Deeper Roots (Joel 2:21-24 & Psalm 126)

 I’ve never been to the Holy Land, but I have been to California…

The climate in my home state is very similar to the climate in the Holy Land. They both have what climatologists call a “Mediterranean Climate.” 

It is a unique climate; only 2 percent of the earth’s land has a Mediterranean climate.

In a Mediterranean climate, the rain comes in the winter. It almost never rains in summer. 

That’s why Los Angeles has long canals bringing drinking water into the city from the Colorado River, and from the Sierra Nevada, where the snow falls so heavily in winter that it is measured in feet, and takes most of the summer to melt. It’s that melting snow that allows Los Angeles to have drinking water through the long, dry summer.

Los Angeles averages around 14 inches of rain annually. However, the amount of precipitation that falls varies greatly from year to year. In 2004, Los Angeles had 37 inches of rain; two years later, in 2006, Los Angeles had just 3 inches of rain.

Some years, when the timing and amount of winter rains are just right, the wildflowers explode on the hills. People will flock to certain areas known for wildflowers to wander among them, admire them, and take photos. 

Places where California poppies grow become a carpet of bright orange spreading out for miles.

In many of the canyons around Los Angeles, one can find massive sycamore trees growing. These trees are huge, and sometimes their trunks twist and curve, giving them unique shapes. 

Sycamore trees also require a lot of water to grow, which is why they only grow in canyons, along streams.

In summer, those streams often run dry. So how do the sycamores survive?

By sending roots down deep underground. Because underground, the water continues to flow, even when there is no water flowing on the surface. Sycamores would not survive if their roots were shallow, because on the surface and near the surface, the land is dry all summer long. But deep down, below the surface, the water flows all year long.

Many of the streams in the Holy Land are the same way. They are dry much of the year, at least on the surface. 

In California, these seasonal streams are often called arroyos. In the Holy Land, they are called wadis.

The Jordan River is big enough that it usually has water flowing in it all year long… but not much. I did read once that more ink has been spilt to describe the Jordan River than there is water flowing in it. 

Perhaps that description was written by someone from the Midwest, disappointed by how little the Jordan River is when compared to rivers like the Mississippi, or even the Illinois River.

However, the Jordan River is capable of growing much larger when the rains come, overflowing its banks, before settling back down to its normal size once the rains are over.

The L.A. River works the same way. It can be a raging torrent during winter storms, but most of the year, it’s nothing more than a trickle.

So… even though I’ve never been to the Holy Land, I have been to California, and I understand the excitement and the joy and the anticipation that surround the arrival of the winter rains, which the prophet Joel wrote about.

And I understand the reference the psalmist makes, to the Negeb, a river whose waters are replenished every winter after the summer-long drought. People in the Holy Land, like people in my home state of California, pray each year that the winter rains come, that it’s not a year of just 3 inches of rain, but enough rain for the crops, enough to drink, and enough to cover the hills with wildflowers.

This is what a life of faith is like, don’t you think? When Joel was talking about the rain that turns the pastures green and which produces fruit on the trees, and causes grapes to appear on the vine, I don’t think he was just talking about climate and agriculture, do you?

There are seasons which make it easy to have faith, seasons of wildflowers and fruit and green pastures; but then there are seasons when faith itself seems to run dry…

And in those seasons, we need to be like the sycamore. We need to have deep roots.

Sycamore trees are ready for the years of drought, because their roots are deep. How do we grow roots that are deep?

I know, for many of you, our church’s small groups help you grow deep roots. Our small groups give the opportunity to dive deeper into scripture, to gain insights by discussing issues of scripture and faith with others, and to pray. They help you maintain your faith, even in seasons of drought. 

Many of you also volunteer in one way or another, on a team or committee or board, by serving as a greeter, or preparing or donating food for various events. Service to others also helps our roots grow deep.

Many of you are generous with your time, your talent, and also your treasure. Generosity is also a way to grow deep roots, and a stronger faith.

And generosity is borne out of gratitude. 

Like the prophet and the psalmist, I am grateful for the rain. I am grateful for the soil, and grateful for the tree that bears fruit. 

Sometimes, I will pause while I am eating, and ponder just what it is that I am eating. The other day, while I was working on this sermon, I was eating a slice of pumpkin pie. And what is pumpkin pie? It is pumpkin, flour, sugar, spices, and a few other ingredients, all mixed together and baked.

But the pumpkin in pumpkin pie isn’t just pumpkin. The pumpkin itself is made up of water, nutrients from the soil, and the energy of the sun. 

In fact, everything we eat can be traced back to the sun. In every bite, we are gifted with the energy of the sun, converted into food form, through the miracle of photosynthesis.

Even the water and the nutrients that are in the food we eat, depend on the sun’s energy.

Pondering this truly helps me be more thankful when I eat, to remember that what I’m eating contains the energy of the sun, the energy of the universe, and what a miraculous thing that is!

Being aware that my food is actually the energy of the sun helps me understand other things… like money.

With the pumpkin, I started by asking, “Just what is this pumpkin, exactly?” Now, let’s ask: “Just what is this money, exactly?”

And just as the pumpkin contains within it the energy of the sun, there is an energy at the source of the money you have.

In this case, it is your own life energy—the life energy given to you by your Creator.

We all have a certain amount of life energy. Every day, we make choices about how to use that life energy.

Many of us have spent many hours of our lives at work, where we have exchanged our life energy for money. We give so many hours of our life energy, and in exchange, we receive so many dollars.

So when we talk about money and dollars, what we’re really talking about is life energy.

And when I go to spend my money, I ask myself, “Is what I’m spending this money on worth the life energy I exchanged it for.”

To make it simple: if I earn $20 an hour, and I see something that costs $20, then the real cost of that item is one hour of my life energy. It takes one hour of my life energy to be able to afford this item.

Remembering this helps me make better decisions regarding my money. I often ask myself: Is what I spend money on worth the life energy I exchanged it for?

I know that many of you believe that the ministry of First Christian Church is worth a lot of your life energy. You have been blessed by this ministry, and you want to bless this ministry with your life energy.

Some of that life energy you give just by being here.

Some of your life energy, you give by volunteering and serving.

Some of your life energy, you give when you spend time praying for the church.

And some of that life energy, you give in the form of money.

You recognize that this ministry is something that you want to spend your life energy on.

I want you to remember that: Just like the pumpkin in my pie is actually the energy of the sun, converted into food, the pledge you make or the offering you give is more than just dollar bills. It is your life energy.

And I am so grateful that you so generously give of your life energy to this ministry. I am so grateful that I also get to give much of my life energy, in various forms, to the ministry of this church, to something that I believe so strongly in, something that is meaningful and worthy of my life energy.

One of my very favorite authors is Robin Wall Kimmerer. She wrote a very popular book a few years ago called Braiding Sweetgrass, and now she has just released a new book, called Serviceberry. 

In Serviceberry, she talks about gratitude, and abundance, and how the blessings we receive, we send on to bless others. 

But we don’t always pass them on in the same way we received them, or in the same form, or to the same person. 

The tree receives carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but it doesn’t give back CO2; the tree gives oxygen back, which is a real blessing to us and to all forms of life that depend on oxygen. The tree doesn’t say, “I’ve received CO2, I need to pass on CO2.” That’s not how the ecosystem works.

I have received many blessings in many forms throughout my life. Much of it was received from some very kind and generous people.

I’ve often wondered how I can pay them back. But now I realize that, just as the tree doesn’t give back the CO2 it receives, but gifts O2 to those who need it, so too can I pass on the generosity that I have received in different ways, to different people, since I’m not always able to return it to those from whom it came.

You know this in your life: think of someone whose generosity has been a blessing to you. Could be someone alive or someone who has passed on… Someone who you thought, “How can I ever pay them back for what they’ve done for me?”

Often, we can’t pay back the people who have been so kind and generous to us.

But you can be, and probably have been, generous in your own way, to others who have benefitted from your generosity. In this way you are like the tree; the tree that receives CO2 from the atmosphere, but then generously passes on O2…

So when I give thanks for the food I eat, I give thanks for the sun, the rain, the soil, the air—all the things that are contained in every bite.

And when I give thanks for this ministry, I’m really giving thanks for the life energy of so many lives—all of you—which really is what this ministry is.

This ministry is you. It is your life energy, the life energy given to you by God, which you now generously pass on.

And when we use our life energy for things that matter, things that make a difference, things that bless others…

Then our roots grow deep…and we tap into God’s ever-flowing abundance.

And we come a little closer to experiencing life in the kingdom of God; the kingdom that operates under a gift economy; the kingdom of abundance and generosity.

Giving Thanks (Deuteronomy 26:1-11)

1. A Long Road

For I-don’t-know-how-many generations, the Hebrews were in slavery in Egypt. Eventually they cried out, and God heard their cry, and God liberated them by commissioning Moses to be a prophet and their deliverer.

But the road to freedom was long and hard. It took them forty years of wandering in the wilderness before they reached the promised land. 

The road we travel on today often feels long and hard. There are so many struggles and challenges that people are facing - that many of you are facing. 

It’s tempting to say, “Well, when things get better…;” or, “When I reach my destination…;” or, “once I get through this difficult time I’m in…”

“... then I will celebrate…then I will rejoice…then I will give thanks and praise to the Lord…”

2. Never Forget

Things weren’t better, yet for the Hebrew people. They were getting close, but they hadn’t yet reached their destination. Their difficult journey wasn’t quite over, yet…

And yet, knowing that they were almost there, and knowing that God would fulfill God’s promises, Moses called the people together, and said to them:

“Never forget. Never forget all the promises God has already fulfilled. Never forget all that God has done for you. Never forget all the blessings you have received from God. 

“Yes! Even in the midst of a journey that is long and hard, and filled with struggles and challenges, never forget that you have so many reasons to be thankful to God.”

It’s hard to be thankful when times are tough. I’m particularly aware of that this morning, when the first news headline I read is about another mass shooting in Colorado targeting the LGBTQ community. Five people died overnight, and eighteen were injured. 

It’s hard to be thankful when times are tough. I’m particularly aware of that on this Transgender Day of Remembrance, when we remember the countless lives lost due to acts of transphobic violence.

It’s hard to be thankful when times are tough.

Maybe that’s why the Hebrew people needed to hear what Moses had to say at that particular point in their journey. Maybe they needed to know that, no matter how tragic or difficult things are, there are still reasons to be thankful. 

It’s not that we have been spared difficult times… That is what some of us wish, that these difficult times would never have happened, would never have come to us. 

But it’s that, through everything, God has been present. Through everything, God has been with us. Through everything, we have been loved - just as those who are waking up to tragedy today are still, in spite of everything, loved deeply.

Moses’ instructions to the people were that when they did finally enter the promised land, they were to remember their story. They were to remember their long journey - and how God was with them the entire way. 

Oh, there were times when they wanted to give up. There were times when they wanted to return to Egypt - that’s how difficult the journey was. There were times when they felt that God had abandoned them, and times when they wanted to abandon God.

But somehow, through it all, God never gave up on them, and the people learned to not give up on God. 

This is what they needed to remember. This is what they needed to give thanks for.

3. First Fruit

Moses told the people to make an offering of the first part of the harvest - a “first fruit” offering. 

Before you decide how to divide up the harvest, take a portion, and offer it to God.

And when you make your offering, be sure to tell the church why you are making your offering. Be sure to tell your children why you are making your offering. 

Tell them the story of what God has done for you, and how this is your way of showing gratitude to God. Tell them the story of how God has been present in your life, and how God has been with you and strengthened you on every difficult journey.

Do you do this? When you make an offering, do you tell anyone why? Do you tell the story of what God has done for you, with you, through you, and why you are grateful for that?

I admit, I do not do this very well. I write a check to the church, but I do it very quietly. When they were growing up, I don’t even think my children knew I did this. Maybe they still don’t. Because, you know - who really wants to talk about money?

But it’s not about money. Not really. It’s about showing gratitude to God. It’s about living a life of gratitude; a life of thanksgiving.

4. Grateful. Thankful. Blessed.

You may be familiar with the studies that have been done, which show how practicing gratitude helps improve your life. 

I’ve read books and articles that say things like, Before you go to bed, make a list of things you are thankful for. Write these down in a “gratitude journal.” If you have children, ask them at the dinner table to name three things that happened that day that they are thankful for…and maybe one thing they wish had been different - one thing they struggled with. 

Don’t overlook the bad, the struggles, the hardships, but be sure that the number of things you’re grateful for outnumber the things you wish were different.

Someone I follow on Twitter decided to make November a month of thankfulness, to tweet thanks and gratitude all month long. That sounded great to me! At the beginning of the month, I said “I’m in!” and I started doing the same. And it felt good.

But then, you know, we had the election, with too many people giving their opinions about why certain things happened or didn’t happen on Election Day, without really knowing what they’re talking about; and simultaneously, Twitter started imploding (thanks to Elon Musk’s changes); and I realized it was not good for my mental state to be spending time on Twitter. 

Fortunately for me, I still have my sermons; and spending time here is a much healthier environment for me than spending time on Twitter. Don’t you agree? 

And I hope you noticed, last week, that my sermon was filled with gratitude and thanks for what God is doing in the life of this congregation. I’m going to continue that today.

Because the more we are able to feel gratitude and harness gratitude, the more joy we will have; even in the midst of difficult, tumultuous times! And the more joy we have, the more gratitude we have. They both keep building each other until joy and gratitude are overflowing!

And joy is contagious. It’s what attracts people to the good news of Christ. I think joy might be good thing for us to work on in 2023. Our world needs more joy. We need more joy.

And more joy can be ours, if we learn to practice gratitude in the good times and the bad times.

Yes, ministry in the 21st century is challenging. This is the most tumultuous time in Christian history since the reformation 500 years ago. We are on a difficult journey. Carrying out this ministry is a struggle.

But even in the struggle, and even in the midst of all the challenges we face, we have been blessed, and we have so much to be thankful for.

When we offer thanks and express gratitude, we don’t ignore the struggles and the challenges. But we do it, because we have been blessed; and also, expressing gratitude and developing hearts that are grateful hearts, actually helps us more successfully face our current and future struggles and challenges.

And let us remember that Moses’ instructions to remember and be thankful is in the context of offering. We collect an offering every Sunday. Every Sunday, we are invited to place our offering in the cross in the back, or to mail in our offering, or to contribute online via our website…

So when you make your offering, remember why. Remember what you have to be thankful for. Remember the ways God has blessed you in your life, and through the ministry of the church.

For me, as I look out at those of you gathered here in person for worship: I see you, and I am thankful for you. For your presence and participation. For your prayers. For the gifts you offer to this church.

And for the way you continue growing in love, always extending God’s love to those who are hurting, always extending God’s love to every single person God created.

I see you, and I’m thankful for you. Each and every one of you.

And those who worship with us online - it’s harder for me to see you, at least in a literal sense. But I do see you, and I’m thankful for you - for your presence and participation, for your prayers, and for the gifts you offer to this church.

I see you, and I’m thankful for you.

Turn to someone and say: “I see you, and I’m thankful for you.”

And I know we each have a story to tell, about how we have been blessed by the ministry of this church - but we don’t have time to share all that. So turn back to that person and just say one thing about this church that you’re thankful for, or one way that you have been blessed by this church.

Sycamore Canyon (Joel 2:21-23 and Psalm 126)

1. Waiting for Rain

We heard two scripture passages this morning: one from Joel. And one from the book of Psalms.

And I’m pretty sure that they were both written around this time of year - the time of year when we’ve reached the end of a long, dry summer, and the winter rains have yet to really come.

We haven’t seen a whole lot of rain yet. 

We’re moving into the rainy season, and we’re hoping and waiting for the rain to come; but things are still pretty dry.

And when I go hiking, I see many stream beds and creek beds, but only a few of them have water. Most of them are dry in the summer and fall. 

There are exceptions. Loch Leven, our camp and retreat center, is located at the base of the tallest mountains in southern California, and even in exceptionally dry years, the stream that flows through Loch Leven always has water in it.

But many streams in southern California only flow in the rainy season; and those streams have all been dry since the beginning of summer.

2. Arroyos and Wadis

The Spanish have a word for these seasonal streams. They call them arroyos. And because California was Spanish and Mexican before it became part of the United States, one can look at a map of southern California and find a number of arroyos.

When I went camping in July at Leo Carrillo State Park up past Malibu, Arroyo Sequit runs alongside the campground - but there was no water in it while we were there. 

And the same is true elsewhere...

When I spent a few days in Yosemite in August, many of the waterfalls were dry.

When I went hiking a few weeks ago in Crystal Cove State Park, in Orange County, all the stream beds were dry.

In most other parts of the world, rain falls throughout the summer; but, being a California kid, I didn’t know that. So, when I was seven, and my family drove across the country to visit relatives in Chicago, in summer, I thought it was so weird when it started raining. Rain in summer is weird.

But I soon learned that California’s climate is unique. In all the world, there’s only a few places where the summers are dry, and where the rains only come in winter.

One place that does have a climate like ours is the eastern Mediterranean - the area around Israel and Palestine, the Holy Land, the setting for much of what we read in the Bible. Ancient Hebrew and modern Arabic even have their own word for the arroyos of that region, the streams that are dry for much of the year: they’re called wadis.

And in summer and fall, the wadis are dry. The land becomes dusty. The plants go dormant. (Many of our native plants lose their leaves in the summer rather than in the winter - you’ve noticed that, right?) The animals are thirsty. And crops that aren’t irrigated are in danger.

And sometimes, the rains come late. Sometimes, it seems as if the rains will never come. And this is, in fact, the situation facing the prophet Joel. 

There’s no rain, and Joel imagines that the animals and the crops and even the soil are starting to panic. It’s been too long without water - and what if the water never returns? What if the wadis stay dry? What will happen to the plants and the animals?

3. A Dry Season

In times like these, there is a lot of worry. There’s a lot of anxiety. One can’t help but focus on what we don’t have, the water that hasn’t come. The focus is on scarcity. There is a lack of resources. A dwindling water supply means a dwindling food supply, and what if we run out? What happens if the rains don’t come?

That fear - that anxiety - is something a lot of people are experiencing today. Not just here in California, and not just because of the weather…

We’re experiencing a high level of anxiety for a number of reasons. Our anxiety is high because of the pandemic, and because of the economy, and because of stuck cargo ships that mean we might not get our Christmas gifts in time…

Our anxiety is high because of racial tension, and the increasing boldness of white supremacists, and the inability of our judicial system to demonstrate that Black lives matter as much as white lives. Our anxiety is high because of how difficult it is these days for people to find housing, or even to just make ends meet, given that wages have been stuck for years, while the billionaires in this country are using their riches to take joyrides into space…

And we wonder if the streams of justice will ever flow again. We wonder if the rivers of opportunity will ever flow again. 

The prophet Amos says, “let justice flow down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream…” but right now the streams are dry.

And all of humanity is thirsty. And all of creation is afraid. 

The animals... The plants... And even the soil itself.

In the midst of all this, the words of the prophet Joel catch my attention: “Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! Do not fear, you animals of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green…”

And the words of Psalm 126 catch my attention: “Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb.” Let the waters flow again. Let the waters of justice and peace and hope flow again...

The prophet and the psalmist both provide hope that the rivers will flow again. In fact, they even poetically describe scenes in which those rivers are already flowing. That’s the vision they have, a vision in which the river of God’s justice is always flowing - always has, and always will. The stream of blessing is always flowing - always has, and always will. 

The prophet proclaims: “O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the LORD your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before.” 

And I get the feeling that this rain hasn’t actually come yet..., but the prophet is so sure that it is coming, that the prophet speaks as though it has already arrived. 

And the psalmist proclaims: “The Lord has done great things for us... Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves...” 

In the psalmist’s world, the people are still living in a hard time; to most people, it does not seem that the Lord has done great things for them… because the psalmist also asks that God “restore our fortunes.” If blessings come down to earth like rain, then the people were still living in a time of drought.

And neither the prophet nor the psalmist ignore that. It’s important to acknowledge pain and hardship and suffering and injustice...

But at the same time, both the prophet and the psalmist have such confidence in God that they are able to rejoice in God’s faithfulness, and give thanks for the blessings that have not yet arrived, the blessings they cannot yet see. The people can rejoice as if the blessings were already here, because God is faithful. The people can rejoice even in the midst of drought, because God is faithful. 

4. Deep Roots

One reason why I like hiking in canyons, along the streams and arroyos, is because of the beautiful trees that grow there. The tops of the mountains have great views, but in the canyons, along the arroyos, that’s where the shade is. That’s where the trees grow. 

Some of my favorite trees are the sycamores. Sycamores are so prevalent in our canyons that one of the places where I’ve hiked and camped is actually called Sycamore Canyon. 

Ginger recently trained to be a garden docent at Rancho Los Cerritos, where there is a beautiful, large sycamore tree, and she reminded me that sycamores are water seekers. They are thirsty, they drink lots of water, and will only grow where water flows in abundance.

But those canyons where I’ve gone hiking - there’s been no water flowing in them for at least six months. There is no water flowing in Sycamore Canyon. How do the sycamores thrive?

They thrive, because water is flowing - just not on the surface… just not where I can see it. But below ground, the river still flows.

And the sycamore will send its roots down deep - deeper than other trees - to find that flowing water. That’s how the sycamore thrives… by planting itself beside the arroyo, and sending its roots down deep to where the water flows year-round.

Likewise, for us - though it has been harder for us to see God’s blessings in the midst of the pandemic, and harder for us to have hope - the river of God’s blessings continues flowing as well.

Even though we are filled with despair and filled with anxiety, we can give thanks to God, because God’s justice will not fail. We can give thanks to God because God’s blessings continue to flow. 

We may not see justice now, but justice is there, below the surface, and will not fail to return to the surface in due time. We may not be able to see the blessings that are flowing, but the blessings are still flowing, just like the water flowing underground in the arroyos and in the wadis.

5. Ever-flowing Blessings

There was once another prophet, whose name was Habakkuk. And Habakkuk got tired of waiting. Habakkuk saw only the dry, dusty soil, but Habakkuk couldn’t see that there was a stream still flowing beneath the surface; and so Habakkuk fell into despair.

Habakkuk complained to God. “Look, God,” he cried out; “Don’t you see? There is violence and injustice all around! Things here are not going in a good direction! And you’re not doing anything about it!”

Then Habakkuk went to a spot where he sat down and waited for God to respond to his accusation.

And good for Habakkuk! It’s OK to complain to God. It’s OK to make an accusation against God. Many prophets have done so!

But then, after they voice their complaint, they sit in silence and wait for God’s response. If you have a complaint against God, go voice your complaint. If you have an accusation to make against God, go make it. Shout it to God. And then sit and wait for God to respond.

Habakkuk sat and waited for God to respond, and eventually, God did respond. God said to Habakkuk: “there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie! If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.”

Be glad and rejoice, for the rain is coming. Justice is coming. Peace is coming. God’s blessings are coming.

In fact, justice and peace and blessings are already here. And like the sycamore, we need to plant ourselves, and send down our roots to find them.

And that is what I’m thankful for. I’m thankful, because I know that, no matter how difficult things are, no matter how anxious I feel… hope and blessing remain. God’s justice continues to flow. 

If despair overwhelms me and I find it hard to be thankful; if anxiety overcomes me and I dread what is about to come; that’s when I need to go out and find a sycamore tree, in an arroyo or in a park… and sit patiently there by that sycamore, until I remember that God’s blessings are, in fact, still there, still flowing, and that, as the psalmist says, all the tears of sorrow will be transformed into shouts of joy.