You Only Need One Banana: Fruits of the Spirit

 

Service of Worship

Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church

October 17, 2021

Rev. Natalie Bowerman, Pastor

 

Prelude

 

Greeting and Announcements

 

Mission Statement: We are a faith community striving to be, to nurture, and to send forth disciples of Jesus Christ.

 

Call to Worship

God created the heavens and the earth.

And gave them to us to use and enjoy.

And God breathed life into each of us, and set us on the earth.

And God sent Jesus Christ to save us from the pull of death.

Everything that fills our souls with gladness and light is a gift from the loving Creator.

We have been entrusted with unfathomable riches. For all this our God is to be praised. Let us worship God together!

 

Hymn 147: All Things Bright and Beautiful

 

• Refrain:
  All things bright and beautiful,
  All creatures great and small,
  All things wise and wonderful:
  The Lord God made them all.
1. Each little flow’r that opens,
   Each little bird that sings,
   He made their glowing colors,
   He made their tiny wings.
2. The purple-headed mountains,
   The river running by,
   The sunset and the morning
   That brightens up the sky.
3. The cold wind in the winter,
   The pleasant summer sun,
   The ripe fruits in the garden,
   He made them every one.
4. The tall trees in the greenwood,
   The meadows where we play,
   The rushes by the water,
   To gather every day.
5. He gave us eyes to see them,
   And lips that we might tell
   How great is God Almighty,
   Who has made all things well.

 

Prayer of Confession:

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

 

Assurance

 

Hear the good news: As far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed our transgressions from us. We are forgiven, loved, and freed. Amen.

 

Anthem

 

Galatians 5: 13-26

Life by the Spirit

¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

 

A Message

“You Only Need One Banana: Fruits of the Spirit”

 

Here we are, friends. After a wonderful summer and early fall of sermons that you all requested, we’re at the very end of “Stump the Preacher”. Thank you guys so much for being the faithful people you are.

 

The inspiration for this sermon, and arguably the person who requested it, is my 2 year old son Alexander. He has a hearty appetite, his favorite word is “num nums”, and he’s never seen a snack he didn’t want. He loves bananas. It’s possible he’s part monkey. But he has yet to learn the size of his tummy. I gave him one banana, peeled and ready to go, and he put it down and started pulling on my shirt and saying “nanana, nanana!” This all happened while Sean was on his way home from work, and I interrupted my phone call with him, turned to Alexander, and emphatically declared,

 

You only need one banana.

 

It sure got his attention. And my husband responded in quiet astonishment, “…I don’t think I’ve ever even heard you preach with that level of conviction.”

 

Shortly afterward, a preacher friend of mine, the same man who wanted to know if I was capable of preaching about aliens, thought “you only need one banana” would be a great sermon title for a discussion about fruits of the Spirit. And after all the ground we’ve covered this summer, the fruits of the Spirit felt like the perfect place to land.

 

Like most of his writings, I’m sure Paul would be shocked to see this beloved passage from Galatians canonized and heavily quoted. I wager he’d be even more shocked to see the number of church banners, sanctuary decorations, and adorable Sunday School coloring pages his words in this morning’s scripture have inspired. He wasn’t trying to pen extremely quotable wisdom. He was just a second-career bivocational minister. He began a relationship with Jesus late in life after publicly scorning and even persecuting other people who did for years. But Jesus managed to knock some sense into him by way of a lightning bolt, and getting thrown off of his horse and blinded for a few days was enough to convince him to quit being such a jerk.

 

After that conversion experience Paul spent the rest of his life equipped with two vital pieces of knowledge:

1.     The love of Jesus is the most precious resource in this world

2.     People’s choices will either amplify that love or crush it

 

And thus Paul’s mission was born. He moved around planting congregations while keeping in touch by an ancient iteration of the postal service in order to sort out congregational disputes. Unfortunately most of what was written back and forth between Paul and these churches is lost; we don’t have the letters the churches wrote to Paul, and we have every reason to believe he wrote many more letters than we see in our New Testament. Still, what we were able to hold onto, we canonized. We see quickly that the dynamics of congregational conflict have hardly changed in 2,000 years, we’ve simply modernized the topics.

 

Today’s reading is an excerpt from a letter that Paul wrote to a church he planted in Galatia, an inland community in modern day Turkey. Like all of Paul’s churches then, and many of our churches now, the church in Galatia was very concerned with the proper way to interpret the Bible—which for them was still the Bible of Jesus, the Hebrew Scriptures. Where does faith in Jesus fit into the Law of Moses? Can a non-Jewish person begin following Jesus without first converting to Judaism? In an ever-changing world, what does it look like to stay faithful to the writings of Moses, who lived over a thousand years before Paul? What should the people of Galatia prioritize? What makes them “pure”?

 

Paul, a devout Jew until his dying day, maintained that that the Law of Moses was important, and focused on what behavioral traits reflected it. Weary of the infighting and sloppy morals he had witnessed in Galatia, Paul lifted up a few behaviors his followers could cut out for their own good: infighting, selfishness, hatred, alcohol abuse, and partying it up at the pagan temple. He lifted up qualities that are a sure sign of the presence of the holy whenever you see them: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control.

 

That sounds fabulous on paper. Surely all of those are qualities I hope to possess within me, and they’re qualities I see in you all. But we know it can’t be that simple. You can’t possibly fix the overwhelming brokenness of the world with nine words.

 

Can you fix it at all? That’s a question that crosses my mind more often than I’d like it to. The problems in this world are so immense. The problems in this denomination are so immense. The problems in this country are so immense. The next General Conference, the next election, the next natural disaster, the next war, the next turn in this pandemic…any of those things could turn society even more askew than it already is. How do you pastor in a world like this one? How do you keep your faith in a world like this one? How do you stay civically, ecclesially, and politically engaged without burning out on headlines alone?

 

The love of Jesus is the most precious resource in the world.

And our choices can either amplify that love or crush it.

 

When we look at a torn church, nation, and world and ask questions like these we can respond by following Paul’s advice, and then taking baby steps. The world is on fire. Don’t throw matches. Don’t bicker. Don’t act selfishly or in jealousy. Watch your temper. Take care of yourself. Don’t pollute your body with alcohol and don’t pollute your life with bad choices.

 

And if you want to make the world a little less harsh, it’s ok to start small. The fruits of the Spirit are so potent that, even in very small doses, they make a big impact. It’s ok if a tiny amount of patience or enough self-control to block one bad decision is all you can muster today. That’s enough.

 

You only need one banana.

 

I wanted to make a difference. With all of the toxicity in the world I wanted to throw something positive back at it. So I got involved in an international organization called Habitat for Humanity, and even though they do building projects all over the world I’m an exhausted Mom who can’t travel without three tiny humans and all the stuff you have to shlepp along with them, so I went small, and local. And it turns out my help is most badly needed on the local level.

 

Right here in the city of Schenectady, on Carrie street, there’s a neighborhood very different from this one even though it’s less than ten minutes from here by car. Once you cross a certain line into the urban part of the city the value and quality of the housing drops. The rows of identical houses with clean vinyl siding in Niskayuna give way to old, historic homes in Schenectady with wood siding that badly needs to be repainted. Old wooden windows leak heat in the winter. Outdated, leaky plumbing causes water damage and frozen pipes. Unmanicured yards become infested with weeds. The whole community needs care—the schools get way less funding than ours do in Niskayuna, commerce isn’t thriving, and whereas we have several full-service grocery stores to choose from it’s a food dessert down there.

 

Habitat is trying to help. And even a huge organization like Habitat has limits, but we’re doing what we can. Habitat purchased a double lot that had been abandoned for a while. We’re building two new identical houses on that land. Nothing fancy. Three bedrooms, a bath and a half, a kitchen, a small living room, and a front and a back porch. Neither of these houses will be featured on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens, but they will be safe, secure places for two families to put down roots, own a home, accrue the wealth that comes with home ownership, and start reversing the downward spiral of systemic poverty.

The work I do there is hardly newsworthy. My first volunteer day at that site I swept up saw dust, installed fireproof insulation, and got cut with a nail. Rebuilding the world comes at a physical cost sometimes. My second day at that site I worked on what will become a beautiful back yard. Right now it’s a mess. It had been abandoned for so long you could hardly see what was even back there. A mechanical weed whacker got the overgrowth down to a manageable level, and I went out there with two other women and raked weeds while piling up garbage. The bad behaviors Paul warned us about have serious consequences, and unexpected ones at that. Since this lot had been abandoned for so long people had gotten used to cutting through it to get to the local Stewart’s, and lots of people have left behind their garbage. When Paul warned us of drunkenness I always imagine that happening in a bar somewhere, but apparently it’s been happening right in this yard because I found Budweiser cans back there from the ‘70s. The littering and lack of care for the land has killed the grass, and turned what used to be good soil into mud. And I found a very slippery spot in the mud that nearly sent me mudsliding right down the hill.

 

But acting with those qualities Paul taught us about is more than worth it. They’re an investment in our world’s future. With patience, I swept up sawdust, and now one of the houses is ready for flooring. With self-control I put in fireproof insulation, and now that house has drywall and a family will be protected. With gentleness, goodness, kindness, and faithfulness, I raked and weeded and picked up trash. With forbearance I didn’t judge my work as insignificant. With love and joy, I keep coming back.

 

We can’t even imagine all the problems in the world, but when we give all we have, even if it’s just a little, God never wastes it. Those qualities Paul taught us about are the fruits of the Spirit, visible proof that God is working through us. And if we keep allowing God to work through us, eventually we will start to see a change. A neighborhood in Schenectady is going to have two, high-quality, brand-new houses, with two large yards that will be able to house their own gardens. We have the power to make a difference. If one banana’s worth of Spiritual fruit is all you can muster, it’s all you need. God will amplify it to make the love of Jesus that much more radiant around us.

 

Amen.

 

Hymn 451: Be Thou My Vision

 

1.     Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

2.     Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

3.     Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tow’r:
Raise Thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.

4.     Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

5.     High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

 

Offering, doxology, and prayer of dedication

 

Pastoral Prayer and Lord’s Prayer

 

God of abundance – my Creator and generous God. To look around is to see Your kingdom, for all is Yours. Nothing that has been made, or ever will be made, was made outside Your sovereign reign.
You are mighty beyond imagination – the Lord of armies.
You are glorious above all gods – the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
You are rich beyond all measure – more precious than diamonds.
Nothing and no one compares with You.
Holy God I want to know YOU better and better that I may treasure YOU more and more – high above all worldly riches. Show me Your glory in Jesus Christ that I may see and know the storehouse of Your grace and mercy causing me to fall deeper and deeper in love with You. Create in me a clean heart so that nothing my impede Your residence in my heart. You are my treasure and therefore I am rich beyond all measure. To You be all glory, honor and worship through Christ Jesus my Lord, Amen.

 

Our Father, Mother, Creator God, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen.

 

Hymn 379: Blow Ye the Trumpet, Blow

 

1.     Blow ye the trumpet, blow!
The gladly solemn sound
let all the nations know,
to earth's remotest bound:
Refrain:
The year of jubilee is come!
The year of jubilee is come!
Return, ye ransomed sinners, home.

2. Jesus, our great high priest,
hath full atonement made;
ye weary spirits, rest;
ye mournful souls, be glad:
(Refrain)

3. Extol the Lamb of God,
the all atoning Lamb;
redemption in his blood
throughout the world proclaim.
(Refrain)

4. Ye slaves of sin and hell,
your liberty receive,
and safe in Jesus dwell,
and blest in Jesus live:
(Refrain)

5. Ye who have sold for nought
your heritage above
shall have it back unbought,
the gift of Jesus' love:
(Refrain)

6. The gospel trumpet hear,
the news of heavenly grace;
and saved from earth, appear
before your Savior's face:
The year of jubilee is come!
The year of jubilee is come!
Return to your eternal home.

 

Benediction

Our God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, will guard our going out and coming in from this time on and forevermore. And as all God’s people we say together, Amen.

 

Postlude