St. Andrews Episcopal Church

RECENT SERMONS

Jesus, Church & Dandelions

HOMILY PREACHED AT 8:00 ON LENT V, APRIL , 2006
[John 12:20-33]

It’s dandelion season. In between rains yesterday I wanted to mow the lawn, so I prowled around the yard picking dandelions so as not to spread them, because they are very sneaky. Each petal of that yellow flower has the potential to become a seed. I have the habit of counting the dandelions as I pick them – my dandelion birth-control – and the number was an astonishing 73, having picked more than 80 the day before. They are so fast-growing – where do they come from? After picking all the blossoms I was ready to mow, but the mowing uncovered even, so I was constantly stopping the mower to pick more of them snug against the ground that hadn’t opened yet or were lying there already turned to seed, waiting for me to go into the house so they could pop up, unfurl their wings and let the wind carry them all around my lawn and beyond. They really are sneaky that way. Fifty-five more buds and blossoms came to light and were plucked, even though I know they will return, if I don’t remove the root.

Jesus’ death was followed by the death of all his early followers, most in a cruel way, as persecutions were mounted to stop them, but every time they killed a follower, more sprang up. The writer of John’s gospel captured this phenomenon beautifully:

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.

John was describing what he had seen: for every person martyred for the faith, ten more would join, a hundred more spring up, Jesus providing the pattern. No death wish from any of these people, Jesus included. But integrity – and being true to his vision of living an authentic life - was more important than life. I don’t think he could have ever imagined what would happen as a result of his death and burial, but this image of planting the wheat helped the church to accept and give meaning to his untimely, surprising, shocking death at the hands of the Roman army. We are the result of all those “plantings” up to this very day.

Now it gets personal. To carry on Jesus’ legacy, following his way, parts of us also must die - and that’s never pleasant or comfortable, but it’s how our integrity grows, how we integrate our world. It’s how we get planted in order to flower and produce edible food for another generation. Sometimes old assumptions that can’t stand up to new realities have to die – we all have them. Old prejudices have to die, no room for them in the Christian faith. Old expectations which emerged in childhood or adolescence sometimes have to die in order for you to come to terms with the reality of our situation as we age – and eventually die. Sometimes it’s an entire world view change - not at all comfortable. Planting is like an investment, and giving to church and charities is the kind of planting that makes possible a future crop of service and good will after we’re gone.

Our faith lies in the process of that simple sentence: 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. We here are proof that this works, and nothing other people do to us can stop the process. Think of the sacrifices that caused the Church to grow: our very innocence, vulnerability and integrity our strength. Stephen’s death produced a Paul, who spread the gospel across the ancient world.

Like the story of the gardener who wanted a pristine lawn without weeds: so he picked them all and buried them, but they were dandelions! That’s what we’re called to be, spreading the liberating news of Jesus. I knew dandelions were good for something!

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