Lifted Up
with Rev. Barbara Gorsky
March 17, 2024
Life does come after death, we believe this! And Jesus proved this to us, he showed us that even when death comes, life follows. It is true for you and me. But we must not be afraid to let death come in those little ways, for the seeds we plant can lift up those in need and can change the world.
The Scripture
Psalm 119: 9-16
How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, Lord;
teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
15 I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
John 12:20-33
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew, then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 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. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
27 “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say: ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
Read the Full Text
We are now in the fifth Sunday of Lent and yet the verses I just read find that we have moved ahead to holy week, Jesus has already made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, a bustling city at this point in time with people from all around the surrounding communities gathering for the festival of Passover, as many as 200,000 people are entering this city, not only Jews but Greeks too. We see this in the passage as the Greeks have come looking for Jesus, they want to know more about him, they are curious, inquisitive, perhaps trying to put everything together that they have heard about him. Of all the ways Jesus could describe who he is as one who is soon to die, he uses the analogy of a “grain of wheat”. A seed falling to the ground, dying and bearing new fruit. The Greeks and Jews alike would understand the significance of wheat seeds…wheat seeds that become bread and bread that is the main source of sustenance, bread that is eaten every day, bread that is needed to live. Jesus says, “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.” Jesus is predicting his own death and resurrection, a public proclamation, an analogy to wheat to explain just why he must die. It is said to be the last public words spoken by Jesus; words that we remember right now and wonder what it has to do with our own lives? Jesus did not speak for his own benefit, no he is revealing to us a pattern in life found in our own faith journeys. A pattern of letting something die so something new can come, a pattern of living that believes that one seed can bear much fruit. Yes, the dying is not easy as Jesus shares his own troubled soul with us but the fruit that came from his death changed the world! Those hearing Jesus’ words would know the value of a wheat plant! One seed (that is called a kernel) can produce a plant that produces 110 seeds or more! Jesus has called them to a life of letting seeds die and bearing much fruit.
Finish reading
When I think of Sister Agnes Bernard, I understand more fully what Jesus is talking about, about the life we are living right now. in her life of faith, Sister Agnes produced many, many seeds that resulted in abundance of fruit that changed the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands of people, including women and children and an entire community. It was like she planted an entire wheat field. That’s how I like to think of her. I was first introduced to her story while on a family trip to Ireland, when we visited a woolen mill in Foxford, a woolen mill that she founded. But the seed planting began before this, early in her life she learned sacrifice, charity, and humility from her parents, her parents who saw the needs of woman, providing a means to survive. As a young adult she entered the religious life and started a convent in Foxford. It was difficult times; poverty, depression, and hunger were prominent. The great famine left families with inadequate clothing and food, starvation was common. Sister Agnes started planting seeds when she started a convent to provide spiritual care, but that was not enough, she saw the lack of food and basic needs so she started a school that provided meals for the children, but she was not done. The poverty in the community remained disturbing to her, so many adults were unemployed. The answer became clear. She established a woolen mill to support the town and local community. The mill employed 220 people and became a place that not only provided the means for clothes to be made but also a sustainable wage for parents so they could provide for their families. Think of all the people who she lifted up out of poverty! Sister Agnes also had to let some things die. Beliefs about who to work with, who would be a good collaborative partner had to be shattered. On the mill’s website is says this, “Mother Agnes knew the Foxford community needed to be both brave and inclusive. To this end, she partnered with John Smith, A Tyrone Protestant, to build the mill…this partnership broke with convention in the pursuit of something remarkable—a Protestant and Freemason working with a Catholic nun in 19th century Ireland. It was a rare thing indeed. She inspired others to join in her vision and in that very joining together she planted more seeds and lifted up others. I read in one document that the Protestant was a Presbyterian. Seeds just kept on being planted! When touring the mill, we learned that Sister Agnes basically saved the entire town from sure starvation and death. Look what one seed being planted, becoming more seeds can do! Now I quickly went through this amazing story, but we can’t miss the multiple times Sister Agnes had to let something die so something else could emerge. She faced opposition again and again. Promised funding fell through, then new opportunities emerged, officials worked against her then new doors opened. The pattern of dying so the new can emerge was a familiar pattern of her faithful living and serving and it is the same pattern that is part of all of our lives. Jesus teaches us that there is pain and suffering involved, there is a letting go and embracing the new…if we are connected to Christ, this is the life cycle planned for you and me, the very cycle of death into life, one seed dying, bearing much fruit. In your bulletin each of you found a small bag of wheat seeds. As you look at the seeds, I ask you, “What seeds from your own life has fallen to the ground or need to fall?” Or what seeds have you planted? What has to die in you so something new can be lifted up? We can’t all be like Sister Agnes…but we can all plant seeds! There was a time when I was feeling very discouraged in ministry, questioning my call, someone wrote me a note, it was just what I needed, it lifted me up and gave me hope, and encouragement, that person will never know how much that letter meant to me. That is our calling to lift up one another, be a servant to all. Already I have been hearing your stories in the Mission Study. Stories of challenges and celebrations, stories of loss and new beginnings. And so far, what I have seen is resilience and determination, a capacity to hold on and not give up. I have witnessed a faith that weathers the storms and yet prevails. Your stories are seeds, seeds that bear fruit and welcome the new. But the journey is not over yet, and so what new life is just waiting to burst out?
In 1987 the woolen mill closed! Did the seeds Sister Agnes planted die? No! Two local men saw the potential and opened the mill again. Her vision stayed alive; the seeds she planted long ago lifted up out of the ground to give new life to others who followed her. And the pattern continues.
Life does come after death, we believe this! And Jesus proved this to us, he showed us that even when death comes, life follows. It is true for you and me. But we must not be afraid to let death come in those little ways, for the seeds we plant can lift up those in need and can change the world. Each goodbye has the opportunity to welcome in a new possibility! Amen