Stewardship of Life

A Rock, a Hard Place, and Good Soil

By Sharron R. Blezard, July 6, 2011

Lectionary Reflection

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

July 10, 2011

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1

The idiom “between a rock and hard place,” is usually taken to mean that one is faced is faced with two options, neither of which is desirable or even particularly palatable. How often in life do we find ourselves facing such situations! Yes, life is full of tough decisions and hard choices. Sometimes these dilemmas come as no fault of our own, but all too often it is our broken humanness that leads us to sit right on the dilemma’s sharp horns. In our efforts to master and control our destiny, we have a distinct tendency to muck it up in grand fashion.

Take Aron Ralston, for example, whose memoir was published in 2004 under the title Between a Rock and Hard Place. If you haven’t read the book you might have seen the 2010 movie 127 Hours starring James Franco as Ralston. An accomplished climber and seasoned outdoorsman, Ralston set out on his own into Utah’s Blue John Canyon without leaving his itinerary or informing anyone of his whereabouts. An 800 pound boulder crushed his right arm and pinned him against the canyon wall where he remained for six days before self-amputating his limb with a dull utility knife. Truly, choosing between life and death left Ralston between a rock and a hard place. He chose life, but not without cost, pain, and difficulty. His choice to go it alone had consequences. He lost his arm to save his life.

Christians are no exception. We try to be good people and do good works, to follow Jesus, but our dual nature as saint/sinner often causes us to do the very things we know we should not do. We heard about that struggle in last week’s epistle lesson with Paul’s transparent confession that “…I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do” (Romans 7:19). We are saved by grace, but we are still prone to allow the real life consequences of poor decisions to enslave us. Whether these consequences are manifested as health issues resulting from addictions to nicotine or alcohol, or feelings of guilt or inadequacy brought on by our own actions or the actions of others, many of us walk through life wounded and stuck somewhere between grace and destruction. We know, but we can’t let go. We are redeemed, but we’re afraid to live into our identity as God’s children because deep down we feel like we don’t deserve it. Quiet desperation marks our days and stunts our growth as disciples.

On the other hand, some folks are stuck without even realizing it. Sin is something that other folks do, or it’s big stuff like murder, adultery, and theft. Going to worship, living pretty good, quiet lives, climbing the work-worn rungs to heaven, we delude ourselves into believing that if we just yank a little harder on our bootstraps it will all be fine. Again, our growth is stunted for lack of deep roots that rely on God.

We all deal with rocks and hard places in different ways. We wear our pain, our hopes, and our indifference like costumes shrouding our most vulnerable parts. Perhaps that’s why more folks aren’t filling the pews of churches today. If one is going to be stuck between a rock and a hard place anyway, then why bother risking anything more? If all that’s available on a Sunday morning are pat answers and bromides served up with hard to sing hymns and confusing liturgy, what do we expect? No wonder folks head out the door saying “Thanks be to God” with as much enthusiasm as one greets a tax increase. It shouldn’t be that way, and it surely doesn’t have to be so.

Sure, we may be between a rock and a hard place, and life can be tough, but what if we tweak that idiom and claim it as our own to say something about life in Christ? What if we say that as Christians we are indeed between a rock (the rock of our salvation) and a hard place (life in this beautiful, broken world)? Jesus will not let us go and will not let the world crush us. Life may be hard, and we may hurt, but we are never alone. We have amazing hope and freedom—fertile soil in which to nurture our faith. Here Paul’s words again: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Say it again and let the words sink deep into your being. This is good news for all of us.

Life between a rock and a hard place, in the already of this world and the not yet of eternity, is not such a bad place to be when your rock is Jesus. Go ahead and let your roots grow deeply into the fertile soil of Christ’s gracious love. You have nothing to lose and real life to gain.

Visual

Here’s a visual meditation on the song “By Your Side” by Tenth Avenue North. It would work well with a sermon on the epistle lesson this week.

With Youth

Read the epistle passage (Romans 8:1-11) with special emphasis on verses 5-8. Consider using The Message for this study. Eugene Peterson does a fine job with the language, emphasizing the difference with being obsessed with self and being attentive to God’s work in one’s life. Talk with youth about what this looks like in their own day to day experience. What is difficult about it? What keeps them on track with God?

With Children

Good Soil Experiment

Find someone in your parish who is a Master Gardener or an extension agent or soil scientist. Prepare several soil samples, preferably from your area, that are different. One could be amended soil from someone’s garden. Another sample could be clay-based or sandy. Have the expert talk about what constitutes good soil and perhaps do some soil testing with the children to help them understand what it takes for soil to be a good environment for seeds to germinate and grow. Next read the parable of the sower and help children make the connection about what makes their life good soil to hear God’s word and grow faithful ministry.

Photos by Russ Cribb, bob familiar, and  spacecat used under Creative Commons License. Thanks!