Partnership with God

Sermon August 16, 2020

I apologize for being late. It is not something I am used to. My military background trained me in the importance of being on time. I spent half a career in the air refueling business. If our tanker was more than a few seconds late, we would miss the receiving airplane, and it would not have enough gas to accomplish its mission. Being on time has been ingrained into my character ever since. But as with all things human, I missed Steve’s request for me to take this week while he was harvesting. I will try to mend the error of my ways and promise to check my emails more closely in the future.

I am not working harvest this year. I do, however, continue to plant a big garden. Gardening gives me a sense of accomplishment. When I look at the rows of jars of canned tomatoes, green beans, and pickles; I feel satisfaction in what I have done. Truth be known, I could probably buy canned and frozen vegetables for the price of seeds and water.

I look forward to the first asparagus in the spring. We eat it every day for about a month until I quit picking and let it grow and go to seed. Fresh spinach in a Spanakopita once a year in spring and an annual onion pie later in summer are absolute musts. Sweet corn and vine ripened tomatoes from early August until first frost are ample rewards for my labor.

My biggest reward, however, is the feeling of partnership with God. I envy women their opportunity to join forces with the Almighty and create new life. Life in His image. Men can’t do that. The closest I can get is gardening. God provides the spark of life in the seed. No one other than God can do that. Science and engineering can build bridges, skyscrapers, and the internet; but only Gold can put new life into a seed. God also provides the sun and the earth. We can argue all we want about evolution versus creation, but earth and sun had to start somewhere, and God was the beginning. He also provides water, but He allows me to control the flow with pumps, hoses, and sprinklers. My main assigned task is to provide the labor. Mostly that means to plant the seeds and keep the weeds out.

Weeding is interesting. Weeds are the work of Satan. I didn’t do a very good job of weeding this year. I had, and still have, other priorities. The floors in our house in Saint John needed refinishing. As soon that is finished, the carpet layers are scheduled, and we will have a completely new surface to walk on. Thus, we are playing musical furniture and spending most of our time at our cabin. Does anyone blame me for neglecting my weeding responsibilities? If we were live and meeting in our church, I would expect a resounding condemnation for falling down in my partnership with the Lord. There is no valid excuse. I can rationalize that I was too busy, but I should never be too busy to do my part in God’s work. When I fail in that regard, it jeopardizes my relationship with the Lord. When I am lax about working on our relationship, Satan takes that opportunity to work on his relationship with me.

I’m not the only one who has partnered with God. Abraham was God’s partner. God and Abraham made a deal. “If you will be My people, I will be your God.” Can you imagine Abraham not working to hold up his end of the bargain? What about Moses? Moses could not have led the Israelites out of Egypt without God’s help. God sent twelve plagues to convince Pharaoh to allow the people to leave. Then in the desert, God asked Moses to come up on the mountain to receive the law. While Moses was away, the people worshipped a man-made image. Moses failed in his partnership. He was to provide leadership, but as soon as his back was turned Satan worked his will with the Israelites. How about the twelve disciples of Christ. Jesus provided the word, and the apostles spread the word to the nations. Peter became a fisher of men. If they had failed in their partnership duties, we would not have a church.

What about now? Does God have a partnership agreement with you? When you say your prayers tonight ask what God wants you to do as His partner. Then wait for the answer. It may surprise you.