July 16th, Matthew 13

SERMON: JULY 16, 2017

MATTHEW 13: 1-9, 18-23

 

My guess is that everyone here this morning can connect in some way with the parable Jesus tells about the sower and the type of soil the seeds are planted in.

After all, this is Perry County!  A county with many farms, and many people who garden whether it be raising their own vegetables, or just raising flowers to beautify their yards.  We are a county where most people like to get their hands into the soil.

As for myself, I start dreaming of working in my flower gardens in January.  Seed and bulb catalogs start to arrive, and I spend time in the evenings sitting by the fire pouring over the offerings, visualizing how many of the new offerings would look around the outside of my home.  Early spring, I start going outside every morning to see what plant might be peaking through the ground, and as the sun warms the ground that wonderful smell of spring rises up to promise us a new gardening season.

We can imagine that Jesus parable also struck positive notes with the people of His time who experienced the trials and tribulations of first century farming. While farmers today use modern technology and inventions to carefully prepare the soil with just the right balance of Ph and so forth, and then inject the seeds into the ground, the farmers of Jesus day used the scatter approach and threw the seeds on the ground and then plowed them in.  So, results were somewhat uneven.

The interesting thing about parables is that they often direct us to where our focus should be. In the case of this parable, the emphasis is not so much on the person sowing the seeds, but on the soil itself. We are, of course, called to be sowers of the good news as God’s disciples, and this is of no less importance. Yet, what Jesus points out to us is the importance of realizing that as sowers of the good news, we like the first century farmers, do not know in advance what lies below the soil’s surface.  Some of the soil will be rocky underneath, some of it will have thorns and weeds just waiting to push through the ground and choke out other plants, and some it will be good soil that nurtures and feeds the seed that we sow.

Each week this spring and summer, I have been constantly amazed at the Scripture lessons in the year A of the lectionary that we follow. Each one seems as if Jesus is speaking directly to us as a congregation as we prepare to move forward with the reForm, reNew, reVision program. Jesus words reach across time, calling us to discipleship, and teaching and encouraging us as we move forward. Last week, we encountered Scripture that helped us to see that there will always be people around us who have excuse after excuse for not listening to the Word, turning to God, or attending Church. It is a message that lets us know that this human phenomenon has always existed, and will continue to exist. Yet, we should not let that fact stop us from sharing the good news and to being in service to those in our community.

In today’s Scripture, Jesus takes us one step forward and helps us to understand the personality characteristics of those around us that either causes them to hear and embrace the good news, or to turn away from God’s message of love and hope.

Some of our seeds will fall on hard ground, and even if we faithfully fertilize and water them, then will never germinate and take root. These are the people, that despite all of our effort, will remain unfazed by the Word of God and the good news. They have already made up their minds, and refuse to consider any alternatives. They know it all, and love the vices of the world and the darkness.

Some of our seeds will also fall on shallow soil that cover the rocks. At first we will be thrilled because these seeds seem to germinate and push up new plants right away. These people will be especially responsive to the Word and good news. They will be zealous in attending church and every event, but when the winds of personal strife and trouble blow their way, they topple over; for there is no room for them to grown roots down into the soil, and they have no roots within them. It is easier to blame God for their difficulties and to go back to the darkness of their old ways.

Then there are the seeds that land on the ground where thorns and weeds grow. These are those who have thorns as their identity, and they love the world. They live a divided life where the rich earth is cluttered with the thorns. They have the potential to hear and understand the good news, but they love the world and will not surrender what it brings to them.

Finally, there are the seeds that fall on the rich earth and take root. These are the people who will hold fast to the Word and the good news, and let it grow more and more over time in their hearts.  These are the budding disciples that will ultimately join us as sowers of the “good news.”

Understanding how Jesus saw those around him helps us to accept the reality that some of the seeds that we sow, and perhaps most of the seeds that we sow, will fall on bad soil. Yet, we should not let this deter or discourage us. We should keep on sowing. In fact, God is calling us to trust and have faith in His abundance by continually sowing seeds everywhere. It suggests that God’s vision for the world itself includes those in strange and broken places in their lives, and ultimately there is no place or circumstance where God’s seed cannot sprout and take root. The sower must sow, even if some seeds fall on stone or in the thorns. As sowers and disciples of Christ, we need to leave the issue in God’s hands, and still labor on.

What we ultimately need to remember is what Christ did for each of us on the cross. The great love He has for all of us, and the gift of understanding that He has bestowed upon us; for understanding the Word, is like faith, a gift from God.

We also need to hear and heed Jesus words of hope, for as we go forth on our venture of Church Renewal, we need to do so knowing that God is always with us, and ultimately all growth comes from God. We are the sowers, but only God can cause growth.  Once the seed has been cast, the Holy Spirit takes over. A lot of what we will do will fail, and many of our ministry attempts and ideas will not produce the yield we want. Yet, we should rejoice and continue in our efforts, knowing that we have been invited to sow God’s seed in the lives of everyone we meet. Let us go forth today, determined to sow God everywhere that we go, and let us have patience to wait for the crop to grow.

 

Amen