Good for us, Jesus has one of his parables to explain it. In Matthew 13 Jesus tells his disciples about how the same seed grows— or doesn’t grow— differently depending on where it lands. You might notice that later in the chapter he goes ahead and explains it in less poetic terms to the somewhat slow-on-the-uptake disciples and readers.
It is the same seed which the sower casts widely. Interesting that the generous sower flings it all over, even in unlikely directions. It is not just carefully metered out within the confines of the field… or is that the confines of the church? God’s stand-in heaves it all over the place, even places he suspects it won’t flourish. Because it just might!
The parable does cover most of the ways the raw information about the Gospel might be received. Happily but shallowly. Promisingly but overwhelmed by circumstances. Hopefully but choked out by either the cares or the preoccupations or temptations of daily activity. Or graciously in soul soil where it roots and grows and produces its own fruit. Most of us have examples in the people we know to match each category, and some of us have different times in our own autobiography when we didn’t quite let faith take root in us before it did. It’s a pretty good metaphor, even now.
Unlike ancient Palestine, we live in an era when we can adjust the dirt in our yards and gardens quite a bit. We can put up bird nets (or deer fences!), fertilize and irrigate, even break up hard-packed pathways and till in topsoil, adjust the strain of seed to the situation, and in general make more ground more amenable to more seeds. We don’t have to keep doing things the way our grandparents did, not even church.
So I’d like to see churches put some thought and preparation into how we broadcast the seeds of faith. Maybe we have to first water and fertilize and break up the hard patches so our neighbors and friends and family are more ready to hear about God’s love in Christ. Or maybe we need to work on the strain of the seed so it is more appropriate to modern hearers, for instance, using different images or terms or channels of communication. Perhaps we need words more sensible to millennials than GI generation listeners, more social media, more technological than agricultural. Sorry, Jesus, not many people resonate to some guy tossing hands full of seed along a hillside when most people open shrink-wrapped food. Or even when most people think of huge tractors pulling seven-bottom plows and seed drills at planting and humongous harvesters. But even here, we are used to seeing the signs marking the different hybrids and varieties of wheat or corn, custom tailored for best yield for those fields. (Back to adjusting our appeal to our modern listeners.)
So the next time you are at Home Depot, Agway, Tru-Value, Lowes, or your local garden place, think of the parable of the seed planter, but with some modern sophistication. As you look at the backs of seed packets saying “good for shady or semi-shady areas” imagine how we can tailor the good news to “academics” or “professionals” or “young couples with children” or “older living alone.” What preparation would help them to receive the Gospel? What weeds or pests need to be kept at bay to give the seed time to mature? What fertilizer of faith should we apply (and forgive my immediate thought of Miracle-Gro®, my mother’s answer to everything!)? When should we ignore and when should we cultivate? How do we help the sower of grace? And may we always remember to trust God for the real growth.
Every time you are at a garden center, think of the parable of the seeds and contemplate the lessons for the church. And Sundays, when you are in church, imagine it as a garden center for souls.
See you Sunday!
In Christ,
David
Texts for Sunday
From the Epistles Romans 8:1-11
From the Gospels Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
No comments:
Post a Comment
Share your thoughts on this post in a spirit of love for God, yourself, and each other. All comments are checked before posting. While you may post anonymously, we encourage you to leave your name!