Notes from a Sojourn
May 15, 2020
Death for New Life
I was tilling my garden yesterday getting prepared for planting a new crop. As I was working and watching the machine turn the old hard soil into soft, rich looking dirt, my mind wandered to all of the clichés about gardening that are found in the Bible. I was particularly drawn to John 12:24, “Very 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.” As I pondered this in my own simple way, it made great sense to me biologically and physically. As I contemplated further, it was death and dying that nearly caused me to run the tiller onto the yard.
I began to consider what needed to die within me to make me a better Christian or follower of Christ? What had been instilled in me all these many years in my religious upbringing and belief system that I must now extinguish? How could I be transformed, in light of my new theological education, so that I might become more Christ like and live the life I feel called to? These are not easy questions for an old fella’ set in his ways; and I don’t think they apply just to me, but to the institutional church as well. I am going to have to die to myself in order to produce any good in life. That means for me, letting go of my ego and my pride. It means learning to think, act, and speak radically differently. I requires acceptance of others, and I mean ALL OTHERS on a level I have never considered before. It requires that I let go of the past, put it to death so to speak, so that I may discover a new way of living; living a life that is pleasing to God in all areas of my life, not just the ones that I am comfortable with. I need this new life if I am to be effective in bringing God’s kingdom to the world. So does the church!
In these radically different times where the people and culture change constantly, we need, now more than ever, the love of our unchanging, constant God. We need to let go of the old, the past that we created, and move forward to a new life. We need to grow anew if we are to stay relevant in this ever-changing world and that means learning how to think, act and speak differently for God’s glory and honour. It means loving our neighbour, regardless of who they are or how they treat us. It means learning to do church differently to meet the needs of those who are searching for that relationship with God. It means meeting the people where they are instead of expecting them to meet us where we are. One of my professors at St. Paul once said, “The church has to die so that it can be reborn if it expects to survive.” Dying is not bad as it produces new life in so many ways, but it is painful. However, the pain is temporary, and the gain is lasting. Through it all, God’s love is available and evident even though it is hard to see at times.
I leave you with today’s Gospel reading which for me is helpful in reminding me why I need to die to myself. I hope I can bear some fruit!
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.” John 15.12-17
Mark, Pastoral Intern
St. Lawrence Parish
