Emmanuel Lutheran Church

April 2024

Spring is Coming!

We only need to look at the calendar to know that spring is on its way. Spring’s official starting date is March 19, give or take an inch of snow or two or even ten inches. My neighbor in Pennsylvania was an old farmer with a wry sense of humor. One spring day we stood in ten inches of snow and Cliff said, “This is the onion snow.” He had, of course, already planted his onions!
It was the last snow of that year. It melted quickly and spring came soon after.

It’s been windy recently; my daughter, Abby and I have all been coughing and I suspected the wind is blowing some early pollen around from the hopeful crocuses and daffodils that are already blooming in my yard. I know the worst of pollen is yet to come. Remember those days in May when our cars are all the same bright yellow from tons of pollen blowing through the air? That brings me to the topic of Jesus.

After nearly twenty one years of ministry, I still have questions about the gospel lessons. The lesson where Jesus compares himself to a single grain of wheat dying for the sake of so many more always confused me. My dad and I worked on our farm, but he only planted oats for the cows. I didn’t get much experience with grain. All I knew was when the field was ready, the combine cut the grain from the top of the stalk and the remaining straw became bedding for the cows. This year, I did a little research

I learned that wheat and all sorts of grasses have their own pollen within themselves. According to Google, my secular authority, this pollen is blown through the air and the whole field of wheat and other grains is pollinated in this way, producing a whole field ready for harvest. So when Jesus compares himself to one grain of wheat, dying in the ground so many more can be saved, he’s saying that with his death God’s power will be released upon the unsuspecting world. We will hear this after the crucifixion when the temple curtain, which separated the ordinary people from the holy, is torn in half. God has conquered eternal death, the worst enemy of the living.

In my next articles, I will try to investigate texts like this one. If you have questions, ask me and I will find out for you. Without all the supporting books, the Bible can be hard to understand. It’s an amazing story!

Peace,
Pastor Dawn Richie