This morning we hear the first parable
recorded in Matthew’s gospel – the parable of the Sower and the Seed. There is no way of knowing if this was the
first parable Jesus told because Matthew does not record things in
chronological order. He chooses rather to
group similar things: first teachings, then miracle stories, and then
parables. We will be hearing several of his
stories over the next few Sundays.
The Sower and the Seed is straight forward
enough. It explains why different people
receive the good news of God’s kingdom in different ways. The evil one works on some the way birds eat
seed. Some folks have limited depth and,
like seed in shallow soil, lack a sufficient ‘root’ system to sustain the
faith. Like seed that falls among
thistles, some people are so tangled up in the cares of the world that way of
the kingdom gets choked out. And some
people, like good soil, receive the word and it produces a bountiful harvest in
them.
While Jesus’ parable tends to lop people into
on category or another, I recognize each of the soil conditions as being
present in my own life. I have areas
where I am particularly susceptible to the evil one. There are other areas where I am shallow or
indifferent. There are still other areas
where I care more about the world than the kingdom. And there are parts of me that are open to
God and, hopefully, very productive. Both
by the grace of God and through some effort of my own, I hope that this part of
the ‘field’ that is me is growing.
I like too that Jesus identifies how some
harvest produces grain a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. It suggests that each of us will be productive
in our own particular way. I will yield more
fruit by teaching or preaching or volunteering in the Food Pantry than by
singing in the choir, although I still respond to God’s kingdom through the
church’s hymnody (I just try not to belt it out too loud!). Where are you most productive (the
hundredfold), where do you contribute something significant (the sixtyfold),
and where do you make a difference simply by participating (the thirtyfold)?
In the parable as Jesus tells it he sees
himself as being the sower. He is the
one who is spreading the news of the kingdom and we are the soil receiving that
seed. But it is helpful for us to change
roles and to ponder how we ourselves are sowers. We now are the ones who share the Good News
of God in Christ. We now are the ones
who spread the kingdom of God through word and deed. How are we doing?
In Jesus’ day a farmer prepared a plot of
land for planting. When it was ready he
walked the plot scattering seed as he went.
This method of broadcasting, especially when caught by the wind, meant
that some of the seed would fall on ground not cultivated. While a sower would not be sloppy about the
work, neither would he be restrictive or tentative. First and foremost, you have to sow seeds if
you want to produce a harvest. It is an
act that is one part adventure, one part daring, one part curiosity, and one
part faithfulness, all held together by a sense of grace and hope – something
interesting may come of this.
I have been sowing some seeds of late that
may produce an interesting harvest. Some
of you know that I post my sermons on a blogsite –
checkoutthesermons.blogspot.com. I know
that some of you go there and revisit my sermons after you hear them on Sunday
morning. Some of you, when you cannot be
here on Sunday, go there to read what you missed. And some of you share them with friends and
family members who live out of town but want to remain in touch. In the five years I have been posting sermons
there has been nearly 7,500 pageviews on the site. That is a kind of seed sowing and you never
know who it will reach.
This became abundantly clear to me last
Monday when I received an e-mail from James Goodman, who wrote a book I quoted
in a sermon two weeks ago. A friend of
his came across that sermon and e-mailed him the link. He saw it and wanted me to thank me for my
careful reading of his book on the Binding of Isaac and for mentioning it in my
sermon. I was both amazed and terrified
by the e-mail: amazed at the reach my words have simply by putting him on the
internet and terrified at the prospect of being read and scrutinized by people
much more knowledgeable and capable than me.
I was relieved that the e-mail from Mr. Goodman did not end with “you
will be hearing from my lawyers and I will be contacting your bishop.” I always take preaching very seriously and
hold myself to a high standard because you deserve nothing less and God’s word
demands it. Ultimately, posting my sermons
heightens my sense of responsibility in positive ways knowing that I do not
know where my words are going.
Here is another seed I am sowing: I am
organizing a September bike ride in Williamsburg to raise money for Camp Chaco
and for Episcopal Relief & Development.
I have participated in events like this, but never have spearheaded one
before. Like blogging, it is both
amazing and terrifying. I am grateful
for help I am receiving from various people.
Ann Turner, the communications officer of the diocese, worked with me to
select and set-up an on-line registration and fund-raising site. I now know infinitely more about this than I
did a few months ago. I have found a
website that allows me to map out riding routes that lists directions, mileage,
and even elevation changes. I am meeting
this week with a member of Bruton Parish who is an avid biker and member of a
large cycling club. I have no idea where
this will all end – hopefully the legal waivers attached to registration will
keep me from going to prison in the event that something goes wrong – but I am
excited about the possibility of raising money and awareness for two great
ministries of our church.
I think there is a direct link between
congregational vitality and seed sowing: the more people who sow seeds the
greater the vitality of the church. Did
you know that Debbie Askew is running a summer horse camp for parishioners two
days a week at her farm? On Tuesdays she
has younger children come out and Thursdays are for older children. They work with the horses, ride, share a
lunch, a craft, and a bible study. Our
kids love it and are learning a lot about horses and about being in community
with one another. What a great ministry!
As I said earlier, sowing the seeds of the
kingdom is an act that is one part adventure, one part daring, one part
curiosity, and one part faithfulness, all held together by a sense of grace and
hope – a belief that something interesting may come of it. I see this faith at work when someone offers
a bible study or volunteers in the Food Pantry or signs up to host a Coffee
Hour or grills up burgers and dogs for a Sunday cookout.
It seems to be true that the more seeds a
person sows the more the soil that is that person becomes open to the seeds
that God is sowing. As you sow you
grow. What adventure would you like to
engage with God? What might you
dare? What peaks your interest? What is faithful to the gifts God has
entrusted to you?
