Sunday, July 11, 1999

WHAT? WHY? AND SO WHAT?

Rev. Linda Carder

Back many years ago, when I was in Seminary, my New Testament Professor told us that there were only and always three questions to ask about a scripture. What? Why? And So What? What was the context of the story? What were the expectations, the cultural norms, the sociological strata, the circumstances that would help us understand as close as possible, what the story or the scripture was about.

The second question, Why? Might be more clearly expressed as "Why was the story kept alive for us?" Of all the stories to tell, why save this one? And how might the circumstances of the times when it was written have changed the story. What was the meaning of the story for the writers and those who heard it then?

And the So What? Question, of course means, what now? What is the relevance of the story for us in our time?

So, what was going on at the time of the Isaiah passage we heard this morning? It was the time of the Exile. The Babylonians had come into the little kingdom of Israel, taken people captive and, in Biblical language, had brought them into a foreign land. You might remember that the captors had asked their prisoners to sing for them, to entertain them, and the prisoners answered, "how can we sing a song in a strange land." It is hard for us now to understand the importance of the exile to the Hebrew faith. Walter Brueggemann, an Old Testament scholar claims that this event was cataclysmic for the Hebrew people. So much so that they nearly revamped their faith at that time. This is the time that the Creation stories were written. This is the time when a great deal of other material was gathered, structured and reworked.

The two major questions of the time were: 1. Was God powerful enough to effect history and save the Hebrew people? 2. Had God totally abandoned them or would God still be faithful to them and save them? Today we heard the answer of Second Isaiah. Not only is God powerful enough, but God’s word alone is powerful enough. And when God saves, not if God saves, what a celebration it will be. The results of God’s activity will be spectacular.

The Gospel passage is perfect for this What? and Why? method of biblical interpretation because it is two parts. The first section is probably very close to what Jesus said. The second section is an allegory and is probably very close to how Matthew used the parable. When Jesus told the parable, he and his disciples had been traveling around Galilee, teaching, preaching and healing. They were not warmly received in many towns. In fact, they were rejected by many. Jesus may have told the parable to encourage the disciples. The message is clearly that, even though there are lots of weeds and bad soil here, the harvest will be spectacular.

Matthew was living and telling the parable in a post resurrection time. The going was difficult for these new Christians. The mission was right outside their door and received no better than in Jesus time. The persecutions were beginning at least on a small scale. Matthew use of the story is so full of passion that he might have his followers be sowers, seed, or soil. Is God the sower and they are the seed? Are they to be sowers and spread the Good News. Or do they need to be good soil and be receptive to the good news so that it can grow in them? At any rate, the message is still the same! The harvest will be spectacular! God will make it so.

So what? What can this possibly have to do with CCC? Well, here we are, planted in our time, on the brink of a new century, in a city poised for redevelopment. We are a people of faith with a story to tell and the mission field at our doorstep. We occupy a 50 year old building which was designed to remind people of the faith and the church and the denomination of their childhood. If you had come recently from New England and wanted to recreate your back home faith experience, this was the place to start looking.

Well, folks do not shop for a church in a particular denomination any more. They look for a church that is welcoming, friendly, and has the kind of programs and ministry that is a good fit for them. And above all, a church needs to not look like a "has been", a "once was", and send the message that ministry of this place was in the past. At least that is what church growth people tell us. Further, the building needs to be designed in such a way that it facilitates the ministry of the congregation.

We have before dear friends, the opportunity to sow some seeds of faith in this community; to ready this church for ministry into the next century. After many years of discussion and probably controversy, we are ready to begin a capital funds campaign, to look at the architects designs, to do some further tweaking of those designs and move to an exciting, challenging, and even frightening, new ministry.

There will be weeds. Weeds of discouragement. Weeds of caution. Weeds of fear. We will find some really bad soil that will not grow a thing. It may be a county ordinance here, or some folks there that just cannot be a part of this. There may be an occasional path through the whole thing that has been so trodden that it will grow nothing.

But we dare not hold back now. All Gods people are called to be in ministry in the age they are given and in the place they find themselves. It is my belief that God really needs this church in this time and place to be all it can be in the name of Jesus Christ and for Jesus Christ. And that means we do not dare hold back the seeds. We must plant them boldly and trust Gods promise of a spectacular harvest.

Next week, immediately after worship, there will be a "Sneak Preview," that is, a time to meet with the architects and see the designs they have for us at this point. The Ambassadors Committee is unanimous in

their support of the work of there architects and are excited to share these designs with you.

Building a new or restructured church building is not just a matter of bricks and mortar and fund raising. It is a statement of faith. In entering into this project the congregation is saying we have a faith that is important to share with this community into the next century. We want the folks out there to be able to look at this building and see who we are and what we believe. And because our faith is so important to us, we are willing to take the risks, take on the weeds, deal with whatever soil we encounter in the project. We are God’s people. God has the will and the power to support us. And there will be, there will be, a spectacular harvest. Not just in a new and better building, but in the ministry we are able to do.

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