Old MacDonald Had A Farm
1. Old MacDonald - diversity, simpler times, loose chickens, barn cats, a
slower pace. Dad talking about rain, farmer plant 100 acres/day.
2. City - cutthroat, won’t help each other, don’t want to get involved. Kill
you for $10. Frantic pace, higher stress level. Priest, Levite.
3. Rural - Farmer breaks leg. Amish - barn raising. Samaritan. Speaking in
generalities. We’re not immune to things that happen in big city.
4. Trip down 421. LaCrosse, San Pierre, Francesville, Monon, Reynolds,
Chalmers, Brookston. Farm, Conv. store/gas station, Teacher. What is there?
Some people drive 20, 40, 50 miles to work. Why not move? Sense of
community.
5. Cheers - part of family. Knew regulars, had quirks, underneath insults
and one liners, cared about each other. Always accepted.
6. Don’t want to move, acceptance, family, history. History goes back long
way. To world’s oldest profession.
7. World’s oldest profession. Adam Gen 2:15. Noah Gen 9:20,
Elisha 1Kings 19:19, Amos 5:11
8. Put people in Bible on pedestal. Larger than life. God talks & walks with
them, great miracles for them. Imagine as people of tremendous faith. Not
ordinary like us. We doubt too much. When last time spoke to us out of a
burning bush or parted an ocean.
9. More like us than we think. Capable of great sin as well as great faith.
Abraham-best example. No great preacher, theologian, prophet, warrior,
or king. Farmer, into agriculture, primarily livestock. Like cattle farmers
around here. Know what Abe was like, look at neighbors who keep cows.
10. Fond memories of growing up on farm.
11. Farms/ranches: 6.3 M in 1930 2.7 M in 1970 2.1 M in 1998 Have
lost 2/3 of farms/ranches.
12. Amos 5:16 “They shall call the farmers to mourning...” Farms have
decreased. Adult have left the land, not because they didn’t like farming
anymore. Weather, price manipulation by government have forced them to
leave. Children not attracted to city, but not economically possible.
13. Cost of farming has increased. Farmers no voice. Global mkt. Farmers
must go deep into debt to compete. Part for combine cost 82,000# of corn.
Cost only 22,000 in 1990 25% Kids that played at farming can’t grow up
to be farmers cause it costs too much.
14. Life like Monopoly. Godless play game in earnest. Win at all cost, often
merciless when others land on their squares. For them that’s all there is.
Godly know at end of game, board will be folded up, plastic house collected,
play money gathered, everything in box, box put on shelf. Then, God, having
tested our sportsmanship, our stewardship, and our concern for each other
with the Monopoly game, will trust us with real and substantial things.
15. Jesus makes clear 2 travelers are Jewish and hero is Samaritan. Victim
is ??? Why not? doesn’t matter. All we need to know is he is badly hurt &
needing help.
16. 2 men are there by chance. No pressing business to prevent their stopping.
Elite Jewish class. Today - prominent pastor & well-known televangelist.
What did they do?
17. See someone back into car & drive off. Don’t see damage, won’t feel as
resposible. That’s what these 2 men do. See tragedy & turn head.
18. Samaritan? gets involved, cares for his neighbor. Be one of the 1st
farmers to show up with combine. Greater sense, people who live in the
country, the rural area, are the Samaritans.
19. Good Corn illustration. Aware of the connectedness of life. Those who
choose to live well must help others live well, for value of life is measured by
the lives it touches. If we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors
to grow good corn. We, like Old MacDonald, live life on a different level.
