By the Rev. Robert Blezard
RCL Reflection for Proper 6, Year B
June 16, 2024
Hey preachers, before I dive into the assigned readings for Proper 6, let me just humbly suggest a Lectionary swicheroo with the readings for Proper 8 (June 30).
Why? Because June 16 is Father’s Day in North America, when everybody will be focused on the dads, granddads and fatherly figures in our lives. So what?
The Gospel for Proper 8 (Mark 5:21-43) tells a story and a story-within-a-story about fatherhood. First there’s Jairus, a dad who is so heartbroken because his daughter is dying that he summons his courage, throws away his pride (as a synagogue leader!), and begs repeatedly for Jesus to come heal his daughter. Not surprisingly, Jesus agrees.
As they make their way to the girl, they encounter a woman who has been fighting a hemorrhage for years. A pitiable sight is she! Having spent all her money on doctors, she is broke. She is an unclean woman because of her blood flow, and unlike the daughter of Jairus, she has no man to help her. The woman summons her courage and dares to break the taboo that, as unclean, she should stay away from people. She tiptoes through the crowd and sneaks up on Jesus, knowing that if she just touches his clothes, she will be healed.
After touching Jesus’ garment and being healed, she is discovered. Trembling, she fears Jesus will be angry. Instead, she receives Jesus’ kindness and compassion. Jesus calls her by a special name. Look it up: Mark 5:31. Now that’ll preach!
OK, here are some thoughts about the lessons for Proper 6, June 16.
As residents of the United States, we live in an incredibly individualistic culture. So much so that it borders on sociopathology. We raise the banner for individual rights again and again, without so much as a nod for what in years past might quaintly be termed “the common good.” This has had devastating effects on the Christian church and witness … but that’s a sermon for another day.
One ramification of our individualistic culture is that Christians today tend to read Jesus’ teachings through the lens of “What does this mean to me?” All well and good, but looking at them from a communal point of view opens up new vistas of meaning.
With that in mind, the passage from Ezekiel 17 directs us to understanding God’s care for a community in crisis. In Ezekiel’s time, the people of God were in exile –dejected and looking for a word of hope from the Lord. Ezekiel gives them an image of God’s love and abiding concern for God’s people. There is in the image an assumption that as bad as things are for God’s people today, God will not forsake them, but actually restore them.
A preacher might look at the state of our church, and for Christianity in general, and draw a parallel. In our day, Mainstream Christianity is on the decline, and some of the loudest voices in Christianity are trafficking in extreme messages and interpretations that would have been seen as “on the fringe” just a few years ago.
A preacher could remind the faithful that despite today’s chaos, God is here, God is near, and God will restore God’s people.
Similarly, Jesus’ two parables offer great insights when seen in the context of congregation and community. Yes, it is true that for me and you as individuals, the seeds of God’s Realm will bear much fruit, but how much moreso for a community of faith?
Many of us have been discouraged by the decline of the Mainline churches, and in the last 25 years we have seen many congregations that are absolutely desperate to find a way to turn things around. They engage “experts,” read books, start programs, double-down on ministries. (I know of a congregation that is so desperate for new members, they are installing a pickleball court on their property.) All of these things are well and good, but most of the time they go to the periphery of the matter.
I would venture to guess that nobody would go to church simply because they have a pickleball court. (And if they did, what would that say?)
The parables in Mark reveal a simpler answer, but one that’s very hard, indeed –much harder than installing a pickleball court. Jesus talks about seeds of God’s Realm that produce amazing growth.
A preacher could explore what are “seeds of the Realm,” and how individuals and congregations can plant them. Do we, individually and collectively, focus on the right things? What’s the main point of being a congregation? A Christian? Certainly the Great Commission of Matthew 28 gives us guidance. But are we so busy with our busy ministries – all of which are worthwhile, of course – that we neglect our job of sowing seeds of God’s Realm?
In the parables, the seeds bear fruit with no input from human farmers. What does this mean? Perhaps it points to the unseen, unknown, mysterious work of the Holy Spirit. What can we do? Instead of building pickleball courts, we can pray to God that we are planting the right seeds in the right way, and then watch as we see amazing growth.
In worship
Invite people to share what “Seeds of God’s Realm” they have experienced? What person? Class? Sermon? Bible passage? One way to collect them would be to include 3- by 5-inch index cards in the bulletins. Invite congregants to write a reflection or memory on them and place them in the plate along with their offering. Before dismissal, spend a moment to read them. Alternatively, place newsprint along a prominent wall and provide markers. Congregants can share their memories there.
With youth
Youth are often at a make-or-break point in their spiritual development. It’s at this stage of life that the world begins to lure them away from church with it’s many shiny temptations. Invite a discussion about how (or whether) the seeds of faith that they experienced as a child have come to bear fruit. If so, how? If not, what might be happening? Talk about ways we can deepen our faith and “water” and “fertilize” our seeds of faith.
With children
Keeping things simple, for a children’s message you could give each child an apple seed and talk about what happens when it’s in the ground. It’s the same thing that happens when the seeds of God’s Realm are planted in us. Talk about how we get those seeds at church and family. Then bring out a basket of apples and give each child a fruit. End with prayer that the seeds of God’s Realm bear fruit in us.
Previous Lectionary reflections for Proper 6B
2021 – Digging deeper with parables
2018 – How does God’s garden grow?
2012 – Growing season
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