Lessons from the Farmyard

Rev. Molly F. James, PhD

DFMS Noonday Prayer via Zoom

July 16, 2020

Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19; Psalm 102:12-22; Matthew 11:28-30

May God’s Word be spoken. May God’s Word be heard. May that point us to the living Word who is Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

I loved reading the Little House on the Prairie books when I was a child. And I also loved the book Laura Wilder wrote about her husband’s childhood on a farm in upstate New York. I loved that book especially because so much of that farm reminded me of my grandparents’ farm where I spent lots of time as a child. The house, the barn, the fields that I pictured in my mind were those of my grandparents’. In Farmer Boy, there is a long story about Almanzo learning to drive a pair of calves. His father whittles him a miniature yoke (a much smaller version of what is used to drive full size oxen). Almanzo puts this wooden yoke on the calves and teaches them how to step in unison, to turn left and to turn right. This may sound simple, but it is a long and complicated process. It is no small thing to get two young, excited calves to listen, to learn commands and to respond to them in perfect unison. Because, of course, when they are yoked together if they don’t act in unison there will be quite a mess. 

Almanzo learns two very important lessons in the course of this process. He learns about gentleness, and he learns about patience. At the beginning of the process his father gives him a small bullwhip with the explicit instructions that it is never to be used to whip the animals, merely to make a sound next to them that will help them learn the commands. He will get much farther and get far better work out of the calves if he is gentle with them. The challenge is that being gentle also takes patience. The rewards are great, but it takes more time and effort on the front end. 

It would seem to me that Almanzo’s experience offers us some insight into our Gospel reading for today. Jesus asks us to take his yoke upon us, to learn from him, for he is gentle and humble. Ah, there it is - gentleness again. That is indeed the kind of teacher Jesus is. He is gentle and humble. He seeks to guide us - not to terrify us or force us, but to gently invite us into a way forward that will in fact be rewarding and fruitful. 

So the parallels with Jesus as gentle teacher and guide are easy, what about the calves? That’s us, after all. How are we doing on that part? I think there are two important lessons for us in that. First is in the fact there is a yoke involved. Here is the important thing. A yoke is not a solitary thing. It is for the express purpose of bringing two animals together to be a team. So, first and foremost, Jesus is telling us (as he has modeled in his own ministry, in how he sent out the disciples) that this life of faith is not a solitary activity. We do not get to go it alone. And if we try, we are going to cause a complete mess. If you don’t have experience with yoked farm animals, perhaps you once did a three legged race in gym class or for a field day? If you went off one way without coordinating with the friend whose leg was tied to yours, how did that go? Not well. Generally that ended with everyone on the ground, possibly in pain. So, the best results come through coordinated teamwork that is following the direction of the teacher. 

The second important lesson is about listening. How well do you suppose it would have gone for those calves if they had spent all their time eating grass or trying to play or just generally ignoring Almanzo? They never would have left the barnyard to do the meaningful work of hauling loads of hay or wood. They would not have seen the woods or the blooming meadows. They would not have gotten to drink cool water from the creek. In short, they would have missed out on important work and seeing the wider world. I think the same might be true for us. If we fail to quiet ourselves, fail to pay attention to God and to all the various teammates with whom we have the opportunity to work over the course of our ministry, then we will miss out. If we get too focused, as one of our confessions says, “on the devices and desires of our own hearts,” then we will miss out on opportunities to do good and holy work and we will miss out on seeing the beauty that surrounds us. 

In the days ahead, I hope that we will be attentive to the ways that Jesus is guiding us, open to the opportunities for partnership (because we can always do better work in a team!), and willing to listen and learn, so that we might be able to experience life and the splendor of creation more fully. AMEN.