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Apple to Apple Pie

Date: July 4, 2010
Scripture Lessons: Genesis 2:25-3:7
Sermon: Apple to Apple Pie
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

Long ago, when times were hard, a man was caught stealing food from the market place.

The king was told of this misdemeanor, and he ordered that the man should be hanged for the theft. Preparations were made to carry out the execution, while the man was held in a dark dungeon.

On the day he was due to be hanged, the guards brought the man to the gallows, and he was asked if there was anything he wanted to say before he was put to death.

“Yes,” said the prisoner. “I have a message for the king. I have a special gift that was passed on to me by my father, who received it from his father. I have a special apple seed that when planted in the ground will grow into a flourishing tree overnight, and bear fruit right away. I just feel that it would be a pity if this secret gift were to die with me, before I have passed it on.”

The king was impressed, and he asked the prisoner to tell him the secret and to plant the apple seed before he died.

“I would gladly do so,” said the prisoner, “but I must warn you that the seed can only be planted by a person who has never been dishonest – never stolen anything, or told a lie, or deceived anyone in any way. So, of course, I cannot plant the seed myself, because I am a convicted thief.”

The king called for his prime minister to plant the seed, but the prime minister looked sheepish, and admitted that he had once kept something that did not belong to him, therefore he could not plant the seed.

So the king called for his chief treasurer, whose face at once flushed deep red as he confessed that there had been times when he had not been completely honest in his

dealings with the treasury of the country. “I think, Your Majesty,” the treasurer said, “that you will have to plant the seed yourself.”

The king hesitated and became very uneasy, recalling how he had deceived an ambassador from another kingdom in a dispute about territory. He hung his head and admitted that he, too, would be unable to plant the seed.

The thief looked around at all three of them. “You are the mightiest people in the land,” he said, “yet none of you is free of guilt. None of you is capable of planting the apple seed. Yet I, who stole a piece of bread because I was starving, am condemned to death.”

And the king pardoned the wise thief. [“The Apple Seed,” in One Hundred Wisdom Stories from Around the World, by Margaret Silf, pp. 63-64, adapted ]

So, I am wondering, who here this morning, who among us, would be able to plant the apple seed? Maybe one of our youngest children? Really, who can get to adulthood, even adolescence, having never stolen anything, never told a lie, never deceived anyone in any way? Truly, how many can get through a day without some kind of dishonesty?

Does this mean we are bad people? Does this mean we are all moral reprobates? No. What this means is that we are human and we have free will. We have the freedom to make choices. But being free, having free will means that we will make mistakes and do things that are wrong or immoral. With freedom, it always goes both ways. Freedom implies right and wrong. Good and bad. You can’t be free and always be good or right. Given that we have free will, what is amazing is that when you look at the sum total of our lives, for the most part, we make good choices and exercise our freedom in moral ways.

The story of Adam and Eve eating the apple is often used to account for what Augustine of the 4th/5th centuries called original sin. We are sinful and there is nothing we can do about it. Eve ate the apple. Our being bad and giving in to temptation, is a foregone conclusion. And it will take Jesus to set this all straight and get us into heaven.

The new Adam. Jesus making the right choices. Being obedient. Resisting temptation. To redeem us.

And of course, the problem was perpetrated by Eve. The seductress. And she has been used to account for the presence of evil and sin in the world. Eve is used to account for why men must be wary and women cannot be trusted. Eve is seen as being responsible for the fall of humanity. This makes a great underpinning for patriarchy, sexism, and misogyny.

But really, this story is not so much about disobedience or temptation or original sin, as about freedom. Freedom of choice. Freedom of behavior. Freedom of will. We need a story that speaks to us about why human beings who are capable of such amazing goodness and love are also capable of great harm and evil. It is because we have free will. Freedom of choice. Without that freedom, which makes us mature and morally autonomous, we are not much different than animals who function purely from instinct. To have a moral conscience, to have the capacity to be good and do good, one must also have the capacity to choose evil and harm.

The story of Adam and Eve eating the apple is a story accounting for our human free will, for our freedom of choice. It speaks of our uniqueness in all of creation, as the creatures with the potential for good and bad. This story tells us that we are free, and in that freedom, we can choose the good. It also tells us that we will screw things up and then be responsible for those actions as well.

In the early decades of Christianity, this freedom was seen as the remarkable identifying characteristic of those who were part of the Christian community. These people freely chose to hold their possessions in common. They shared freely with each other, even the very rich. Not only that, they freely chose to share and give to those who were hungry and poor even if they were not part of the community. These early Christians freely chose not to comply with the demands of the Roman Empire that they worship Roman gods. And they were killed for it. These Christians exercised their freedom from social obligations that they thought were unjust. They exercised their freedom from sex roles that were entrenched in society and instead gave women authority

and power in the community. These early Christians were known for exercising their freedom in ways that were in direct conflict with the majority culture in which they lived.

The story of Adam and Eve eating the apple tells us of that kind of freedom woven into the fabric of creation and the design of the human species from its inception.

This weekend in this country we celebrate our freedom. July 4th, Independence Day, celebrates the Declaration of Independence, a manifesto against an imperial power which sparked a revolution intending to ensconce freedom in this new society. And, because of the very nature of freedom, this freedom has created the enormous potential for good as well as bad.

Yes, there is the heinous legacy of the treatment of the native peoples of this land, and slavery. There is our heritage of militarism and carrying a big stick as a mighty empire forcing smaller countries to adhere to our will and serve our interests. Our incidence of poverty, homelessness, and other social problems are a testament to our freedom to abandon our moral responsibilities. There are countless things we can point to that we as a country have done wrong.

But there is also all the good that has come as a result of our freedom. Having traveled to numerous countries, including Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Kenya, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Canada, while the people all have complaints against the US, they will also tell you with enthusiasm that any time there is a crisis, a problem, an earthquake, a tsunami, a mudslide, a famine, etc. the first people there with help are the Americans. We are known for being generous and helpful and we can do this because of our freedom.

This week the Network of Spiritual Progressives, a multi-faith organization trying to refocus the agenda of the United States to promote justice, equality, generosity, education, etc. sent out an email celebrating the many ways that we have put our freedom to good use in this country. Here are a few examples:

– Immigrants from around the world who have come here have struggled to accept each other – Coalitions of people worked to end slavery
-African Americans and allies went to prison, lost their livelihoods, and were beaten in the struggle for civil rights – People championed workers’ rights and the eight hour work day, minimum wage, worker’s compensation, and the right to form unions -Women risked job and family, to raise awareness of the negative effects of patriarchy on men and women and children – People risk scorn and violence and family to struggle for equal rights and acceptance for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, intersexual, and queer people – People work for equal access for those with disabilities – People advocate for the earth and all forms of life -Artists bring beauty and insight into our lives – People have developed innovations in science, technology, the arts, business, medicine, and in so doing have enriched our lives – People work for justice and peace and provide a moral conscience for our society These are just a few of the ways that our freedom has been put to good use in our society. And I know that you could add many, many more. Each and every day, countless people in this country exercise their freedom through generous giving of money and time, helping others, coaching sports teams, leading scout troops, helping in classrooms, volunteering in countless settings, assisting neighbors, and contributing millions upon millions of dollars to ease the suffering of others and make this world a better place. In our freedom we are doing immeasurable good. But not always good. Not only good. That is the nature of freedom. That is why we have the story of the apple. It is a way of accounting for the fact that we have the capacity for extraordinary good but we do not always make the best choices.

Self interest, greed, weakness, lack of perspective and understanding, will cloud our choices at times. And we will do the wrong. If we did not choose the wrong at times, we would not be free, we would not be human. This is something the US would do well to remember because we often associate being free with being right, which denies the very nature of true freedom.

It is important for us to be aware of our freedom and its potential, so that we remain ever conscious and vigilant about the choices we are making. Freedom bears a great moral responsibility. We must be ever attentive to those things which would lure us away from the good, the right, the true. Especially when they look innocuous or even worse, come in the guise of good.

There was an article in the paper recently about resisting temptation. The setting

was the marketplace:

Be on the alert in the grocery store. The store uses smells to entice you to buy

more food. The smell of frying chicken. Or baking bread. And then there are the

candy, soda and magazines at the cashier.

In stores that sell electronics, the newest, priciest gadgets will be positioned at eye

level, and often bathed in warm mood lighting to entice you.

Watch out for the toy department. Always in the back of the store so that you have

to pass everything else on the way there, and drop more into your cart on the way

to and from the toys.

And then there’s the cart. So big, calling out to be filled. Resist by taking a hand

basket.

And to be really aware and on the alert, just take cash. Leave credit cards and

debit cards at home or with a friend or loved one or in a safe place. Good advice

all of it. [“Learn to fight temptation,” St. Petersburg Times, 6/17/10]

We would do well to bring such attention and awareness to other aspects and dimensions of our lives that lure and seduce us into bad choices and morally suspect decisions and behaviors.

This is not cynicism, it is acknowledgement of the true nature and power of freedom. The story of the apple tells us about our potential for good as well as bad. This is the responsibility of freedom. Freedom means we have the power to make choices. To intentionally make decisions.

In our freedom, we can choose to use the story of Adam and Eve eating the apple, not as a way to incriminate and degrade women and sexuality, or as way to explain our need for a savior, but as a way to celebrate our freedom to make good and not so good choices. We can use this story as a way to be accountable for our choices instead of blaming others or our human condition. We can use this story to foster responsibility and empower positive change.

So – because we have free will and live in this land of the free, we can choose justice. We can choose equal rights. We can choose to abandon patriarchy with its ill effects. We can choose the common good over individual self interest. We can choose long term good over instant gratification. We can choose peace, anti violence, and diplomacy over militarism. We can choose ecological living over environmental destruction. We can choose generosity over greed. Because we have freedom as human beings and we celebrate freedom in this country, we can choose the good.

July 4 is a day to celebrate our American heritage. All things Americana – baseball, motherhood, hot dogs, and, of course, apple pie. When soldiers were asked why they were going off to World War II, they said, “For mom and apple pie.” Apple pie is thought of as symbolizing all things quintessentially American. Well, isn’t freedom at the top of that list? Freedom to make good choices and freedom to make mistakes. Freedom to be accountable and to make right what we wrong. Freedom to forgive and engage in reconciliation. Freedom to create a different path for ourselves as individuals, as the church, as a society, and as a world. We have this potential because we are free. So, come to fellowship after church as we celebrate our freedom by eating apple pie and ice cream! Amen.

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.

Father’s Day

June 20th 2010 Father’s Day Sermon

By: The sweet Jean Johnson
Many of you have heard the story of the little girl who asked her mother, ‘Where did I come from?” The mother gulped and thought, Ï’m not prepared for this. But here goes.” and she began to tell her daughter about the elements of reproduction. The little girl responded by saying, “Mommy, George says that a stork brought him. Did a stork bring me?” What really was the question?

Questions. We are surrounded by questions. Many can be answered by Goggling on our computers. There are always the libraries with reference books and information in abundance. But what is the real question? Or do we know the real question?

In our Scripture this morning Jesus is asking his disciples. “Who do you say that I am?”

He was not asking about how the crowds or the Pharisees, or the people lined up for healing viewed him. These were his disciples who had left everything to follow him. What did they believe?

Peter was the first apostle to publicly recognize Jesus as the Anointed One. ( This translates into The Messiah or the Christ. Christ is the Greek word for the Hebrew word Messiah.) In the Gospels Jesus talks about himself as the Son of Man, but in John 3:16 John writes “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son.” For John there was no doubt that Jesus was the Son of God. He goes on, “The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Think about this a minute. Notice how John attributes glory and majesty to Jesus. Adam, the first man, never had that praise. David, the King, was praised, but never at that ;level. Only Jesus received that recognition. The glory was found in his unique relationship to God. Did that glory shine forth? Was there a special charisma surrounding Jesus? What was so compelling about him the disciples left everything behind to follow Jesus?

I got a glimpse of this when a friend was preaching in our Chapel at Westminster Shores. Noel was a United Methodist pastor and her husband, Joel, was also a United Methodist pastor. They went to a meeting where Bishop Desmond Tutu was speaking. After the meeting. Noel and Joel stood out on the sidewalk to greet him as he passed by. The charisma of Bishop Tutu was so great that Joel turned to his wife, after the Bishop had passed, and said,” Ïf he had asked me to follow him I would have left everything instantly and gone with him.” Was that the kind of charisma Jesus had?. Was there something very compelling about him that made men leave their fishing boats and their families and follow him?

Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” What was behind the question? We don’t know. Perhaps he was asking if they knew what the OT had said about him. Maybe he was wondering if they would truly follow him under adverse circumstances. Maybe he wanted to know how close they were to God so that through that means they would know who he was. We simply don’t know.

What about the response Peter gave, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”

Where did that response come from? Did Peter really believe it? Was he quoting from the OT? Was he saying what he thought Jesus wanted to hear? Was he being truthful? How did this response change over the years from the time when Jesus was walking on the earth to the time when a scribe wrote this down.

Which is more important, the question or the answer? We normally would say that the answer is most important. But what if the question was not really the question in the questioner’s mind. Could one respond by saying, “Why do you ask that?

Depending on the phrasing of the question, we may get a variety of answers. Some may be true and some may be what the responder thinks you want to hear.

Questions and answers. I will not ask for a show of hands to this question, but I would bet if you were to answer honestly almost every hand would raise. The question is, have you ever doubted the stories of Jesus that have been handed down to us through the centuries?

I have. For decades I could respond very truthfully to the question, do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Of course. It was bred into my bones. Then, oops, as I began thinking about things in my more mature years I thought – I do not believe that Jesus came to save me from my sins. What sins? White lies, callousness toward others’ difficulties, not going to see the sick in the Health Center. an unkind response. These are wrong and I need to correct and repair relationships whenever possible. But does this make me a “sinner and a wretch”? God created the universe and saw that it was good. God created humankind and also saw that it was good. Now stop telling me that I am a depraved, sinful human being. I am good and I have potential and I can be in relationship with this unseen force and power we call God. My mind was what was created in the image of God. Therefore, we can be creators instead of just being the created.

I do not need to pay penance to the church or confess my sins to another human being. Martin Luther took great exception to the teachings of the Roman Catholic church and penned his 95 theses nailing them on the door of the church. Do we take exception to our church? I certainly do in the Presbyterian Church when it comes to the lack of inclusion of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender as ordained ministers. I want to say, “Get off this bigotry and begin to lead the church as Jesus would have done.” I do when they say that only ordained or specially approved persons can serve communion.

In the book Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult Father Michael who had been a Roman Catholic priest for many years, said to Rabbi Bloom, “What would you do if you began to second guess everything you believed?”

Rabbi Bloom responded, Ï would ask more questions.”

How many of us are prone to read books and magazines and newspapers and assume what we are reading is fact, ït’s the truth. Think back to the history books we read and knew they must, of course, be accurate. It took me a long time to realize that history books are “his story” – the writer’s story of the events as he views them. Think then of the untrue facts we have handed our children over the ages, unless we have helped them to think critically. If it is the printed word, it must be true. If the church declares a truth, it must be so. If the government says something is in our best interests, it must be so.. We can take time to snicker at this last statement. If the newspaper prints it, it must be true. Basically, isn’t this the way we act most times?

One of my sons is a foreign correspondent who has lived in many countries in Central and South America as well as Asia. Would he write a story that was not accurate? Not knowingly. He has an unbelievable rolodex of people he can call to verify facts and figures. But sometimes mistakes happen. So, don’t take as factual every piece of information that is written down. Question!

Let us think back to our own faith journey. For some of us Sunday school played a very important part in our understanding of Christianity. For others, hymns have been extremely important. Think about the theology in some of the öld hymns”we used to sing: “bathed in the blood of the Lamb”, “Jesus died for our sins”, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of his spirit, washed in his blood.” “ My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness”. Did we ever really think about the words as we sang them? What did they mean? What were the implications? I dare say we sang them heartily, as did I, knowing the words, but not really examining the meaning behind the words.

Yet they played a significant part in our belief system.

You may say, but I don’t know enough to question. If something doesn’t feel right as you read it or hear it, question it. If you can’t get answers, put it on a “back burner” and think about it as you go about your day.

A big question I have been dealing with recently concerns the power of the mind. At the very end of The Lost Symbol Dan Brown states that ” our brains, if used correctly, can call forth powers that are quite literally superhuman. The Bible, like many ancient texts, is a detailed exposition of the most sophisticated machine ever created ….the human mind. The ancients already knew many of the scientific truths we are now rediscovering…our minds can generate energy capable of transforming physical matter …..particles react to our thoughts …..which means that our thoughts have the power to change the world.”” This can burst open the doors of human potential. Is this the same as the power of prayer??????

Rainer Maria Rilke wrote in his book Letters to a Young Poet “Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer.’”

Our faith is not sunk in concrete. It is not stale and old-fashioned. It is a flowing, renewing, reviving faith that responds to us individually in our culture. Our Christian faith is vibrant and can stand not only the test of time but the questions that flow because of it. So, ask more questions.