Discipleship of Farming – The Corn of Faithfulness (Part II)

Sermon Title: Discipleship of Farming – The Corn of Faithfulness

Good News Statement: God Made Us Farmers

Preached: Sunday, October 15^th, 2023, at Dogwood Prairie and Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): 2 Corinthians 9:6– Today’s Scripture reading comes from Paul’s epistle to the people of Rome. From a prison cell, Paul is writing to a group of people who he has never met, and he tells them that he has intensions of meeting them but “is prevented” to do so. In the letter, Paul encourages the people to hear their faith because their faith is the word of Christ. Our reading comes from Romans Chapter Ten verse Seventeen. May the reading and hearing of the word be a blessing in your life.

Romans 10:17

¹⁷ So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.

 

2 Corinthians 5:7

⁷ for we walk by faith, not by sight.

Ephesians 4:11-16

¹¹ He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity,^[a] to the measure of the full stature of Christ. ¹⁴ We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming; ¹⁵ but speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Hebrews 11:6

⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would approach God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

1 Corinthians 13:2

² And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.

Isaiah 41:10

¹⁰ do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

 

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

Introduction:

The World’s only Corn Palace is Mitchell’s premier tourist attraction in South Dakota. Some 500,000 tourists come from around the nation each year to see the uniquely designed corn murals. I, with my family, ventured to the corn palace over a decade ago and it was astonishing back then.

Eight years before the turn of the 20th century, in 1892 (when Mitchell, South Dakota was a small, 12-year-old city of 3,000 inhabitants) the World’s only Corn Palace was established on the city’s Main Street. During it’s over 100 years of existence, it has become known worldwide and now attracts more than a half a million visitors annually. The palace was conceived as a gathering place where city residents and their rural neighbors could enjoy a fall festival with extraordinary stage entertainment—a celebration to climax a crop-growing season and harvest. This tradition continues today with the annual Corn Palace Festival held in late August each year.

By 1905 the success of the Corn Palace had been assured and a new Palace was to be built, but this building soon became too small. In 1919, the decision to build a third Corn Palace was made. This one was to be permanent and more purposeful than its predecessors. The present building was completed in 1921, just in time for the Corn Palace Festivities….The building was considered to have the finest basketball arena in the upper Midwest area. In the 1930’s, steps were taken to recapture the artistic decorative features of the building.[i]

Corn is so important to the agricultural economics of our nation, that the United States is the only nation to have its very own “Corn Palace” which is covered with murals made from twelve different colors or shades of corn: red, brown, black, blue, white, orange, calico, yellow, green, and several other colors. There has been a mural depicting a certain theme every year since 1894: for 129 years the Corn Palace has been providing breathtaking scenes for its visitors—from all over the world—to see from year to year all made out of corn. Corn is more than something we eat or admire or even a product that we watch grow. Corn is a means of life, a sustainable product used to take care of God’s creation. It’s more than a mural on a wall. But how many of us actually view corn as something being important enough to dedicate a single building toward? How many of us have really thought about what life would be life if we didn’t have corn? How many of us have ever viewed corn as a means to think about our purpose and faith?

Today, we embark, not on a corny adventure, but on an adventure that gives corn a deeper meaning, a more profound significance, and a characteristic of faith that challenges us to understand that our faith does not come from sight but comes from walking (2 Corinthians 5:7) and hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). There is more to corn than what we see and witness. God needs us to look below the surface and hear what He is telling us.

Body:

I ended last week’s message on the Discipleship of Farming by reminding all of us that “each one of us is a farmer”—a farmer of and for Christ. We are Christian Farmers summoned to go and share the Good News when we are told, to embrace moments of woe—of distress—in such ways that build us up instead of tearing us down, to scatter—sow and plant—the seed, the Word of God, and not keep it in our pockets for a rainy day, and to know—trust—in the works of the Lord. As farmers of and for Christ, we are called to do the hard work today so that there will be a bountiful harvest tomorrow.

As we continue to do the hard work of producing a bountiful harvest—of sharing the Word of God, of loving the Lord our God with our whole heart, mind, body, and soul, and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves all while seeking ways to grow our church physically and spiritually—we must take time to appreciate what we have before the harvesting takes place. The harvest we are focusing on today is our faith which happens to be represented by an ear of corn. From this ear of corn we are reminded of what the Apostle Paul wrote to the people of Rome, from a prison cell, during the reign of Emperor Nero (54-68 BCE), “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Did you know that Corn is the primary U.S. feed grain, accounting for more than 95 percent of total feed grain production and use. Additionally, according to the Economic Research Service, “The United States is the largest producer, consumer, and exporter of corn in the world.”[ii] Furthermore, on average, U.S. farmers plant about 90 million acres of corn each year, with the majority of the crop grown in the Heartland region. Lastly, as is stated by the Economic Research Service, “Most of the crop is used domestically as the main energy ingredient in livestock feed and for…ethanol production. Corn is also processed into a multitude of food and industrial products including starch, sweeteners, corn oil, and beverage and industrial alcohols.” As I stated earlier, corn is more than something that we eat or look at or grow: it is part of our life that is sometimes taken for granted similar to how we treat our faith at times.

There are moments in our life and quite possibly during our day that we just assume our faith is going to be there and that we don’t need to do anything to maintain our faith. In those moments we need to take a step back and remember the words of Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please [God]…” If we continue to take our faith for granted—assuming it’s always going to be there, always operating at 100%, and always strong than sin and temptation—then we will lose the motivation to please God, the impossible will remain impossible, and we will only want to do things that are comfortable instead of challenging. Remember, Jesus never said following him would be easy: we are called to carry our stain and battered cross. Another way to look at this is through the words of Paul who wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:2, “And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.” Our faith is more than something we should take for granted: it should be something that we work at every day—seeking ways to improve it, strengthen it, and praying upon it so that we can move mountains, so that we can face the challenges ahead of us, so that we can overcome the sin in our life, so that we can be the ones doing the planting and harvesting of God’s word.

One way to not take your faith for granted is to think about an ear of corn. Drawing back to the Economic Research Service, corn has many purposes. Corn is the main ingredient in livestock feed and is used for ethanol production; and it is also an ingredient in starch, sweeteners, corn oil, and beverage and industrial alcohols. Corn is more than an ear of corn growing on a stalk in the middle of a field. Your faith is more than something waiting in the field to be harvested. Your faith is a gift from God  given to you through the presence of the Holy Spirit so that you will do the work of Jesus Christ on here on earth. If we don’t do the work, there is no ear of corn; and if there is no ear of corn, then starch, sweeteners, corn oil, and ethanol will be missing their main ingredient. If we don’t the work of Jesus Christ, our faith will be missing what is needed to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We will be missing out on our God given purpose.

Do you remember the words of Paul when he was encouraging the people of Ephesus to be who God called them to be? Paul notes, “He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers  to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Our faith, like the ear of corn, is composed of purposes that have been given to us. Each kernel on an ear of corn has a purpose. Each aspect of your faith—the praying, the reading of scripture, the hearing of the word, the worshipping of God, the ability to attend to the needs of your neighbor—has a purpose. Our faith, like an ear of corn, is not to be taken for granted; but to be put to good works, to equip the saints for the work of ministry and for building up the body of Christ. The next time you see an ear of corn, use that moment to think about your faith, and ask yourself, “Am I using the full potential of my faith to do what Christ needs me to do? Or am I simply just waiting in the field and taking things for granted?”

So, corn reminds us to exercise our faith to its full potential. It also reminds us that our faith comes from hearing the Word of God. Speaking of the Word of God, did you know that “corn”—which is translated as “grain” in many translations of the Bible—is mentioned 186 times in the King James Version of the Bible. For example, in Genesis 41 we read how Joseph interpreted the dream of Pharaoh concerning corn as a grain. In Deuteronomy 7:13 we read, “The LORD will love you, and bless you, and multiply you: he will also bless the fruit of your womb, and the fruit of your land, your corn, and your wine, and your oil…” During a season of offering, Moses informs us, “Green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears shall be offered for the meat offering of the first fruits to be offered unto the LORD” (Leviticus 2:14-16). King Solomon writes a proverb concerning corn, “Those that withhold corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that sells it” (Proverbs 11:26). Moving to the New Testament, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn and his disciples were hungry and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. The Pharisees complained that it was not lawful to pluck corn on the Sabbath day. Because of Jesus plucking corn on the Sabbath we discovered the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day. (Matthew 12:1-7). Lastly, Jesus told the disciple, the hour is come, that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat  fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit…” (John 12:23-26).[iii]

Even in scripture, corn is given a purpose, a divine revelation upon which reminds us that corn is more than just something to admire and eat. Corn is a blessing. Corn is used as an offering to give back to God. Corn is something that brings forth prophecies and warnings. Corn is what ended the hungry cravings of some of the disciples and gave them strength and nourishment to keep moving forward. From a single ear of corn comes much fruit. Corn is more than something grown on a stalk in a filed in the Heartland, it is faith put in motion.

Noting how important corn is to our understanding of faith and to the ways of carrying out scripture, let us now turn to how corn reminds us that faith is something that we hear. Romans 10 begins with Paul’s heartfelt confession that he prays for Israel to be saved. He is eager for each of his Jewish brothers and sisters to believe in Christ. He praises them for their enthusiasm for God, though they are ignorant of how to reach God’s righteousness through faith in Christ (Romans 10:1–4).

Instead, the Israelites continue to try to be declared righteous by God for their religious law-keeping, despite how they continue to break that law. They continue to wait for the truth they already know to come down from heaven or up from the abyss when Jesus Christ has already done both of those things. Paul repeatedly references the Old Testament Scriptures both directly and as an analogy to make his bottom-line case about what is required to be saved (Romans 10:5–8).

Verses 9 and 10 are likely the most quoted verses from this chapter: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Paul spells out that this opportunity to be saved by faith in Jesus is available to everyone, with no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. The Lord is the Lord of all people, and He gives good gifts to all who call on Him. Everyone who calls on Him will be saved. (Romans 10:9–13).

Next, Paul shows how necessary it is for him to continue preaching this gospel, regardless of the objections of those who oppose him. If people must call on the name of Jesus to be saved, they must first believe in Him. Before they can believe, they must hear about Him. In order to hear, someone must preach to them. And before a representative of Christ can preach, that must be sent. Still, not all have obeyed the gospel. That is, many people—especially the Jewish people—have not believed in Christ though they have heard the word of Christ. Why is this? Is it because they haven’t really heard? (Romans 10:14–17). For Paul, hearing our faith is just as important as walking by faith which is why he asserts to the stumbling faithful of Rome, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). When was the last time you heard or listened to your faith? Is your faith shouting, is it a whisper in the wind, or is it silent?

Have you ever listened to corn? I’m not talking about popcorn popping in the microwave. I’m talking about being present in a field of corn when everything is calm and the earth is silent. Did you know that corn “talks?” I had no idea that that was even possible, until I moved here. I experienced what Rev. David Zellmer experienced many years ago while he was spending time with his “very quiet German Grandfather.”  When Rev. David Zellmer was twelve years old, his very quiet German Grandfather took him out to the Iowa cornfields in the middle of the night and taught him something about vocation and faith that’s stuck with him ever since. Listen to how Rev. Zellmer retells that experience.

“So, we go into the dark and get the tractor started up. We drive the ridge through this…ocean of corn: there was corn as far as you can see. We drive a quarter of mile, and my grandfather stops. He turns the tractor off and turns the lights off on the tractor, and he says, ‘Now follow me.’ And off we go through this corn. We’ve gone down probably thirty rows of corn or better, and he says, ‘I want you to lay down, lay down on your back.’ I laid down and so did he; our heads almost touching. So here we were laying down between the rows of corn. And he says, ‘Now be quiet and don’t move.’

As the insects and birds that we woke up traveling through this ocean of corn began to fall back asleep, I began to hear what sounded like popcorn. And it just kept getting louder as the night [returned to its silent slumber.] And David’s grandfather said, ‘Now, boy, do you know what that is?’ And I said, I have no idea. And he said, ‘Well, that’s corn growing. That’s what corn sounds like when it’s growing and it does most of its growth at night after it’s taken in.’”

If someone would have told me this story several years ago, I would have struggled to believe them. But now, being here—being able to hear the birds, the leaves rustling in the trees as the wind passes through them, the gentle tapping of each spider scurrying across the floor, and the rumble of a tractor engine miles away—I believe that what we think doesn’t have sound actually has a noise. We just have to take time to silence our own lives and focus on what is going on around us.

Believe it or not, when we take time to truly listen to what is going on around us, our faith begins to grow, just like the corn: it begins to become more attuned to the people around us, to the needs of those crying out into the wilderness, to the hearts of those in pain or in grief, to the troubled sins that are weighing us down, to the chatter of the church. We must stop and listen to our faith—to the word of Christ.

How often do you sit in silence and pay attention to the sounds around you? Our lives are so busy sometimes that the sound of our vehicles, the sounds of dishes clanking in the sink, the sound of laundry tumbling in the dryer, the sound of our phone always going off, or even the sounds of people giving commands overwhelms us so much that we forget how good silence can be.

How often do you listen to the word of Christ in your life? We think we have everything under control, so we ignore God’s warning when He said through the Prophet Isaiah, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:10) or when King David peacefully noted in the 23^rd Psalm, “Your rod and your staff they comfort me.” The voices in our own head become louder than the voice of Christ; and when that happens, we slowly drift away from Christ and our faith begins to dwindle and sin becomes more prevalent than doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:18-19). We need to slow down and hear the corn growing because if we don’t then we won’t be able to slow down and hear our faith, the word of Christ growing in our heart.

Charles Spurgeon, a Biblical Scholar, once said, “If you believe in prayer at all, expect God to hear you….God will not hear you unless you believe He will hear you; but if you believe He will, He will be as good as your faith.” Imagine what your life would be like if God treated you like you treat Him sometimes: not believing, not trusting, always questioning, and not always listening. We must believe that God hears us because He does; and in return, God wants us to hear Him so that our faith will be as good as His. In the words of Aroundhati Roy, “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” Do you hear your faith breathing? Can you hear your faith believing? Can you hear your faith growing?  Do you hear the corn growing?

Conclusion:

Bringing this message to a close, I never would have thought that a simple, single, ear of corn would have opened my eyes to a deeper understanding of my purpose and faith in God’s creation. First, just like an ear of corn, we have been given a purpose that fulfills the mission of Jesus Christ here on earth. God has created us to do His work in such a way that helps others, sees the needs of those around us, and administers goodness to all people for the benefit of being called a disciple. Whether we are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, students, farmers, or anything else, we have been given a purpose to equip others for the work of ministry and for the building up the body of Christ. But how are you going to use your God given purpose to share the good news? How can you be God’s ear of corn?

Second, just like Rev. David Zellmer, we have to take time to hear the corn growing: we have to listen to our faith. We must slow down once in a while and listen to the corn growing if we want to be the disciple that God needs us to be, if we want to be the church Christ needs us to be, if we want to be the best version of ourselves for those in our life. In life, we must find ways to tune out the sounds of the world and focus on the sounds of Christ. We must do our best to hear the word of Christ in all that we do, in all that we say, and in all the places that we go. God needs us to hear our faith so that we can hear the word of Christ—our grace and salvation.

Paul was certainly on to something when stated, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Do you hear your faith? Do you hear your faith growing? Can you hear the word of Christ? How will you find time to hear “the corn growing” this week? What will you do to make sure that you can hear your faith?

The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota, yes, beautiful and exquisite and one of-a-kind, is a physical reminder how meaningful corn is in our life. It is a physical representation of how powerful our faith can be when we cherish our God given purposes and listen to how God needs us to share the good news. Again, how will you make sure that you can hear the corn of Christ growing in your life? Let it be so…

Closing Prayer:

Let Us Pray: Dear Jesus, too often we take things for granted and we forget what life would be like without them. So help us Lord to hear your voice in the night, to hear your word during the day, and to hear the sound of our faith growing throughout our life so that we can become the disciple and church you need us to be today and every day. In your name we pray, Amen.

           

Benediction:

Take a few moments this week to “hear the corn growing.” Seek a minute or two of silence. Listen to your faith, the word of Christ in your life. May you be blessed this week by the love of God and the light of Christ as you listen for the Holy Spirit to guide you where you need to go. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, go out into the world knowing that God needs you to do some listening. And all of God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

[i] https://cornpalace.com/149/Corn-Palace-History

[ii] https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn-and-other-feed-grains/feed-grains-sector-at-a-glance/#:~:text=Most%20of%20the%20crop%20is,and%20beverage%20and%20industrial%20alcohols.

[iii] Holstein, Joanne “Corn – Grain:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Feb 2015.< https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2348,>.