Trustful Entrusting: John 12:20-26 - Fifth Sunday in Lent

²⁰Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. ²¹They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²²Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴Very 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. ²⁵Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. (NRSV)

sunflower seeds by stevep2008 on flickr.  CC BY 2.0

What is it that you hold in your hand?

Obviously, it’s a sunflower seed. 

But it’s more than that… It’s a miracle of life, waiting for the right conditions and nutrients that will enable it to grow into one of the most magnificent flowers there is. 

Can your smartphone do that?  A designer handbag or flashy car?  Can hundred dollar bills do that?

At the same time, the seed won’t be worth much if you eat it; if you leave it in your pocket or purse; if you lose it or throw it away. 

It must be entrusted to the soil.  And even if you do that, there’s no guarantee that it’ll flourish.  It might end up being dug up by a squirrel or washed away by the rain.  The only way for it to become what it’s meant to be is by letting it go.  It must die.  Otherwise, it remains lifeless, purposeless, nothing…

Jesus says the very same in today’s Gospel: “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. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

Now, I don’t know anybody who’s in love with a seed—but you are the seed.  It’s your life.  It’s everything God gives you that makes it possible for you to be alive.  The only question is: do you plant your life in the fertile soil of God’s promises?  Or do you plant your life in other things, believing that you and your life will bear the fruits that will satisfy your deepest longings?

If you got instant, consistent positive results in rooting your life in Jesus Christ, this wouldn’t be a problem.  But that’s not the way it goes.  Time and circumstance rob you of the life you once knew.  Your life is as fragile as the sunflower.  You’re thriving one moment only to be cut down in the next.  Health and wealth decline or disappear and you’re left withering on the ground.  Then you entrust your needs to the Lord like seed in the soil—and nothing good springs up from the dirt.

The very same thing is happening to our congregation.  We’re a lot like a withering sunflower when you compare the current size and financial stability of our congregation to what it was just a generation ago.  We work so hard to seeds of God’s love in our community.  We serve a lot of people.  We invite a lot of people.  But you look—and you don’t see much in the way of results.  And yet, some of our ministries—like GriefShare, the Clothing Closet, which are growing, began as ideas and visions.  A seed was planted in the soil of God’s goodness—and there’s been growth and fruit-bearing.  That’s not to say that it’s all come easy.  Did you notice in the video how much the flower seemed to struggle as it grew?  It’s like that, for certain. 

But the good news is that life persists, even in the midst of the dying.  Your part and mine is to participate in the divine miracle of death and rebirth.  Do you want to see Jesus at work? 

Begin by entrusting your prayers into the soil of God’s goodness.  And the more time, attention, and discipline you invest into your prayers—the greater the blessing the act of prayer will be, regardless of God’s answer.

And then, examine your life and ask—into what am I entrusting God’s gifts of life?  Are you burying yourself in work and activity?  Is the shopping mall or sports stadium more alluring than your Church?  What commitments do you find are pushing back hardest against your desire to grow in your faith?  Are you financially able to tithe—but you can’t bring yourself to spend less or give up something else?

You’re going to find that when you seek life in something or someone other than God, you’re going to be like a seed shoved in a drawer.  Every day, it’s easier to believe that the good and meaningful life comes through personal accomplishment and the accumulation of wealth.  In these times of intense anxiety, it’s difficult to trust God, when faith demands patience and persistence.  The hardest part of trusting God is in letting go and giving up control.  That, in and of itself, is a scary kind of dying.  But resurrection begins in that moment of surrender.

Harvest Rainbow HDR by Steve Sawyer on flickr.  CC BY-NC 2.0

In Christ, life persists even in the midst of death.  The joy of Christian life is participating in the divine miracle of death and rebirth.  The blessing of being the Church is the ways in which we bear fruit for each other.  Our shared life creates life.  Life flourishes when you die to self and live for the neighbor who needs your good works.  The excitement of faith is that God is making all things new.  Not replacing what was lost—but making new. 

God is in the business of resurrection.  Your life was created to thrive in the fertile soil of God’s goodness and love.  Be bold, let go, and die in the promises of Jesus.  In Christ, new life begins.