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St. Charles’ Episcopal Church -- St. Charles, IL
July 13, 2008 ~ Proper 10 ~ Year A
Genesis 25:19-34; Psalm 119:105-112; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
The Rev. Elizabeth Meade

Good morning.

This week, the clergy of the diocese received a received a letter from Bishop Lee, outlining the agenda for the Lambeth Conference which he and Bishop Scantlebury are attending in England for the next three weeks. I want to read you part of Bishop Lee’s letter.

“Beginning July 16th the bishops of the Anglican Communion will gather at the Univ. of Kent in Canterbury for the once every decade meeting of the Lambeth Conference. Unlike previous conferences, this 14th Lambeth Conference will not be about policies or positions on matters facing the church and society, but will instead focus on forging stronger ties between bishops and equipping them with the spiritual resources and broader perspective for becoming effective leaders of God’s mission…… Prayer, Bible study and worship will be the heart of the conference, and the area where this deeper knowledge and trust will be forged.”

“What may prove to be the conference’s most compelling witness takes place July 24th when bishops and spouses spend the day in London . The day will include the customary visit and reception with the Queen at Buckingham Palace in the afternoon, but the KEY EVENT will be that morning when the bishops joined by other religious leaders walk through central London to demonstrate their support for ending world poverty – the focus of the eight Millennium Development Goals which have been embraced by the Episcopal Church, the Communion’s primates, and the Anglican Consultative Council.”

So…..what does all this have to do with today’s gospel passage – about the Parable of the Sower? Well, the text of the gospel has been edited sufficiently to make its point understood. We hear that the seed sprinkled on rocky ground may hear the Word and receive it with joy, but, the Gospel tells us, it has no root. It endures for awhile in rocky soil, but when trouble comes, the seed falls away. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who bears fruit and yields.

In spite of the divisions facing our Communion, what divisions there may be between bishops and other bishops, or divisions that may occur within parishes or between friends and neighbors, the gospel message is clear. Good soil allows for good roots. Jesus warns us that there will always be divisions and distress, there will always be those who, when trials and tribulations come, may take their toys and go home, but good soil nourishes and sustains us.

Archbishop Williams, has decreed that this Lambeth Conference will not be a time of policy changes and position shifts; it will be a time of prayer and study and worship. A time to till the good soil, a time to march through the streets of central London 2000 strong saying we, as a Church, are unified in this: that we will do all we can do, as a Church, to end extreme poverty in the world.

The Conference models for us what it takes to be rooted in good soil. We already have some great roots here in this place. In spite of our political differences, in spite of the decisions that threaten to split our communion, the gospel work goes on here. We feed and shelter the hungry by our support of Habitat, Hesed House & Lazarus House. We are not distracted by pettiness or guile. Some of our Youth are meeting in San Antonio this week with other high-schoolers from around the nation. They are traveling with our Bishop Jeffrey, being led in discussions by our Presiding Bishop, Katharine, and by the president of the House of Deputies. They are coming together to rejoice in the fact that together they are rooted in Christ, and to focus on what they can do, in Christ’s name, to change the world.

And this, I think, is the gospel message. In his parable today, Jesus reminds us that, while there will always be nay-sayers and grumblers, the work of the gospel must continue. And continue it will. Those who are rooted in Christ will not be distracted by division and strife; they will continue on in ministry, respecting the dignity of every human being.

Jesus Christ is with us always. It is our job to continue to bring Christ’s kingdom to a hurt and wounded world. What matters is not who we are voting for in November; what matters is healing our divisions, and bringing Christ’s message of love and reconciliation to a battered world.

Those planted in good soil will be rooted in that charge. We will not be distracted by the arguments and divisions, but focused instead on proclaiming the gospel, and living into its mandate.

Half of the population of the world lives on less that $2 a day. What are we doing for them? Three thousand people die every day of malaria. 500,000 women and under-aged children are sold into slavery every year. What does Jesus ask us to do – or be – for them?

The mandate comes from John’s gospel: “Feed my sheep. Take care of my lambs.” (John 21:17)
We cannot single handedly stop all this, but we cannot afford to give up and look the other way, either. We must start somewhere.

This fall, our Bishop will issue the people of the Diocese of Chicago a Challenge. He will ask every Episcopalian to purchase one mosquito net. Each net will save the lives of three to five people, and they are good for 5 years. One mosquito net will cost $12. $12 to save five lives! There will be gift cards available, so when you purchase a net, you can give a card to a family member as a Christmas present telling them that in lieu of their customary fruitcake, you have donated a mosquito net in their honor. (Aunt Marge never really liked that fruitcake anyway!)

It’s a start. The Parable of the Sower reminds us that what is sown on good soil will bear fruit. As we keep our minds on the sower, and not on what “others” are planting, we will bear fruit. We may not end all poverty, or abolish all slavery, or give all the world’s children clean water to drink. But this fall, we can save the lives of 200,000 children. We will take care of Christ’s lambs.

Last week, Father Nesbit asked us to imagine a world truly connected to Christ’s love. He reminded us what a great vision that would be; what a gift it would be to share. Yoked with Christ, we do live into the Gospel. We find ourselves undistractable, and firmly rooted in good soil. From here, we are poised to bring that vision that is Christ’s kingdom out into the world.

Amen.