Little House on the Prairie? (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

I am sitting in my seat in class; it's just after lunch. My arms are on my desk and my head is on my arms. At the same time, I am also standing in the doorway while "Pa" Ingles is stretching a thick rope between the small cabin and the barn so he won't get lost during the coming blizzard.

How is that possible? Our third grade teacher is reading to us from one of the Laura Ingles Wilder books. That school year, she took us on a daily journey through the first few of them. I mostly remember LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS, ON THE BANKS OF PLUM CREEK, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, and FARMER BOY.

In my imagination, I was there when the blizzard hit the little house in the big woods. I was with Laura when she found leeches on her skin after a dip in the creek. I could see the look on Ma's face when the cow's hoof came through the roof of the sod house.

But there is a mystery, here. I was a Townie. By all rights, I should have known absolutely nothing about barns, creeks, cabins, cows, and ... leeches! How was it I had no problem envisioning these? I grew up in a good sized city in the middle of the USA; our yard had nothing growing in it other than normal lawn greenery. Not even any flowers. Certainly not any crops.

And yet . . . I did then, and still do, know quite a bit about farming.

Like many communities in "the middle," my home town in West Kentucky was almost surrounded by farmland. We were a little different in that one whole side of our town fronted a couple of good-sized rivers. Beyond that, the rest of the town rested against a crescent of farms. It would have been almost impossible for us Townies to not know about farming. It was part of our economy, made headlines in the local paper, and many of our friends and relatives lived and worked on farms out in the county. Our athletes competed with their athletes. FFA and 4H jackets were commonly seen in local stores and eateries. Scouting events were held at the Tobacco Barn.

We knew.

In this week's Lectionary scriptures are several references to agriculture in it's many forms, and it can help to know a bit about agriculture.

Much like the citizens of Jerusalem and the other towns visited by Jesus (Matt 13:1-9, 18-23), when we first heard the parable of the sower, we understood it. We knew all about how seeds need good ground if they are to produce the best crop, how weeds and brambles can choke out a section if not tended, and how birds and other varmints will whisk those seeds away if they are not covered in enough earth. The message in that parable seemed clear enough to us: be the good soil.

But is that the message we're supposed to take away?

In another of this week's Lectionary passages (Isaiah 55:10-11), God declares His word in like the rain: not returning to heaven until it accomplishes His purposes. After reading that, you might wonder why Jesus told so many parables.

Why not just speak plainly?

Why should they (and we) have to "figure out" what is meant by a story? Sure, even though we were Townies we could understand the agricultural references, but why use that approach at all? Well, as you saw in the Matthew passage, we're not the first to ask that question. In His answers to the Disciples who asked about this, Jesus explained: to create readiness.

Jesus said different things to different people; his message was shaped to the listener. What that means is that he assessed them before he spoke to them. What did they need to hear? The leaders often needed shaking up. The poor and oppressed needed to know that God had not forgotten them. The ailing needed a kind word and some intervention.

Not every heart is ready to hear the messages of the gospel in its purest form. So, everyone needs to hear the good news in a way they can understand and appreciate.

First, "create readiness," prepare the soil, and then plant the seed ... something everyone, then, understood.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 10 (15) (July 16, 2017)
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/

Genesis 25:19-34
Psalm 119:105-112
Isaiah 55:10-13
Psalm 65:(1-8), 9-13
Romans 8:1-11
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

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Join us for Lectionary Breakfast, Friday morning, if you're in Waco. We continue to meet at the "Egg and I" restaurant at 8:00. We share scripture, fellowship, and, yes, a few laughs, over good food. And, if you can't be with us in person, join us in spirit.

The soil is rich.

Enjoy the week!
Steve

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A somewhat different version of this reflection appeared in July 2014 as "Townies."