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Commonplace Holiness

Author: Craig L

  • Spirituality and the Holy Spirit

    Spirituality and the Holy Spirit

    I have previously written about spirituality in what might be called a generic sense: as a human capability. A simple way of understanding the spiritual side of human nature is to see it as the capacity for self-transcendence.

    I have explored this idea here:

    As I say, it is possible to see all of this as “spirituality” in a generic sense. It’s a human capacity.

    To go further in discussing this, I need to draw on ideas explicitly from Christian theology.  At this point, the Christian perspective gives us some help in understanding how human spiritual capabilities connect us with God and with the world around us.

    The helpful concept in this case is the Holy Spirit. Our human capacity — and yearning — to reach out beyond ourselves is answered by the reality of God’s Spirit reaching to us. This is only natural to expect. We have a desire to connect with a higher reality than ourselves. Our desire to breathe is answered by the air around us. Our desire for food and water are answered the reality of food and water. Our desire for a connection with God  — which would give a framework of meaning to our lives and our moral choices — is answered by the Holy Spirit of God.

    It is sometimes said that the doctrine of the Spirit is a neglected theme in Christian theology. Maybe in some circles this is true. It has not been true in either the Holiness or Pentecostal streams of the Christian tradition. The emphasis in these movements has been on Christian experience and the practical aspects of the life of faith, great emphasis has, in fact fallen on the work of the Spirit.

    1. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Life.

    It is helpful, in the first place, to remember who the Spirit is and the nature of the Spirit’s role in general. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” (Genesis 1:1,2 NASB).

    The Spirit of God is spoken of in the Bible as being the Spirit of all life. “O LORD, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions. There is the sea, great and broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great. … They all wait for You To give them their food in due season. You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good. You hide Your face, they are dismayed; You take away their spirit, they expire And return to their dust. You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the ground.” (Psalm 104:24-30 NRSV.)

    God has created by His Spirit. God upholds all life by His Spirit. When we speak of the Holy Spirit we are speaking of the very breath of God that breathed life into the human race at the beginning. “…then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7 NRSV).

    Because God is the Creator and preserver of all life, the Spirit of God is also the Spirit of all life. This larger Biblical view of the work and role of the Holy Spirit — which comes out most expressly in the Old Testament — must be kept in mind as think about this.

    Wolfhart Pannenberg (1928–2014).

    In the beginning of an essay entitled “The Spirit of Life,” Wolfhart Pannenberg writes:

    When the second Ecumenical Council of the Church at Constantinople (381) made additions to the Nicene Creed, the Father’s first reinforcement of the third article was a qualification of the Holy Spirit as the one who gives life. This term was, of course, far from novel; it recalled the New Testament descriptions of the Spirit. Paul and John in particular had spoken of the Spirit as the one who makes alive, or quickens; as the primal source of life. Nowadays that is often interpreted restrictively as a purely soteriological expression referring to the new life in faith — a topic which is undeniably at the centre of the early Christian writings. But, references to the Spirit as the giver of life are certainly not to be restricted to the life of faith.

    — Wolfhart Pannenberg, “The Spirit of Life” Faith and Reality (translated by john Maxwell) 1977.

    Creation itself is spoken of in the Bible as beginning with the movement of the Spirit upon the primal waters: “…while a wind (spirit ר֣וּחַ) from God swept over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2 NRSV). The talents of prophets and craftsmen and poets and artists and heroes are  spoken of as being inspired by the Spirit of God. While, the New Testament is primarily concerned to speak of the new life or the eternal life (ζωὴν αἰώνιον) that is available through faith in Christ — but this promise is given against the backdrop of this larger vision of the Spirit as the Spirit of all life.

    Although the New Testament writings when they speak of the Spirit are primarily concerned, therefore, with his charismatic presence and the new life of faith mediated by him, the profound scope of these statements and their peculiar logic are only apparent if one is aware that they are rooted in basic convictions of Jewish tradition about the Spirit as the creative origin of all life.

    — Wolfhart Pannenberg, “The Spirit of Life” Faith and Reality (translated by john Maxwell) 1977.

    The God that Christians worship is no parochial God — but the God of all people. So, also the work of the Spirit must first of all be understood to be universal in scope.

    2. This Connects with the Wesleyan Theological Concept of Prevenient Grace.

    This line of thought naturally brings us into the realm of what theologians in the Wesleyan tradition call Prevenient Grace. By this we mean to speak of the grace of God that is available to all people — whether they are aware of it or not. This is the grace that stirs in the heart of all people, calling them to search for meaning, and purpose — as well as forgiveness and reconciliation. It is a grace that convicts and convinces the world. It is “the life” that is “the light of all people.”

    Grace is available — in this form — to all because God is the God of all people and because the Spirit of God is the Spirit of all life. Remembering the Old Testament depiction of the Spirit as the source of all life — and the source of all inspiration — leads us in this direction.

    Both Charles Gutenson in Reconsidering the Doctrine of God and Kent Eilers in Faithful to Save: Pannenberg on God’s Reconciling Action note the similarities of Wolfhart Pannenberg’s doctrine of the work of the Holy Spirit and John Wesley’s conception of Prevenient Grace.

    The Spirit of God has an epistemic role — making the knowledge of God a possibility. It is precisely this prevenient grace that makes it possible for human beings to even know God.

    Our very capacity for self-transcendence is a gift from God. It opens for us a possibility that our lives need not be consumed by selfishness and self-destruction. Grace is conveyed to us in our lost-ness — making saving faith in Christ a possiblity.

    3. The Spirit Connects Us with All of Life.

    In fact, it is the work of the Spirit of God to connect us with God, with other people, and with life in the world.

    Self-transcendence need not lead to escapism — though obviously it can, and often does. The Spirit of God, being the Spirit of life and the Spirit of God, seeks to lift us out of ourselves into connection with the God of all creation, and the best interests of other people — and, ultimately, all creation.

    As long as our lives are closed in upon ourselves, in fact, there is no hope for this. The hope given to us in the Gospel of Christ includes the possibility of being lifted beyond ourselves — in love for God (who has created all) and in love for all other people. And, that is certainly good news.  

  • Reflections on Matthew 14:13-21 The Feeding of the Five Thousand

    Reflections on Matthew 14:13-21 The Feeding of the Five Thousand

    I’m just pulling together a few reflections on this story today. I won’t be going through the passage verse by verse. Just a few thoughts especially for preachers, but also for everyone.

    (1.) It’s a narrative: present it in a narrative style. This one of my long standing frustrations with preaching & listening to preachers: how do we make our message more story-like and less essay-like? I have been asked by lay speakers and aspiring preachers: how do you preach on a story? 

    The question should be: how do I preach on something essay-like like the Pauline epistles — where story needs to be supplied by me?

     I actually enjoy reading 19th Century preaching. But, I would never want to preach like that. It’s too dry and logical and formal. It goes on far too long. It’s all propositional. It does not respect human nature. We are still like little children in a way: we want someone to read us a story.

    When God wanted to communicate with us, God inspired the minds of story-tellers. The Bible is one long inter-connected story. Christian faith sees the whole of the Bible as having it’s focus in Jesus Christ. 

    Preach stories. Preach the story of Christ. Make the essay-like portions of the Bible more story-like. Let the story-like passages carry you forward by their own energy. The late evangelist Billy Graham often did this — allowing the story to carry his message.

    Confession: My life-long frustration is learning this, trying to get better at this: learning to let ideas flow because they need some sort of narrative structure to communicate best.

    (2) It’s a story about Jesus. I cringe a bit when the preacher announces this text. That’s because I’m a United Methodist and “mainline” preachers are embarrassed by the miraculous elements in the Bible. So, it seems like the safe route here to turn this into a story about the need for the crowd to share their lunch with each other. One preacher I heard went on to claim that this was the greater miracle, anyway. But, if it hadn’t been for the (felt) need to avoid the miraculous element in the story, this story would never have been turned into the story of everybody-share-your-lunch in the first place! In the attempt to avoid the miraculous, the whole focus of the story is changed. Instead of being a story that focuses on Jesus, this becomes a story about the crowd.

    But, this story only became known and spread in the first place because it pointed to the uniqueness of Jesus in providing nourishment when there (essentially) was none.

    (3) It’s a connected story. Nevertheless, in telling this story the preacher should not just draw out little unconnected life-lessons and move on. Like other messages, thought needs to be given to the main point (and minor points) one wishes to convey. That is because the message needs focus to communicate well.

    (4) The event here was understood to be a miracle. You need to get over any hesitancy you may have about that. You can’t explain a miracle. So, there’s nothing wrong with saying: ‘I don’t know what happened here or how.’ But, here is what we are being told through this story: we place what we have in the hands of Jesus and it becomes enough. Or: something like that. There are plenty of mysterious things in the world. We will never fully understand this one (personally: I  can’t envision this:, what did it look like?). 

    (5) It seems like a good idea to connect this story with the sacrament of holy communion. This story is about grace being conveyed through everyday objects. We are in the habit of making miraculous claims about what God accomplishes in Holy Communion, too. I do not fully understand Christ’s presence in the bread and cup. But, I am thankful for it, and receive it by faith.

    (6) But, nonetheless, it is a story about sharing what you have. So, now I turn around and say a good word for the everybody-shared-their-lunch interpretation. Jesus says to them: “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” (verse 16). So, it really is (in part) about the disciples’ willingness to use what they had to provide for the people rather than just send them away (verse 15). We aren’t told anything about additional resources the crowd had.

    For members of my Ko-fi site: I uploaded sermon presentation files for a message on this passage.

    These are in two formats: PowerPoint and Open Document. They can be downloaded from the Ko-fi shop: Here.

  • Sermon Series: Jesus Teaches Prayer

    Sermon Series: Jesus Teaches Prayer

    In the Ko-fi shop there is a series of sermon presentation files for a sermon series of ten messages on prayer, based on the teachings of Jesus. These are free to members.

    Jesus Teaches Prayer

    #1-Praying for God’s Kingdom Matthew 6:5-15.
    “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

    ​#2-God Gives Good Gifts Matthew 7:7-12

    ” If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

    #3-A House of Prayer Matthew 21:12-13

    “‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’;
     but you are making it a den of robbers.”

    #4-How Do I Talk to God? Luke 11:1-4

    “When you pray, say:….”

    #5-Lord, Teach Us to Pray Luke 11:1-4

    “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 

    #6-How Much More Luke 11:5-13

    “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

    #7-Persistent Praying Luke 18:1-8

    “Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.”

    #8-Two Prayers Luke 18:9-14

    “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.”  ​

    #9-Wake Up and Pray! Luke 22:39-46

    “Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” 

    #10-The Lord’s Prayer John 17.

    “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

    RANDOM NOTES ON THESE FILES: These contain speaker’s notes which might be helpful — or not. They are only suggestions, to help you get started in thinking about how to develop the ideas on the slides. As always, you are free to use these however you wish. If there is something there you disagree with, BY ALL MEANS CHANGE IT! Don’t preach something you can’t defend during the week. I keep trying to get better at this, and will upload improved or updated files if I feel that is warranted. I am discovering that the ODP files do not always look as good as I wish they did. I am still learning this format. 

    I am (of course) continuing my series on Amos but I have no idea (at this point) how many messages will be in that series. Other files will be going up also.  

  • The Prophecy Comes Home – Amos 2:1-5

    The Prophecy Comes Home – Amos 2:1-5

    Amos continues his prophecies against the nations in this chapter.

    Review: You don’t see what the prophet is doing here until you see that Amos 1-2 is a unit. And, it is carefully structured. Verse 2 pictures the LORD (YHWH) roaring like a lion. Then a series or oracles of judgement follow. Each is for a different nation. They are introduced with this repeated formula:

    עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ פִּשְׁעֵ֣י

    “For three transgressions of _____________,

    עַל־אַרְבָּעָ֖ה לֹ֣א אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ

    and for four, I will not turn back….”

    There is a certain rhetorical power in this repeated formula. But, this whole poetic prophecy is going somewhere. It’s building. It is going to end in an extended prophecy of judgement at the end (in our chapter 2). And, the weight of this prophecy of judgement is going to fall on Israel. In Chapter 1 verses 3-15 Amos mentions: Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, and the Ammonites. There is a pattern here. And, it starts to become clearer in this chapter. The prophecies are coming closer to home.

    With Damascus, Gaza, and Tyre we simply have enemies. But, with Edom, and the Ammonites (and then, the Moabites, mentioned in this chapter) we have near-relatives. The Edomites were believed to be descendants of Israel’s brother Esau. And the Ammonites (like the Moabites) were believed to be descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot. So, as Amos moves along here, he is getting closer and closer to his real targets: Judah and Israel.

    So, the list continues:

    (6.) Against: Moab“because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom.”

    •    Consequences: “So I will send a fire on Moab, and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth, and Moab shall die amid uproar, amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet; I will cut off the ruler from its midst, and will kill all its officials with him…”

    What is striking here is that their sin is an act of disrespect of the dead. This incident is not mentioned anywhere else in the Old testament history, so we don’t know anything more about it than what is told here.

    (7.) Against: Judah“because they have rejected the law of the LORD, and have not kept his statutes, but they have been led astray by the same lies after which their ancestors walked.”

    •    Consequences: “So I will send a fire on Judah, and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”

    This is where the prophecy takes a dramatic turn. We can still feel the power of this. Yes, the nations have done wrong. Their conduct in war has been cruel and disrespectful. But, this is as nothing before the sins of the Chosen People.

    I found these remarks in The Wesley Study Bible:

    The atrocities recounted here are recognized by all peoples as crimes against humanity, so the nations are accountable to the Creator, the Lord. Since Judah and Israel have a revelation of God’s righteousness…, their guilt is greater than the nations’. Even Jerusalem, the site of God’s throne… is liable to judgment (2: 5).

    It is worth noting at this point: Amos’ prophecies do not come out of nowhere. They are rooted in the particular history of the people of Israel. He assumes they know the story and they know what the law is. it is not a matter of the prophet simply saying: ‘This is true because I say so.’ He is reminding them of their history and the particular revelation of God that has been given to these particular people. The prophetic tradition assumes and builds upon the Mosaic tradition.

    I realize that there is some uncertainty about the writing and editing of the Old Testament books as we have them in their present form. Certainly the exile and restoration of the nation are shaping influences on the books as we have them. but, the prophets remind us that they are much older than that. Before there could be an Amos calling the people back to faithfulness, there first had to be patriarchs and a law giver.

    Like all true prophets Amos is a radical traditionalist. His word grows out of the words already given by others before him — but he radically applies the inner principles of that tradition to the times in which he lived.

    What was Judah’s sin?

    • They rejected the Law of YHWH.
      They were under blood oath to keep this according to Exodus 24:8. It was part of their covenant with God. But, they had no respect for the Law.
    • They have not kept YHWH’s statutes.
      Of course, this phrase is typical Hebrew parallelism (redundancy), but it reminds us that the statutes of God are not only to be respected — they are to be followed.
    • They turned to Idolatry.
      Most commentators think that’s what the phrase “they have been led astray by the same lies after which their ancestors walked” means. They followed after false gods and false prophets.

    When the truth is uncomfortable, the tendency is to turn to those with an easier message. As Jesus said, of those to whom much has been given, much will be required (Luke 12:48). Those who have received a revelation of God’s will have a responsibility to keep it.

    The question for us is: how is the Church of Jesus Christ doing in keeping the teachings of Christ? Are we quick to condemn others when our own house is not in order?

    Maximus the Confessor (ca. 580-662)

    I am reminded of this quote from Maximus the Confessor:

    Whoever is curious about the sins of others, or judges his brother on suspicion, has not yet laid the beginning of repentance and has not taken care to get to known his own sins, which are truly heavier than a lead weight of many pounds, and does not known why a man who loves vanity and seeks after falsehood becomes slow of heart (cf. Psalm 4:3), and therefore, as a man senseless and roaming in darkness, he, leaving his own sins, dreams of those of others, whether true or imagined on suspicion alone.

    How quick we are to condemn! How slow we are to examine ourselves! But, Amos knew himself to be part of a people who were under the judgement of God — for he was himself a member of the tribe of Judah. But, the real crux of this prophecy is what comes next in verses 6-16. Amos primarily prophesied against the northern kingdom of Israel.

    And to that we turn next….  

    For monthly supporters: there are sermon presentation files for a message on this passage (number #4 in the series on the prophet Amos) in the shop for free download here. They are in PPTX and ODP formats. You are free to edit, or modify these as you wish. Or: you can just use them as sermon starters.

  • The Moral Governor of the Nations – Amos 1:3-15

    The Moral Governor of the Nations – Amos 1:3-15

    The time in which the prophet Amos lived was a time of peace and prosperity. But, the prophet could hear God roaring like a lion — in anger.

    Amos the prophet was certain that there was a God to whom the nations must give account. There was a moral judge of the world. No doubt this was a growing realization among the people of Israel. The God they worshiped was not a localized god — not simply their God, but the God of all the nations. YHWH was the God to whom all the nations were accountable. So, in these verses, the prophet begins with this notion: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will call the nations to accountability.

    (more…)
  • Site Update: July 10, 2026

    Site Update: July 10, 2026

    For many years now I have had a this personal website on the Internet.

    I have decided it’s all coming down. There are a lot of reasons for that — which I’d rather not go into right now. The material here will go back up on the Internet in some form — but I’m not sure what and where just yet. My web hosting is paid through December, so the transition can be slow. But, I’ve known for years that I need to abandon that particular project.

    (more…)
  • Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23: The Parable of the Sower

    Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23: The Parable of the Sower

    Comments and Sermon Presentation Files.

    (Sermon Presentation files for this passage can be found at: Patreon.)

    It is important to see this parable as part of the larger category of Kingdom Parables, that begin in this chapter. In the Gospel of Matthew, there seems to be a clear turning from the clearer Kingdom teaching of (for example) the Sermon on the Mount to the strategy of teaching by parable.

    These parables are not simple homespun illustrations from everyday life. They are very often startling or absurd stories — given to make a point. We have all become so familiar with them that they no longer startle us. So, preachers need to deliberately look for strange or startling elements to re-connect with them. Jesus may be showing us how different the ways of the Kingdom are to the ways of the world. Look for that. Also: look for the main point of the parable. Some of Jesus’ parables in the Gospels (like this one, actually) do have elements of allegory. But, don’t assume its an allegory.

    So, while the Parable of the Sower does not itself mention the idea of the Kingdom of God, it should be viewed as being one of the parables that have this theme. Anyway, the idea of the Kingdom of God is the main theme of Jesus’ teaching in the Gospel of Matthew.

    Some people object to the idea of the “Kingdom of God” because it is archaic, and represents a tyrannical form of government, and because it smacks of patriarchy. This kind of issue is part of the whole task of taking ancient materials from another culture and trying to relate them to our won day and age. It is important to stress the ways God’s Kingdom is different than historic Kingdoms. Jesus took the familiar and gave it new meaning. God is not a tyrant. The Kingdom of God does not more forward by force, but by grace.

    Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐξελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῆς οἰκίας ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν· καὶ συνήχθησαν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὄχλοι πολλοί, ὥστε αὐτὸν εἰς πλοῖον ἐμβάντα καθῆσθαι, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν εἱστήκει. — Matthew 13:1, 2 (Nestle-Aland, 28th Revised Edition.)

    “That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.” — Matthew 13:1,2 NRSV.

    Our attention is drawn here to Jesus’ popularity. It was necessary for him to get into the boat to be able to address the whole crowd. The sea served as his PA system.

    Καὶ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς πολλὰ ἐν παραβολαῖς…. — Matthew 13:3a

    “And he told them many things in parables….” — Matthew 13:3a

    John Wesley (1703–1791)
    John Wesley (1703–1791)

    John Wesley remarks:

    This way of speaking, extremely common in the eastern countries, drew and fixed the attention of many, and occasioned the truths delivered to sink the deeper into humble and serious hearers. At the same time, by an awful mixture of justice and mercy, it hid them from the proud and careless. In this chapter our Lord delivers seven parables; directing the four former (as being of general concern) to all the people; the three latter to his disciples.

    These remarks are helpful as long as we remember the surprising or shocking elements Jesus included in his parables. As Wesley says, their goal was both to reveal and to conceal. The word παραβολή suggests a comparison (“a placing one thing by the side of another” — Mounce Greek Dictionary). Preachers who expound this passage can emphasize the contrast between God’s ways and (what are often) human ways.

    …λέγων· ἰδοὺ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπείρειν. καὶ ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτὸν ἃ μὲν ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ ἐλθόντα τὰ πετεινὰ κατέφαγεν αὐτά. ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη ὅπου οὐκ εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐξανέτειλεν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς· ἡλίου δὲ ἀνατείλαντος ἐκαυματίσθη καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν ἐξηράνθη. ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας, καὶ ἀνέβησαν αἱ ἄκανθαι καὶ ἔπνιξαν αὐτά. ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν καὶ ἐδίδου καρπόν, ὃ μὲν ἑκατόν, ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα, ὃ δὲ τριάκοντα. ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκουέτω. — Matthew 13:3b-9

    “…saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!’” — Matthew 13:3b-9 NRSV.

    Seed is valuable to a farmer. No farmer would sow seed on the path, on rocky ground, or among thorns. Ideally, the farmer prepares the soil for the sowing of the seed. But, the Kingdom Christ came to inaugurate is different than that. Christ sows the seed of his message everywhere. See: Matthew 4:17: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” His concern and kindnesses were for everyone. See Matthew 11:4–5: “Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: he blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.’” Similarly, in the book of Acts, Jesus’ ministry is characterized this way: Acts 10:38 “…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

    So, this is the way of the Kingdom of God. We don’t first prepare the soil, we spread the seed wherever we go. We don’t wait for people to become worthy before we do them good. We spread good seed in what appears to be unlikely places.

    Alexander Maclaren comments:

    Dr Alexander McLaren (1826-1910).

    It is folly to sow on the hard footpath, or the rocky ground, or among thorns; but Christ and His servants have to do that, in endless hope that these unreceptive hearts may become good soil. One lesson of the parable is, Scatter the seed everywhere, on the most unlikely places.

    The parable alludes to the reality that many of Jesus’ hearers are not receptive. It’s as if he had said: “I think quite a few of you out there are not ready to receive this message I have to give.”

    Nevertheless, there are some who are receptive — and they prove fruitful, beyond expectation. This is how the Kingdom of Christ advances.

    Ὑμεῖς οὖν ἀκούσατε τὴν παραβολὴν τοῦ σπείραντος. παντὸς ἀκούοντος τὸν λόγον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ μὴ συνιέντος ἔρχεται ὁ πονηρὸς καὶ ἁρπάζει τὸ ἐσπαρμένον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν σπαρείς. ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων καὶ εὐθὺς μετὰ χαρᾶς λαμβάνων αὐτόν, οὐκ ἔχει δὲ ῥίζαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιρός ἐστιν, γενομένης δὲ θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ διὰ τὸν λόγον εὐθὺς σκανδαλίζεται. ὁ δὲ εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων, καὶ ἡ μέριμνα τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἡ ἀπάτη τοῦ πλούτου συμπνίγει τὸν λόγον καὶ ἄκαρπος γίνεται. ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν καλὴν γῆν σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων καὶ συνιείς, ὃς δὴ καρποφορεῖ καὶ ποιεῖ ὃ μὲν ἑκατόν, ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα, ὃ δὲ τριάκοντα. — Matthew 13:18-23

    “Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” — Matthew 13:18-23 NRSV.

    Here is the official explanation, where Jesus explains the allegorical elements of the parable: what is the intended meaning of the various “soils” in the story.

    The message is essentially life-transforming if one hears it and understands it. It is transforming in and of itself. But, various conditions render the word ineffective. Jesus here is implying that the crowd he is addressing is not heeding the message. Maybe they have too much going on in their lives. Maybe they don’t allow the word to take root.

    In and of itself the Kingdom teaching is transformative. Faith allows it to be transformative in the individual’s life. And, when the word takes root, the results are extraordinary: “in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” The older commentaries were very concerned to show how such a harvest was credible — but, that’s because they were still seeing the parables as “simple illustrations from everyday life” — and not the surprising stories about the way of God’s Kingdom.

    So relate this back to both (1.) Jesus’ call to repentance in light of the coming of God’s Kingdom (Matthew 4:17), and (2.) Jesus’ instruction on the way of the Kingdom (Matthew 5-7). The preachers role here is to make the obscurity of the parable plain for the hearer.

    This is a good basis for an evangelistic message: Hear and Heed God’s Message through Christ — it will change your life!

    A FREE GIFT FOR PREACHERS:

    Head over to my (temporary, I think) Patreon page to find a Presentation file for preaching on this passage. It is available in both Power Point (.pptx) or Open Document (.odp) formats. You will find this same article — scroll to the bottom and download the file you wish to use.

  • Christ & Non-Christians

    Christ & Non-Christians

    Question: What do we do with the fact that there have been billions of people who died before Christ came to be among us on this earth?  Or what about those who never learned about the saving power of Christ? How is it fair that these never had a chance for salvation? What guidance do the Scriptures give us on this issue, and what has the historic Church said about it?

    For many years I have been fascinated by the Wesleyan theological tradition — which happens to be the theological tradition of the United Methodist Church and many other denominations. And in studying this, I discovered that the historic Methodist approach to this issue is a bit different from the ideas commonly heard in the evangelical world today.

    (more…)
  • Christian Faith: Opinion or Life?

    Christian Faith: Opinion or Life?

    What if Christianity is not primarily about what you believe but about what you live? What if its not about your opinions but your choices? What if the Final Judgement before God is about how you lived your life, not what religious opinions you espoused — or even what religious experiences you had? What if our actions are more important than our words? What if what God really wants are people of compassion and patience and peace (in fact, a community of people committed to those ideals)? What if the most important expression of our faith is not a Doctrinal Statement signed but a life well lived, under the Lordship of Christ? What if the real evidence of faith is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22, 23)? What if God wants us to be making this world a better place — and we’ve spent our days hiding in our churches? What if the real scandal of Christianity is the huge gap that lies between our Biblical and theological knowledge, and the actual lives that we lead from day to day?

    (more…)
  • Preachers, Pastors, and CEOs

    Preachers, Pastors, and CEOs

    How did the clergy role manage to develop from preacher to pastor to CEO? And, is this a good thing?

    John & Charles Wesley
    John & Charles Wesley

    The early Methodists, clearly saw the preaching role as of foremost importance. John Wesley was a preacher. Yes, he was certainly an organizer as well, but preaching was foremost. He traveled on horseback all over England preaching — often several times a day. Charles Wesley was a preacher.  Adam Clarke was a preacher — his commentary on the entire Bible was a side project. All his learning was in the service of preaching.

    Yes, the early Methodists believed in the value of “visiting house to house” but it’s clear from the way they talk about it, that they meant teaching from house to house — including the instruction of children. It was an extension of the preaching role.

    The early Methodist preachers in this country were evangelists, who rarely stayed in one place for long. The leadership and (what we think of as) pastoral roles had to be fulfilled by lay leaders and class leaders and others in the local church. The task of preaching was too important — the circuit riding preacher needed to be on the move, spreading the Word to new people.

    Older churches in the revivalistic model had Sunday morning services, Sunday evening services and midweek prayer services. Then there were revival meetings — often twice a year — and camp meeting in the summer.

    But, somewhere along the line, clergy developed from being primarily preachers to being primarily pastors. The emphasis shifted from spreading the Word to tending the flock. Someone more knowledgeable than I might be able to say when this shift began and why.

    But, here the focus shifts. It’s not about winning new people, or deepening the commitment and knowledge of the church people — it is taking care of the people you have. The emphasis now turns to meeting the needs of people — the church that does it the best has the best ministry. Attention turns inward.

    It’s not that preachers can’t be pastors or pastors can’t be preachers — the issue is which role is uppermost. Which is most important? I remember an otherwise a very fine United Methodist bishop exhorting the clergy at Annual Confereence that people would forgive them their poor sermons if they truly demonstrated that they loved them. (And in my cynicism I mentally replied: “Well, you’ve never been to my house. I guess I can forgive you nothing.”) In this paradigm preaching is not important — the clergy person needs to be an excellent care-giver — and this is what will strengthen the church.

    But, then the focus shifted again as people said that clergy needed to be primarily leaders. Now the insights began to come from the business world. Preacher / Pastors, now needed to be trained in organizational management. This, it was claimed, was the great deficiency in Seminary training — no classes in leadership!

    Now the uppermost image was the Chief Executive Officer. The clergy person was a leader, teaching others to lead. The clergy had been reading the wrong books. The books that would be most helpful to them would be the same books that were most helpful in the business world.

    And the expectations are now piled up on each other — preacher, pastor, CEO. I have read some people who say that this is the most challenging era in which to serve in the ordained ministry — the expectations are too high, and too complex. How likely is it that one person will be gifted and effective in all these areas? And, which is most important?

    Maybe now that so many churches are declining and dying — and so few young people are (quite understandably) going into ordained ministry — it is time to take a new look at this. Has the church been killing itself? Yes. Of course, it has — there is simply no one else to blame.

    Maybe a newer, more missional, paradigm will arise — maybe it already has. I’d like tho think so. And as the old sinks under the weight of its growing expectations and plummeting effectiveness — maybe some people will remember again how important it is to tell the story of Jesus in compelling and life changing ways. Maybe they will find the ways to do it. Maybe something good will arise out of the rubble of the failing church.