Amazing Grace

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 9/9/17

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^NRS John 4:7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." ⁸ (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) ⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) ¹⁰ Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." ¹¹ The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? ¹² Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" ¹³ Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." ¹⁵ The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water." ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." ¹⁷ The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; ¹⁸ for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" ¹⁹ The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." ²¹ Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²² You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. ²⁴ God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." ²⁵ The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." ²⁶ Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you." ²⁷ Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" ²⁸ Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, ²⁹ "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?"

Since the title of my sermon is Amazing Grace I want to share with you the story of that great hymn. John Newton wrote this hymn in late 1772 for a New Year’s Eve service. It was lifted up particularly here in America where it was sung to many different tunes before settling with the more familiar tune we sing to today. But it is John’s story and the story of the use of the hymn which I think is so important. John Newton was born in 1725 to a father who was a shipping merchant. His early life was marked by disinterest and abuse and so at an early age he joined his father at sea. His early years are marked by significant strife and disobedience. He became a member of a crew that was involved in the slave trade where he later became a captain of his own ship. While a member of the crew he entered into disagreements with several colleagues that resulted in his being starved almost to death, imprisoned while at sea and chained like the slaves they carried, then outright enslaved and forced to work on a plantation in Sierra Leone near the Sherbo River. After several months he came to think of Sierra Leone as his home, but his father intervened after Newton sent him a letter describing his circumstances, and a ship found him by coincidence. He was well known for his profanity and was considered by many to be the most profane person they had ever met.

During the voyage of the ship Greyhound in March 1748, the ship encountered a violent storm and was all but lost. During that storm Newton began to rethink his relationship with God. He went on from that point to become a slave trader captain but after three such voyages as Captain, he left the sea. In 1754 John began to study about Theology and Christianity and was ordained in the Church of England in 1864. There he began to write Christian poetry and hymns. Amazing Grace is about his personal experience with God, about being lost and found, about finding salvation and finding the joy in God.

But that is only the beginning of this story. Amazing Grace has become the theme song for numerous focuses over the years. It was played on the flute by the American Cherokee as the American government forced them on the Trail of Tears from their homes to Oklahoma. Nearly half the nation was lost during that forced journey. Before that John Newton had become an advocate of the abolishment of slavery which came to be in England before his death. Amazing Grace became a theme song for the abolishment of slavery in this country as well as for the Civil Rights movement in the mid 1900’s.

So what is it about grace that is so amazing that we can only hear a song and be stirred by the Holy Spirit? Jesus met with the woman at the well. Now to truly understand this story we have to appreciate how a Samaritan and Jew would interact. First of all, they typically would not. Samaritans were considered to be the lowest class of people to the Jews and they would typically disregard them entirely. Secondly, they feared the Samaritans and would often navigate their journeys so as to not go through that area. And finally, woman of Jesus day were typically thought of as property so talking with a woman other than to command or chastise would be unheard of. And then there is the issue of her being there in the middle of the day. Most woman would have already gotten their water for home in the early morning. The middle of the day suggests that she was a bit of an outcast even among her own people.

So Jesus comes to her and rather than disregarding her, He engages her in conversation. He talks about the living water that she could have if only she would ask for it. What of this living water that one would no longer thirst she asks. Who would not want this water? Would you? Jesus says to her that the hour is coming when we will worship God not on the mountain of God or in Jerusalem but in the whole world. That God is spirit and those who worship God worship in spirit and truth. It is at this point that she realizes that she is in the presence of the promised Messiah. The scripture tells us that she then goes and witnesses to others.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see. [i]These words have written new chapters in the lives of so many across the years since John Newton wrote them about himself. I wonder at how we may truly have been inspired if we had been the woman at the well. Here is a man who not only knows more about me than anyone else even though we have never met, but offers me a grace beyond measure. Here is a man who comes to talk with those His culture believes to be the lowest of classes of people, to talk with a woman who His culture shows complete disregard for and then to offer her grace. What kind of man is He?

How many of us have walked paths of self-destruction and struggle? How many of us have done things we can never repay of find enough penitence to bring the memory of them to be wiped clean? How many of us would love to go back in life and have a mulligan, a golf term for a do over? I shared with you that many years ago I had a mom who loved her roses. She would tend to them and have me, often at times kicking and fighting to do so, help her prune, nurture and care for them. I learned to love them over the years but that did not come without the struggles that go with them. When you pick roses to put in a vase or give to someone else, you must carefully do so because of the thorns that lie beneath the beautiful flower. And those thorns must be removed to prevent someone else from being injured as they handle the roses. I often reflect that roses were mom’s way of teaching me about life. As beautiful and appealing as the flower might be, there is danger lurking if you are not careful. My life has often been more about the lurking than the beauty. And mom’s life was more about the thorns even while she gave the appearance of always being the beautiful flower.

But when it settles down to where we are in life one thing matters and all else is simply the grains of sand that get washed away in a storm. That one thing is the love of God that is offered to us. No matter where you have been, no matter what you have done, not matter how you got to this place and this moment, God’s love awaits you. Just like the woman at the well who had been divorced so many times, all that does not matter to God, what matters is will you open your heart to God’s love. John Newton was once the most profane, despicable man who sold others into slavery, but one day his heart accepted what God offered and he became a man of God to witness to the power of God to others. What is it about God’s love that can change a man or woman not matter their background or life story? It truly is amazing is it not? The Lord has promised good to me, his word my hope secures...I shall possess within the veil, a life of joy and peace. OOH NAY THLA NAH, HEE OO WAY GEE[ii]! Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound!

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[i] Amazing Grace – Public domain

[ii] Amazing Grace in Cherokee Phonetically

Johnny Appleseed

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 9/3/17

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^NRS Mark 4:13 And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. ¹⁶ And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. ¹⁸ And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, ¹⁹ but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. ²⁰ And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."

If you stood on the banks of the Ohio River 150 years ago, you might have seen a strange sight floating down the river. Two canoes strung together and piled high with leather bags full of apple seeds. Little children would run home and declare that Johnny Appleseed had come back for a visit and the festivities would begin. A small man dressed in tattered garments wearing his cooking pan as a hat, he made an interesting sight. When he would come ashore he would look for land rich and loamy where he would plant his seeds. He never forgot his planted orchards and year after year he would return to prune them and care for them until he taught those who he came into contact with how to do so. Often taking small amounts of money or bartered goods for the apples, it was not uncommon for him to sell or give away a whole orchard. The stories tell us that he also planted medicinal herbs in areas where doctors were scarce. All he ever asked was a good meal, a place to sleep and the time to share his bible stories which he would give to whomever befriended him. This is a story of a young man who traveled though much of the state of Pennsylvania, Ohio and on into Indiana and Illinois, wearing burlap clothing, carrying a tin cup and planting apple trees along the way. This is the story of Johnny Appleseed! What many do not know is that John Chapman, born in Leominster, Massachusetts in 1774 was real and his story, though possibly magnified over the years is also real. John never married but it is said that he never lacked friends. They included the many settlers who he befriended, the Indians who shared his love of nature and the animals he nursed back to health along the way. It is a true story of a man who gave back to the earth much of what he received in life. No one knows where he is buried, only that he died around the age of 70 somewhere near Fort Wayne Indiana spreading his trees, his love and the love of Christ.

My friends today we come together to learn one of the many parables that Jesus gave us as he tried to teach us the values of life. In this parable there are three types of earth in which the sower of the seeds plants his or her precious seed. Anyone who has farmed knows that seed costs hard earned money so it is important that where they are planted is in an area that they will grow and be fruitful. Our story of John Chapman reminds us that there are apple orchards across Pennsylvania to Illinois to this day that he planted. These trees planted in good soil still bear fruit today, a special reward for a man who also spread the word of God. In the Old Testament, whenever people met God along the way, they built monuments marking the spot. I wonder how many Apple trees mark the spot of a conversion experience in the late 1700’s to the mid 1800’s. You see, John Chapman was an evangelist in this country when primarily Methodist and Baptists were spreading the Gospel of good news throughout the land.

Jesus reminds us that there are four surfaces where seed is often planted, rocky ground, among the thorns and then in rich fertile soil. What would a farmer say about your soil? Are you fertile ground for your faith? What type of soil is in your heart? Those seeds planted on rocky soil never take root because seeds cannot root in rocks. And when the rain comes, the seeds are washed away with the rain water. Often when we harden our hearts and close ourselves to the words we hear, we too become like rocky soil. The words do not sink in and take root; rather the devil washes them away like the spring rains as easily as butter on a hot skillet. What type of soil is in your heart? Jesus tells us that those whose hearts are built like rocky soil may hear the word with great joy, but the moment that trouble presents itself, they immediately fall away. Our jobs as Christians is not easy, we were never promised a rose garden. But we are promised the rainbow after the storm. What type of soil is in your heart?

The second type of soil is one where the seed falls among the thorns. I like this one the best because I think it describes most of us. As we hear the word, we reach out with the rose petals that we want to share with the entire world. We are so joyful over the message that we hear that we reach out to others in an effort to spread the message. But then day by day, we integrate ourselves in the world, accepting and tolerating the way of life around us, wanting to be part of the flow that moves in and around us. And then before we know it, we are just like the rest of the world, flowing like muddy water down the mountain, through the hills and valleys as we make our way into the sea, where we become like grains of sand, lost in the mass of humanity and culture. No longer joyous about the word we heard once, rather we enjoy being a part of the in crowd, one of the guys or girls. If someone were to describe us, they would say that we were one of the guys or one of the girls. What type of soil is in your heart?

When we look in the wild, we find that the beautiful flowers and plants that we enjoy so on the surface are made with branches and thorns below. The thorns protect the flower, but also remind us that in order to reach the flower, you must navigate among things that can hurt you. Our culture is built to force you to fit in, be part of the crowd, be one of the gang. There is no room for folks who are a little different, especially if they threaten the good life. The lure of wealth and desire for material possessions quickly can overcome even the most fervent of the folks who call themselves God’s children. What type of soil is in your heart?

And then we come to the rich soil. The rich soil bears fruit for the first planting and then many plantings, continuing until natural death takes over. But the good fruit born in the rich soil, assures that even in death there is life, as the death of an apple tree bears witness to the many seeds that it has given to the world. It is said that John Chapman left behind one hundred thousand acres of apple trees and medicinal plants. We too become like the apple trees, our fruit becomes the seeds of future trees. What type of soil is in your heart?

The rich soil takes a single seed and blossoms into a tree that over the years of its life has hundreds if not thousands of apples, each with ten to twenty seeds. If we are to multiple our faith walk, like Johnny Appleseed and his apple trees, how many lives could you touch. If your faith is truly built in the riches of soils, the word of God, a spiritual life, and a Christian heart, how many souls could be touched and changed. How many people could one person impact in their lifetime if they spent their lives focused on planting fruit in the rich ground? Ask John! He traveled thousands of miles in an effort to spread more than just seeds. There is the story of another man who spent his life on a horse, traveled an estimated 300,000 miles in his effort to proclaim the good news among the world. It is kind of funny that his years also coincided with John Chapman’s years, 1745 to 1816. At the age of twenty-six he came to America and wrote in his journal, “ Whither am I going? To the new world. What to do? To gain honor? … To get money? No. I am going to live for God, and to bring others to do so.” When his travels were done, the Methodist church in America had grown from 5000 people to 214,000. It is said that Reverend Bishop Francis Asbury lived to preach and win people to Christ. In his later years he had to be removed from the horse, placed on a chair where he could preach and then placed back on his horse. What type of soil is in your heart?

My friends we come today to proclaim the good news that Christ has lived, Christ has died and Christ has risen again to show us that his soil is rich and fervent and full of life. If we would but plant our seeds in his soil, our lives could bear much fruit that would spread among all the earth. One man, one mission, one dream! We see today the results of two men who shared a love for rich soil, for a rich background steeped in the word of Christ and they left behind living reminders of their works. Think what you can do if you would simply plant yourself in the soil of Christ. Johnny Appleseed for all his good, never once watered, nurtured or picked the apples from one of his trees. Rather he spent his whole life planting the seeds that others would harvest. What seeds for Jesus Christ have you planted this week in your community, your workplace or your homes? What type of soil is in your heart?