Sermon: Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23, July 16, 2023 Faith-La Fe Lutheran Church, Pastor Jonathan Linman

Sermon: Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23, July 16, 2023

Faith-La Fe Lutheran Church, Pastor Jonathan Linman

Today’s gospel says that “Jesus told the crowds many things in parables.” Jesus was a story teller, and a good one at that. Imagine yourselves at Jesus’ feet, captivated by his stories. Parables are a particular kind of story, and according to the great number of them that appear the gospels, parables were his favorite storytelling format.

In terms of word origins, the word ‘parable’ means to “throw things alongside together.” Parables, thus, create comparisons – this is like that. And parables are often object lessons where Jesus made use of ordinary things around him to make a point. So it is that we have the parable of the mustard seed which begins, “The dominion of heaven is like a mustard seed.” In this parable, a mustard seed is thrown together, paired with the notion of dominion of heaven to reveal truths about God’s kingdom. Today’s parable is that of the sower of seeds, who cast about the seeds on various kinds of soil – the path, rocky ground, among thorns, and finally, good soil.

Parables, of course, invite closer and perhaps imaginative exploration. So, let’s start by considering the seeds that the sower scatters about. Seeds are wonderous things, for they contain all of the genetic material to become what they are intended to be. A tiny little acorn contains everything needed to become a mighty oak tree. It’s amazing to contemplate.

Of course, conditions need to be just right in order for seeds to germinate. My son and I have undertaken a hydroponics experiment. Through visits to Home Depot, we bought everything we needed to construct the mechanisms to try to grow plants in water. It was fun to get it all set up and then to plant the seeds in pods which are fed by a constant flow of recirculating water. We waited almost two weeks, but finally seeds in two of the pods germinated, and thus began our fledgling attempt at a water-fed herb garden.

But the conditions were right in only two of the six pods for reasons unknown to us. So it is with gardening. There’s a lot of mystery. All you gardeners in the room know that.

Let’s now do the work of the parable and apply the idea of sowing seeds as a way of understanding God’s dominion and how that reign takes root or not in our lives and in our world. Think of it. God’s word is seed. In fact, think of each and every word in scripture as seed. Like a seed, every word contains everything needed to become what the word signifies. Take the word “love,” for example – when you tell someone you love them that can help to create the reality of feeling loved.

But we know from our own experience, that sometimes words of love are just talk and are not backed up by the fruit of loving actions. Which is to say that God’s word does not always germinate in us or take root. Sometime we’re like the path and the word goes in one ear and out the other, not taking root at all. Sometimes we’re rocky ground and the word quickly germinates in us and begins to grow, but then troubles arise and what was planted withers away. Sometimes we live among the thorns of the cares of the world that choke out the word that God has planted.

But then sometimes we’re good soil where God’s word is planted, puts down roots, germinates and comes to full flower, bearing fruit, one hundredfold, sixty or thirty, where actions grow out of the words we use. Again, taking the example of love, when our words of love are matched by behavior that is genuinely loving that’s when we bear the fruit of love.

However, the reality is that we humans are inconsistent with practicing what we preach. On any given day the seeds of God’s word more often than not fall on the rocky, thorny well-beaten paths of our lives and don’t bear much fruit.

But the good news is that God does not give up on us. The divine sower persists in sowing the sacred seed constantly, wantonly, lavishly, daily, moment by moment even.

And the divine sower does not give up and keeps sowing the seed of the word until finally there is a good harvest that ushers in God’s dominion. This is revealed in what Isaiah prophesied as we heard in today’s first reading: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, given seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11) In other words, if God wants a good harvest, one way or another, eventually God will get that good harvest. Thanks be to God.

Thus it is that it came to pass that God planted the seed of his word, Jesus Christ, the word made flesh, in the hostile soils of our world. That word was first planted in a manger in Bethlehem. And the holy word continued to be planted as Jesus walked this earth, further scattering the sacred seed hither and yon in his teaching and preaching, healing and freeing people from demons.

This seed of the word of God was most firmly planted in the form of the cross in the most rocky and hostile of all environments on Golgotha, and then the seed died so that it could germinate to usher in life again in the harvest of Christ’s resurrection a mere three days later.

And we continue to enjoy that harvest big time. As Paul writes in Romans as we heard this morning: “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [and that Spirit does indeed dwell in and among us!], the one who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to [our] mortal bodies also through this Spirit that dwells in [us].” (Romans 8:11) This life is given to us in each of our weekly gatherings.

Throughout these Christian centuries, the seed of God’s word has continually been scattered across the globe in preaching and proclamation whenever Christians gather. Through proclamation and teaching, the seeds of God’s word are continually planted and germinate and take root and grow as we bask in the son’s light – that’s son,

S-O-N!

The tender growth planted in us is watered in the waters of baptism. And these plants receive their nourishment in the meal of the Eucharist. And in this vineyard of Christian community, we grow together in Christ who is the vine and we who are the branches.

And so, through these gifts, the seed of God’s word grows and flourishes in us, giving us life and faith and everything we need to bear good fruit in the power of the Spirit working among us and through us.

And the fruit we bear is in replicating the work of the sower as we, too, cast the seeds of God’s word about among those in our lives and our routines. We cast seed in loving words and deeds in our ministries of helping others. Some of that seed falls on rocky and thorny ground and may not bear much fruit. But some of it falls on good soil bears the fruit of greater justice, health, well-being and commonwealth among God’s children throughout God’s creation.

Thus, in the power of the Spirit, we cast about the seeds of God’s word in our ministries in daily life among those with whom we journey, trusting that this word of God will accomplish in due time when God intends, namely, life and love for all of creation.

Let anyone with ears, listen! Amen.