The Sower

Matthew 13:1-9

The Sower

 

        Our church is blessed with a group of folks who have successfully planted a community garden. They call themselves the Garden Hoes. This project did not happen overnight. The original idea bloomed in their imagination at least six months before the initial seed was planted. The original group carefully researched the idea of their garden. They traveled far and wide to meet with others. A site was carefully selected before any ground was plowed. Poles were planted and a mesh fence erected to protect the plants from deer and rabbits. Inch by inch, row by row, they plotted where each seed would be planted. Then the real work really. They watered, fertilized, weeded, repelled bugs, and turned slugs into alcoholics. Their labor was rewarded as each year’s crop has been greater than the year before. In this year of Covid-19 the garden has been a place folks could go to safely work and discover community. As it turns out gardening is kind of like prayer. All you have to do is be willing to get down on your knees.

        This morning’s scripture confirms Jesus would have been a lousy farmer. He tells a story about a man who went out to sow seeds. Unlike our Garden Hoes, there was no rhyme or reason to his madness. He went out to an open field and just started flinging seeds. They went everywhere. Some fell on the path. Some fell among the rocks. Some fell among thorns. Evidently his aim wasn’t all that bad because some of the seeds managed to find fertile soil.

        Those of you who are gardeners are already calculating the amount of seed wasted by the sower. No one throws seeds on a path unless you happen to love birds. Certainly it is not a bad thing to feed birds but once they clean off the sidewalk they are going to feast on the seeds in the fertile ground. No one throws seed among the rocks because the soil is too thin to support growth. No one throws seeds among the weeds. The fragile plants will be choked out by the established vegetation. By the time you finally get around to throwing the seed on the fertile ground the bag is half empty. It would seem the moral of the story is throw seeds where they have a chance to grow.

        But there is a problem. When Jesus told a parable and folks responded, “That makes sense”, Jesus would reply, “Parables are easy to hear, but a lot harder to understand.” I am thinking, “What is so hard about this parable. Plant the word of God in fertile ground and good things happen?” Then I remember, I’ve been reading the parables of Jesus all my life and more I am open to them, the more complex they become. Early on this parable was so obvious. If you want folks to listen to God, plant the word where the most people are willing to listen. That is why we have churches. Someone planned the Rockfish garden perfectly. A site was selected. Walls were put up to keep all the varmints out. Inside the church the rows were planted. We call them pews. Once a week the plants, we call them members, are watered and fed. Everyone is happy. The plants produce offshoots and the garden just sort of takes care of itself.

        But what if that was not what Jesus was trying to tell us? What if the seeds are people? Each year this church is blessed with the election of elders. Normally I meet with the new class for some training before they are introduced to the session. During the process of being ordained, elders have the chance to tell their faith journey. These stories are amazing. Many mirror my own walk of faith. They were born into a family that attended church. Every week they attended Sunday School and Church. While they may have wandered a bit during the college years they found their bearings and remembered the faith of their youth. In other words, they were baptized, married, and will one day be buried in a church. From the beginning to the end of life, they have always known Jesus.

        But then there are the other stories. Lee Goodrich talked about sitting in a bar with a couple of friends. A stranger stopped by the table asked if he could join them. A casual conversation ensued and eventually the man introduced himself as the minister of a local Presbyterian Church. Because this man was willing to come out into the weeds to have a conversation, Lee and Valarie visited the church and eventually joined.   

        When Lee told this story I was initially embarrassed, not for him but for me. I thought about all the times I have been on a golf course and been paired with a stranger. Eventually the stranger will ask what I do for a living. I worry if I tell the truth he will be mortified because of the word that slipped out of their mouth on the previous hole after missing a five foot putt. I quickly decide a little lie is better than humiliation so I just say I am retired.  An opportunity revealed and an opportunity lost.

        Jesus, unlike me, never seemed to be worried about awkward moments.  Jesus just lets the seeds fly. Sometimes the seed falls on the hard path. I like to think of these seeds as someone who has totally burned out. They have grown weary of every day being the same ritual. To use an overused phrase, “They see no light at the end of their tunnel.” They are looking for a new path, perhaps a new community, but no one is willing to offer a word of hope. Imagine meeting that person. What would you say?

        Sometimes seeds find themselves in rocky soil where the dirt is too thin. Early in life they grew some roots in an Evangelical church that loved Jesus but nobody else. As they grew older the thin theology of their youth was not adequate. They left church, gave up on God, and wandered aimlessly trying to find some deeper soil that would nourish their soul. What would you say to them?

Sometimes folks find themselves in the weeds getting choked by too much doctrine and not enough compassion. Every word is met with an argument, and every solution is rejected out of spite. They become frustrated and angry with meaningless arguments.  What would you say to them?

Jesus continues to throw people our way. They have been beat up by life, by the church, and by folks who have all the answers. What are we supposed to do?  The answer is verse nine. “Let anyone with ears…..listen.”    Amen.