Delivered at the closing service, Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, Waterloo, Ont, Ap 23 2003. 1 Cor 5:6b-9

Johnson, Susan C.

English

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 30Issue 1 Globalization Article 95-1-2005On being yeast in batches of doughSusan C. JohnsonFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Sermons is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationJohnson, Susan C. (2005) "On being yeast in batches of dough ," Consensus: Vol. 30 : Iss. 1 , Article 9.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss1/9On Being Yeast In Batches of Dough1Susan C. JohnsonAssistant to the Bishop, Eastern SynodEvangelical Lutheran Church in CanadaText: 1 Corinthians 5:6b-9This is the time of year when I am always very conscious of thecycles in our lives. There is the cycle of the seasons with the adventof spring and the arrival of my mold allergy. There is the cycle of thechurch year as we begin the celebration of Easter. The cycle of lifeand death and rebirth. The cycle of aging (that one really hit me thisyear as you will notice as I constantly try to find out where I can focusthrough my bifocals!).And tonight I am very aware of the cycle of the school year. Atthe end of the school year we say a lot of goodbyes. Some of thegoodbyes are temporary – to classmates and faculty and staff andcolleagues as you disperse for the summer. Some of these goodbyesare more permanent – the goodbyes said to and received fromgraduates, with a variety of emotions: some sadness, and a lot ofrelief! When I was a High School teacher, one of the marks of the endof the school year was the ceremony of the cleaning out of thelockers. Every home room teacher had to supervise her or his homeroom students as they emptied out a year’s worth of accumulations.For some students this was not a big deal; their lockers were alwaysorganized and tidy. But for other students this was a majorundertaking as a year’s worth of textbooks, library books, handouts,permission slips, gym clothes, sports equipment, backpacks, “boom-boxes,” CDs, and best of all, forgotten lunches, were hauled out,looked over and either returned, taken home, or pitched. If you werelucky, the old lunches were still wrapped well so that they didn’tsmell or hadn’t leaked. But with that kind of student you were rarelyso lucky. More likely, it seemed as if aliens had inhabited the lockerin question leaving behind strange looking and repulsive oozes andmesses. Leftover lumps of unknown origin with so much growth onthem they looked like they could have walked away on their own!113Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2005Against this background I want to refer back to the reading fromFirst Corinthians and talk about being yeast and batches of dough.Now I know that Paul is talking to a very specific communitywith very specific issues. In this passage he is reminding them thatbecause of Christ’s action they are indeed a new thing, an Easterpeople, a new batch of dough. At the same time Paul is challengingthe Corinthians to put that reality into practice, or (as onecommentator put it) be in reality what you are in principle, or be inactuality what you are potentially.I think there are some good questions for us as individuals and asa community that come out of this text. At the end of a year, or adegree program, or a career, what is it that we need to clean out?What is it that we cherish and want to hang on to? For those of youwho are leaving this place tonight, graduating or retiring, what fromthis place, this community, do you want to take with you? And thoseof you who will return in the fall, what do you need to do to makeyourselves ready to reshape yourselves again, to add new leaven tothe batch, to become a new community?Over the course of a year, or a degree, or a career, many thingshappen, some planned and some unexpected. And I think it is safe toguess that for all of us this year there have been triumphs and joys,disappointments and sadness. What makes our individual experiencesunique is the size and balance as well as the particular detail of theseexperiences. And at the end of the cycle – be it eight months or xyears – it is good to look back. As Socrates reminds us, theunexamined life is not worth living.If we are yeast, we are bound to affect the next batch of dough wefind ourselves in …for good or ill. So think about where you areheading now. Maybe you know, maybe you are still waiting to findout. Maybe it is to a new place and a new kind of work, like being apastor in Timmins. Or maybe it is to return here and to continue doingthe same kind of work, like teaching Greek. And think about the yeastyou want to be in that community, in that batch of dough. I think weall want to be good yeast, not stuff that will run out of control andspoil the batch.Think further. What has attached itself to you this year or to methis year that we may be unaware of, and that may hinder our abilityto be good yeast? Are there relationships you need to mend, sorrowsyou need to grieve, grudges you need to let go of, hurts and slights114 Consensushttp://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss1/9you need to forgive, disappointments you need to get over? Then byall means do the work you need to do to bring about those healings.And on the flip side: What has attached itself to you this year orto me this year that may strengthen and equip us in our work as yeast?Are there skills you have learned, friendships you have developedupon which you can rely, joys you can treasure and remember indifficult times, compassion you have developed, successes that willstrengthen you in the face of uncertainty or failure, wisdom you haveacquired? Then by all means hold on to these gifts and value them forthe treasure they are. They will help you be your best yeasty selves inthe next batch of dough.Maybe like my old home room students we need to take the timeto sort through our lockers, and to return or keep or pitch what wefind there. Maybe like the Corinthians we need to be in reality whatwe are in principle – yeast! Proclaimers of God’s love!Here’s the good news: this is not a test! Whether or not you areable to acknowledge or change that which keeps you from being goodyeast; whether or not you are able to list and use the gifts you havebeen given; whether you are stuck in a lump of dough or bringingnew life to a new community – you are Easter people. You are God’sbeloved children.The Christ who commissions us to go out into the world as yeast,promises to meet us and be with us, in every batch of dough we findourselves in, and in the bread which will nourish and sustain us.Amen.Notes1 This sermon was preached at the Closing Service, Waterloo LutheranSeminary, Waterloo, Ontario, April 23, 2003. The service also markedthe retirements of Dr. Peter L. Van Katwyk, Prof. of Pastoral Care andCounseling, and Ms. Dorothy Godden, a much-loved staff person.On Being Yeast In Batches of Dough 115Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2005

On being yeast in batches of dough

Scholars Commons

Consensus
Volume 30
Issue 1 Globalization Article 9
5-1-2005
On being yeast in batches of dough
Susan C. Johnson
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus
This Sermons is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an
authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Susan C. (2005) "On being yeast in batches of dough ," Consensus: Vol. 30 : Iss. 1 , Article 9.
Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss1/9
On Being Yeast In Batches of Dough1
Susan C. Johnson
Assistant to the Bishop, Eastern Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Text: 1 Corinthians 5:6b-9
This is the time of year when I am always very conscious of the
cycles in our lives. There is the cycle of the seasons with the advent
of spring and the arrival of my mold allergy. There is the cycle of the
church year as we begin the celebration of Easter. The cycle of life
and death and rebirth. The cycle of aging (that one really hit me this
year as you will notice as I constantly try to find out where I can focus
through my bifocals!).
And tonight I am very aware of the cycle of the school year. At
the end of the school year we say a lot of goodbyes. Some of the
goodbyes are temporary – to classmates and faculty and staff and
colleagues as you disperse for the summer. Some of these goodbyes
are more permanent – the goodbyes said to and received from
graduates, with a variety of emotions: some sadness, and a lot of
relief! 
When I was a High School teacher, one of the marks of the end
of the school year was the ceremony of the cleaning out of the
lockers. Every home room teacher had to supervise her or his home
room students as they emptied out a year’s worth of accumulations.
For some students this was not a big deal; their lockers were always
organized and tidy. But for other students this was a major
undertaking as a year’s worth of textbooks, library books, handouts,
permission slips, gym clothes, sports equipment, backpacks, “boom-
boxes,” CDs, and best of all, forgotten lunches, were hauled out,
looked over and either returned, taken home, or pitched. If you were
lucky, the old lunches were still wrapped well so that they didn’t
smell or hadn’t leaked. But with that kind of student you were rarely
so lucky. More likely, it seemed as if aliens had inhabited the locker
in question leaving behind strange looking and repulsive oozes and
messes. Leftover lumps of unknown origin with so much growth on
them they looked like they could have walked away on their own!
113
Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2005
Against this background I want to refer back to the reading from
First Corinthians and talk about being yeast and batches of dough.
Now I know that Paul is talking to a very specific community
with very specific issues. In this passage he is reminding them that
because of Christ’s action they are indeed a new thing, an Easter
people, a new batch of dough. At the same time Paul is challenging
the Corinthians to put that reality into practice, or (as one
commentator put it) be in reality what you are in principle, or be in
actuality what you are potentially.
I think there are some good questions for us as individuals and as
a community that come out of this text. At the end of a year, or a
degree program, or a career, what is it that we need to clean out?
What is it that we cherish and want to hang on to? For those of you
who are leaving this place tonight, graduating or retiring, what from
this place, this community, do you want to take with you? And those
of you who will return in the fall, what do you need to do to make
yourselves ready to reshape yourselves again, to add new leaven to
the batch, to become a new community?
Over the course of a year, or a degree, or a career, many things
happen, some planned and some unexpected. And I think it is safe to
guess that for all of us this year there have been triumphs and joys,
disappointments and sadness. What makes our individual experiences
unique is the size and balance as well as the particular detail of these
experiences. And at the end of the cycle – be it eight months or x
years – it is good to look back. As Socrates reminds us, the
unexamined life is not worth living.
If we are yeast, we are bound to affect the next batch of dough we
find ourselves in …for good or ill. So think about where you are
heading now. Maybe you know, maybe you are still waiting to find
out. Maybe it is to a new place and a new kind of work, like being a
pastor in Timmins. Or maybe it is to return here and to continue doing
the same kind of work, like teaching Greek. And think about the yeast
you want to be in that community, in that batch of dough. I think we
all want to be good yeast, not stuff that will run out of control and
spoil the batch.
Think further. What has attached itself to you this year or to me
this year that we may be unaware of, and that may hinder our ability
to be good yeast? Are there relationships you need to mend, sorrows
you need to grieve, grudges you need to let go of, hurts and slights
114 Consensus
http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss1/9
you need to forgive, disappointments you need to get over? Then by
all means do the work you need to do to bring about those healings.
And on the flip side: What has attached itself to you this year or
to me this year that may strengthen and equip us in our work as yeast?
Are there skills you have learned, friendships you have developed
upon which you can rely, joys you can treasure and remember in
difficult times, compassion you have developed, successes that will
strengthen you in the face of uncertainty or failure, wisdom you have
acquired? Then by all means hold on to these gifts and value them for
the treasure they are. They will help you be your best yeasty selves in
the next batch of dough.
Maybe like my old home room students we need to take the time
to sort through our lockers, and to return or keep or pitch what we
find there. Maybe like the Corinthians we need to be in reality what
we are in principle – yeast! Proclaimers of God’s love!
Here’s the good news: this is not a test! Whether or not you are
able to acknowledge or change that which keeps you from being good
yeast; whether or not you are able to list and use the gifts you have
been given; whether you are stuck in a lump of dough or bringing
new life to a new community – you are Easter people. You are God’s
beloved children.
The Christ who commissions us to go out into the world as yeast,
promises to meet us and be with us, in every batch of dough we find
ourselves in, and in the bread which will nourish and sustain us.
Amen.
Notes
1 This sermon was preached at the Closing Service, Waterloo Lutheran
Seminary, Waterloo, Ontario, April 23, 2003. The service also marked
the retirements of Dr. Peter L. Van Katwyk, Prof. of Pastoral Care and
Counseling, and Ms. Dorothy Godden, a much-loved staff person.
On Being Yeast In Batches of Dough 115
Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2005


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