Weaving A Fabric of Care
Indianapolis First Friends
Pastor Bob Henry
February 25, 2018
Galatians 6:1-10
1-3 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.
4-5 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
6 Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience.
7-8 Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.
9-10 So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.
This morning, I would like the sermon to serve as a multifaceted teaching. I would like to have a little history lesson, some street art appreciation, and some Biblical exegisis. Most of this will happen around the subject of “weaving.” Last week we heard in our text to “tend to our knitting” so this week I thought I would continue that thought and expand it to the subject of weaving in general – which knitting is one type as we will learn. When we leave this morning, my hope is that we will have a new metaphor for the care of our world.
Let’s start with some history.
Janis Rozentals gives us a great overview of weaving history on her website – weavedesign.edu
She says,
“Weaving is acknowledged as one of the oldest surviving crafts in the world. The tradition of weaving traces back to Neolithic times – approx.. 12,000 years ago. Even before the actual process of weaving was discovered, the basic principle of weaving was applied to interlace branches and twigs to create fences, shelters, and baskets for protection.
So it is safe to say that weaving is part of our core knowledge. From the beginning weaving has been about taking care of ourselves, our possessions, our families, pets, etc… Weaving is an essential skill. Just look in this room at all that is affected by weaving:
Our clothing
The carpet
Wood beams
Books – hymnals and bibles have weaving in their spines
Even our hair – some of us with longer hair may have it in a pony tail or braided.
Janis goes on to point out:
“…early man developed the first string by twisting together plant fibers. Preparing thin bundles of plant material and stretching them out while twisting them together produced a fine string of thread.”
Soon we had the need for stronger and stronger thread…
This concept is actually acknowledged early on in the wisdom literature of the scriptures where we read in Ecclesiastes 4:12
“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Janis says,
“During the Neolithic Era mankind developed great skills in weaving cloth. Every household produced cloth for their own needs. By the 11th century many of the weaving patterns used today had been invented. Weaving was not only an essential skill – it was foundational for protecting and caring for each other.”
That gives a deeper meaning to our text from last week – “Tend to your knitting.” Knitting is an essential and foundational skill.
A couple weekends ago, Sue was trying to learn how to knit by using a training video. I picked up some knowledge as she was learning and it helped me consider even more in depth this process.
I have learned that there are many different methods in which threads are woven. Some call it knitting, felting, braiding, plaiting, crochet, macramé, and the list goes on. All of these weaving methods use at least two basic threads – a warp (longitudinal) and a weft (lateral) threads.
How these two threads come together through the process of weaving affects characteristics of the cloth. Such as the tighter the knit – the stronger the weave.
Not only does it take two threads…when the loom is introduced to history to make the process easier – it actually required TWO PEOPLE. Thus…
Weaving was a communal event – for a communal purpose.
Those who still utilize traditional or early methods of weaving see it as a communal event. Quakers have a great history with weaving in many forms being a communal event. From Quilting groups to knitting clubs, to crochet gatherings. Even at our own meeting we have a sewing group that meets in our Fellowship Hall once a month. Even after World War I Quakers provided relief efforts to Europe and Russia through the Friends’ Emergency and War Victims Relief Committee by creating weaving huts to make cloth, blankets and more (see picture on front of bulletin).
In the town of Silverton, Oregon, where we used to live there was a shop called “Apples and Oranges” which provided yarn and materials for weaving of all types. They had men’s and women’s knitting groups and crochet clubs throughout the week. I have noticed several shops of this nature in Indianapolis as well. Weaving has become rather popular again.
Even when I served in Campus Ministries at Huntington University, one of the fastest growing clubs was the knitting club for both male and female students.
We even have what are called “Yarn Bombers.” Actually one of the most famous Yarn Bomber was Grace Brett (she is on the bulletin cover with some of her work) – sadly just last year she passed away at 106 years old. Look her up on the internet and you will see her still at 104 utilizing her knitting skills to brighten up her community. It is amazing what all she would cover with her knitting. She would cover lamp posts, rocks, fences, you name it…she made yarn creations for just about anything.
So, now that we have had this lesson on weaving, what does this have to do with our text for this morning?
I believe “weaving” is a metaphor for our work as the body of Christ on this planet.
Jesus said it himself in Matthew 18:20:
“For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them. “
And like weaving – we can’t do it with one string. It takes at least two.
You could take this metaphor and run with it.
You want stronger string – add more – make a cord.
You want strong materials – weave tight cords together.
Weaving supports the way Jesus approached our care for one another.
Just like in weaving…how we (you and I) come together affects the characteristics of the whole.
And that is where our text comes in…
To “weave a fabric of care” we must know how to live together and why we are coming together, and what affect we have when we do interweave our lives.
Prior to our text, Paul addresses the Galatians and exhorts them to live by the “Fruit of the Spirit.” We have probably heard these a few times in our lifetime -- Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
He then moves into our text for this morning – and explains what it looks like to live by the fruit.
1-3 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.
4-5 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
6 Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience.
7-8 Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.
9-10 So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.
To weave a fabric of care involves our lives and communities.
We need to forgive and be forgiven.
We need to reach out to the oppressed.
We need to share the burdens of others.
That will take (as we said a few weeks ago)
Examining ourselves.
Knowing our calling or skills and doing them to the best of our ability.
It also means
We shouldn’t be too impressed with ourselves.
Or compare ourselves with others.
When we do those things we stop the weaving process and it affects the creativity. It is a fact – ask anyone who has used a loom for weaving - One knot can screw up an entire woven piece.
It means as it says in verse 6 that we are going to have to enter into a “common life” with our sisters and brothers sharing the good life and experiences.
This is what Threshing at the Tap and Women at the Well is all about.
This is what small groups, choir, book groups are all about.
This is what serving at the food pantry, teaming up with Shalom Zone, and community soups are all about.
This is what youth groups, children’s ministry, even bowling together is all about.
This is what Creation Care, lobbying our government, and social action is all about.
And this is what Meetings for Worship are about – ENTERING THE COMMON LIFE TOGETHER.
The German Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in his classic Life Together:
“A Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another, or it collapses.”
Being a Quaker is not a personal or private thing – it takes each other. He goes on to say.
“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves around them will create community.”
In verses 7 and 8 Paul then returns to the metaphor of “planting a harvest.” He says,
“the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.”
Real life is holistic – it takes you and me and all our gifts, abilities, talents, and care, support and love.
Weaving a fabric of care needs others – it takes us all and all of life.
And yes – sometimes it will wear us out – fatigue us.
A while back, Relevant Magazine posted an article by Eddie Kaufholz who spoke to this. He said,
“…there can be drama within a group of people, even people who follow Jesus. This of course, is not because they’re bad people. It’s because of sin, clashing personalities, circumstances, genuine mistakes, family dysfunctions, mental health issues, substance issues, bad weather, bad college sports teams – and the list continues…
Nothing about community, even with all of its beauty and God-centeredness, will be clean. People will fight and disappoint you. People will fail to live up to expectations and fall short of God’s glory. In short, people will be as they’ve always been.
But it isn’t God’s best for us.”
God’s best is when we choose to “weave a fabric of care” with each other for the benefit of ALL. AND IT STARTS RIGHT HERE IN THIS ROOM!
As we enter waiting worship – ask yourself:
Where am I “weaving a “fabric of care” at First Friends?
What causes me to be a “knot” in the fabric?
How can I enter more fully into the “Common Life” at First Friends?