical aspects of US culture. In many ways, the culture is dependent on personal strength and solo achievements. You stand alone and achieve your proud accomplishments in your own name. You seek to be the pillar of the community while ignoring the fact that, just like rocks, all your achievements are actually built on the backs of others that will never receive the recognition, since they won't be the rock at the top. I mean, who keeps the Olympic medals? Not the parents who paid for all those years of lessons and driving kids back and forth for hours. Not the coaches who started teaching them the fundamentals as kids or even toddlers. Not even the sponsors or donors that paid for them to attend the games. The athletes alone get a medal, and everyone below that pillar gets to bask in the glow with nothing of their own to show for it. (And I don't have time or personal restraint of my feelings to get into all the things this paradigm says about the US historical and current attitudes toward slavery, racism, and feminism...I'd make some folks mad, and also end up with a super duper long post that even supportive folks wouldn't have time to read!) In the culture of the Rocks, plenty of people can thank God for their achievements (again, just look at the athletes' post-trophy speeches), but when it comes to the day to day, the deeper relationship, there's frequently no true faith to be found. When a life is focused so much on achievements, it cannot also be focused heavily on Jesus...unless you're kinda cross-eyed. In churches, this culture usually looks like a parish focused on boasting the biggest numbers, the most programs, or the most invitations for representation at external events. Does your church website boast words like "largest __(insert denomination here)__ church in the state/region/nation" or "historical membership includes presidents/senators/judges/astronauts/Nobel Peace Prize Winners" in the About Us section? That may be a small heads up that things have gotten rocky already.
Culture of the Thorns: Even in Jesus' explanation, this is about preoccupation with what's to come. And, I've found that this is a glaring difference between the churches I'm familiar with in the US and the church I am a part of here in Brazil. There is almost always a fundraising campaign that must be completed BEFORE a new project or ministry is started back home (usually complete with little thermometer chart...why is it always a thermometer??? Who even uses those anymore??? My phone tells me how hot or cold it is outside.). Now, don't get me wrong, stewardship is still an important responsibility, but the common culture in the US and specifically the church is set up to prioritize stewardship over faith. For a counter example, where I work here in Brazil, the building was completed not too long ago, but there's a big difference. 1. They had an old building in the spot. One room, and a student capacity that was greatly overshadowed by the level on need in the area. 2. They decided to build a bigger building to accommodate more students and facilities (kitchen, bathroomS, etc). 3. They set about publicizing this decision to raise money. 4. BEFORE they had the whole amount to finish the new building, they knocked the old one down anyways and started the process. (this would make many a vestry stateside gasp and panic mid meeting, I'm certain) 5. They relied on faith to continue the project, and--no surprise to believers who understand the inherent call to serve that lies in our baptismal covenant--the funds kept being offered from various and unexpected sources just in the nick of time for everything to continue. So, the culture of Thorns occurs in churches when we say only by rote "give us this day our daily bread" and not truly depend on God for everything, including those very basic provisions, before we head out to do the work God has given us to do.
Culture of the Fertile Soil: So obviously this is the ideal scenario in this parable. Fertile soil is accepting of seeds, ready and waiting to nourish them and envelope them. And really, there's not a lot more for me to say about this, because I think most of us innately know what a culture that supports and nourishes us looks like, or feels like.
Like I said, normally in dissection of this parable, we come at it from a perspective of us being the ground types. What if, like in other phrases from the gospels, we are, in fact, the workers in God's fields?
If we are actually the workers, then it is us, as communities, that create these environments or cultures that new believers encounter. What is needed to create a culture of the Path, Rocks, or Thorns is fairly simple. We often default to them anyway. Fertile soil takes work! It takes the workers' time, care, and attention. We must notice the invasions of weeds that would seek to use the fertile soil for un-blessed things, and we must continually and patiently remove them, even when it is difficult and sometimes they take parts of the good soil with them as they are removed, but it is necessary for the future generations of seeds that the weeds be gone.
So what do weeds look like in our cultural paradigm? Well, that is, sadly, a big answer. One weed I have found, not only for my self, but one that leaves me heartbroken at its pervasiveness through my students and youth (mainly the females) lies in the cultural standards and behaviors towards beauty, self-image, and self-esteem. In fact, I was talking the other day with my mother about these topics and her comment was this: "Even when I wasn't overweight I didn't love my body."
To create the ideal fertile soil, we must tend our weeds: racism, ignorant dismissal of other or unknown cultures, stereotyping, sexism, erroneous cultural priorities, and greed (as a small set of examples). Just like in an actual garden, we must learn what is good and what the bad stuff looks like, and, while it is still small and easy to pull out, we must do so, in plain sight. We must call out even the "insignificant" because letting weeds grow until they are significant only makes them harder to remove. (Side note: this is why I am often personally frustrated with the argument that first world females or minorities should not blatantly call attention to their mistreatment issues with culture, because "someone out there has it worse")
I am no gardener. I don't much care for dirt, especially activities that end with it under my nails and all over me. I'm better at killing plants by neglect, actually. However, I've tried, and--more importantly--I've watched my Master Gardner of a grandmother as she's done it. From her, here's what I do know about weeding:
Weeding in the field is done in the daylight, so we too must weed our fields in full view, in public, where maybe we are judged, maybe we lose friends, maybe we get hot and sweaty and tired of the work, but where we are a public example, proclaiming the heart of the Jesus Movement: Love. Love for all that was created by God.
Also, like actual weeding, you don't get to do this standing up and yelling at the weeds. It is done, bent, humbled, one on one. Sometimes it's back-breaking work, and it's not ever done to receive applause of the crowds because there are no crowds when you weed. They say if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything, and in this parable, we see that it's true: you must stand. However, you don't stand in a position of power. You stand, humbled before the work the Creator has assigned us, ready to give your love, your power, your energy for the work, even though it is hot, long tiring, and endless.
The result of creating a culture of fertile soil, of acceptance and nurturing, is worth it. In the words of Jesus, the yield will be 30/60/100 times what is sown. This is why the Episcopal Church has "Tend" as one of the 5 marks of mission, and why we all speak up to witness and support the newly baptized.
So let us each seek to tend our communal culture, in small and persistent ways, so that our parishes, our communities, our missions may become areas of fertile soil amid a massive amount of worn paths, rocks, and thorns. Let us pray to do it when it really isn't fun, or easy, or clean, and let us be happy to stand for something, but humbled in posture and service.
Amen.
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