May 04, 2025
• Rev. Mindie Moore
May 4: Graves Into Gardens—A Garden of Possibility
2 Kings 21:23-26
Good morning! My name is Mindie Moore and I’m the pastor
at our Midtown Campus. I always love getting to be here at
North Indy and with our Online Community and I’m so happy
to be with you this morning.
One thing you should know about me is that I was born and
raised Indiana and that meant we watched Colts games on
TV every week and the RCA Dome was a core memory of my
childhood. But in 2008, Indianapolis said goodbye to this
iconic structure (SLIDE). A building which had welcomed the
Indianapolis Colts to town, had once been called the
Hoosier Dome, had hosted big games and events and
created an important part of the culture of this city. Even
with all that history, it was time to say goodbye. The Colts
had recently moved into their new home of Lucas Oil
Stadium and so on December 20, 2008, it was gone (SLIDE).
Now, it's not much more than a memory, or in the case of my
husband’s wallet that’s made out of the roof, a little piece
we can carry around with us. There’s a completely new
place where we experience all of the things the RCA Dome
used to hold. And that demolition gives us a very dramatic
illustration of what we’re talking about today in our Graves
into Gardens series. It reminds us of the fact that (SLIDE)
Sometimes we have to bury old things in order to
experience something new.
That’s what our story centers on today. We’re in the Old
Testament, in the book of 2 Kings and we are looking at the
story of the ancient Israelites and what happens when one
of their kings decides to do things in a dramatically different
way than they’ve been done before.
One of the things you will notice if you read through the first
part of the Bible is that the ancient Israelites are a group of
people who has a very unique relationship with God—it’s
close, it’s covenantal, it’s been through some of the biggest
ups and downs of life that you can imagine.
But somehow, by the time we get to THIS story and THIS
moment in time...the relationship between God and God’s
people is in a really challenging place. In fact, things seem
kind of bleak. And so maybe it’s appropriate that this part of
the story we read today begins at a graveside. At a place
where it would be natural to think that we’re at the end of
things; that the story’s over.
But what's different about THIS grave...is that this is actually
where a new chapter of the story BEGINS.
Now, before we get too far into this new beginning, I want to
make sure we all understand how we got to this point in the
story. So, this is where you get to put on your Bible scholar
hat with me and go on a little journey.
Unfortunately, the history here isn’t pretty. The kings of
ancient Israel had done some things that were questionable
at best and evil at worst. They’ve lost their connection to
God and they’ve taken their people with them.
If we just go back three generations, we can see the
disconnection from God starting to build, even with King
Hezekiah, who was considered to be a GOOD king. He loved
God and he did MANY good things...but he still had a
complicated legacy. Because towards the end of his reign,
he starts to lose sight of who he is and what he’s about. He
starts to falter in his trust in God and leans on his enemy, the
Babylonians, instead. He begins to care less about future
generations and what life will be like for them and really only
cares about the peace that will happen in his own lifetime.
And so this sets the stage for his son, Manasseh, and his
kingship. And his rule... is just full of terrible things. There is
essentially nothing good written about him and if you want
to get just a glimpse of what life was like while he’s in
charge, listen to what verse 16 says: (SLIDE)
16 Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood,
until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another,
besides the sin that he caused Judah to sin so that they did
what was evil in the sight of the LORD.
He’s gone astray, he’s led his people astray. Things are now
in a VERY bad place. And his son Amon, who we read about
today, wasn't any better. The Bible says that Amon, “Did all
the same evil that Manasseh did.
” Like father, like son.
So you can see, just by looking at three generations, that
we’re creating a tragic history here. And so it's with that
history in mind, that we come to the grave in this story today.
Amon’s rule is over and it’s in this moment of burying him, of
this particular ending, where something new starts to
emerge. And this something new comes through the person
who will be the next king, a man named Josiah.
Now, everything new doesn’t happen IMMEDIATELY.
Because Josiah is only 8 when he becomes king, and it’s not
until he's a bit older that he starts to implement all the
changes he’ll be remembered for. And seeing that span of
time between the ending of the old thing and the true
establishment of something new reminds us that (SLIDE)
New things take time to spring up.
I see this truth reinforced every single year with our backyard
garden. And this year we’ve experienced it more than ever
because we’ve been working to plant our garden from
seeds. Seed planting requires a totally different level of
patience. Like when you go to the garden center, as we have
typically done in the past, and you buy the ready-to-go
plants, it’s so easy. You get your little cart of herbs and
veggie and a couple flowers thrown in and you just kind of
bop around to the register and then you get the immediate
satisfaction of seeing these cute little plants all lined up
before the weeds come take over.
But SEEDS. You bury them...and then you have to wait. And
not only do you have to wait, but AS you wait, you have to
nurture them, you have to try and not overwater or over light
them. We’ve been playing music for them—that's a true
story. You can find playlists specifically made to encourage
plant growth, and these are the people we have become!
And even with all that work and care and tending, you THINK
you know how long it’s going to take for them to spring up
from the dirt, you STILL have to be patient and you just can’t
always know exactly when that new thing is going to grow
up.
I just think about Josiah taking the throne at AGE EIGHT. No
one can be sure what’s going to happen with him; no one
knows if he’s going to follow God...or be just like his dad and
grandpa. But as he grows into his rule, there’s something
about Josiah that indicates that he IS different than the ones
who came before him. He has a receptive heart. He’s open
to God's leading and he's curious just to learn about where
his people have been and who God wants them to be.
And because of that openness, he’s able to receive what is
shared with him during one of his most significant projects—
the restoration of the Temple. It’s a big project—this place
that is supposed to be the holiest spot for God’s people has
sort of fallen into ruin. And in the process of trying to bring
this place back to life, they find an old copy of what’s known
as “the book of the Law.”
This is likely the book we would know as Deuteronomy. And
as Josiah begins to read it, he’s absolutely devastated by
what he finds. He realizes that God has given them all these
commands, and made all these promises, and set all these
very specific ways that they are supposed to be living and
practicing their faith...and when Josiah looks around him at
the kingdom he’s inherited, he see that almost none of it is
happening. He can’t believe how far they’ve strayed away
from what God wants for them.
And he knows if they keep going the way they’re going,
they're heading for destruction. And so he takes action. He
repents for the ways that his ancestors have disobeyed what
God has commanded. He grieves this publicly. And he
makes the commitment that it’s time to bury the old things
so that something new might be possible for them.
Simply put—he realizes that things need to change.
And I know that this is a story that happened SO long ago;
there’s so much about Josiah’s world that feels different
than ours. But THIS moment right here—this feels like the
most relatable thing. Because sometimes we too have to be
honest about where things need to change. We have to ask
ourselves the uncomfortable and even scary question of
(SLIDE)
What do we need to bury so that something new can
grow?
There are so many ways we can answer this.
Maybe it’s a wound that needs tended to.
Maybe there’s a relationship that needs to end.
Maybe there’s an addiction that needs healed.
Maybe there’s an injustice that needs called out.
Maybe there’s a wrong that needs made right.
Whatever this looks like for us, I know it can all feel so risky.
Sometimes all we can see is the end, all we can see is the
burying, and we just don’t know what could actually come
out of that. But as scary as that can be—it's also so freeing.
It creates possibility. It creates hope.
Skye Smith (SLIDE) is part of our Midtown Campus and one
of her main volunteer roles is her leadership of the Midtown
Art Gallery. And Skye is someone who I have gotten to watch
live exactly what we're talking about today.
Her childhood dream was to be a professional artist. But as
life went on, she decided to shift her vision and become an
art teacher. She went to a great school, got a wonderful,
secure teaching job, and from the very beginning of her time
in the classroom...something didn’t quite fit. People kept
encouraging her to keep pressing on, that it would all come
together eventually...but even after 6 years, her soul felt
unsettled.
Not only was she feeling unsettled...but her dream of
creating art full time kept speaking louder to her. And so, in a
leap of faith and with a lot of support from her partner, Levi,
Skye left her teaching career and started a business called
Lovely Homes By Skye, where she creates custom
watercolors. She’s now been painting full time for five years
and has created 1300 Lovely Homes pieces.
I asked Skye what she had to bury and what was the new
thing that grew up as she made this big change. She told me,
“I had to bury my expectations of what my life would look
like. I had to bury my identity as a classroom teacher and
find it in something bigger. And I had to bury my own plans
and trust that God was working in ways that were beyond
what I could see at that moment.
But what grew up in place of those buried things was joy and
freedom and a new way to use my time and my gifts. I was
now not only able to focus on creating my own art, but I
could do things like start the Midtown Art Gallery where we
support and encourage emerging artists in their careers. It
was a scary change to make, but God was in it from the very
beginning.”
What we need to know is that God is in the moments where
something has to be buried, where something has to end. As
Josiah ended one set of practices and created something
new, God was there. And as the new thing took root in the
people, possibility and hope started to grow.
Since it’s graduation Sunday, I want to say a word to our
graduates but also anyone who is sort standing on a
moment of change. Because it’s in these times of our life
where we more naturally ask these questions and examine
our lives. The truth is, you’re going to have opportunities to
bury old things and grow new things all throughout your life.
Just like a real garden, this is never a do it once and leave it
alone kind of thing. It takes tending and cultivating and
paying attention to. This is a lifelong spiritual practice.
And so here’s what I want to encourage you with—embrace
this part of your walk with Jesus. There will be moments
where you know a change needs to happen and the
temptation will be to feel shame about it, to think that you’re
too far gone from God, or to believe that it’s only you that
needs to do this work. None of that is true. And there’s not a
single part of ourselves or our world that the love and grace
and possibility of God’s goodness can’t reach. That was true
in Josiah’s story; it’s true for you and me.
Today we come to the communion table to remember and
receive that grace. The grace that Jesus offered his disciples
during that Passover meal together is the same grace that
Jesus offers us every single day.
Let’s receive that grace as we bury the old things and look
for the new that God is doing.
_________________________________________________________________________
As we close our service today, I have two things I want to invite you to do.
First, Rabbi Sandi Sasso is here, signing copies of her new Children’s book “Miriam’s
Dancing Shoes” outside of this space. Stop by and get your copy.
Second, as you came in today, you received a little piece of seed paper. If you have a place
to plant it at home, you can take it with you. OR you can stay for a few minutes and plant it
here in one of these planters up front. We will be playing soft music and there’s space for
you to pray over the question we asked in the sermon: what do you need to bury right now,
so that something new can grow in its place? I know that our usual routine is to come to
church and to hurry out into the rest of our Sunday, but maybe today, you just take a little
extra time here. To pray and connect with God through the act of actually burying
something in the dirt. And if you’re worshiping at home, maybe you write something on a
piece of paper, fold it up, and pray over it.
But as you give that thing to God, whatever is, I hope you do so knowing that as we bury the
old things, God gives something new. And the grace of Jesus Christ is with us at every part
of the journey.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, go, believing something new is possible.
Amen.