Soils

Scripture Reading

Matthew 13:1–9 (NRSVue): 13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 If you have ears, hear!”

Matthew 13:18–23 (NRSVue): Hear, then, the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet such a person has no root but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away., 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Kids to the Knowing Place

Introduction: Unqualified

For so so many reasons, I am grateful that we got to hear from Carolyn last week!

For starters, our sister can preach can’t she? (I can say this while she’s at Plum Creek so her face won’t turn red till later)

But also, Carolyn is a Master Naturalist.

When we were dreaming up this sermon series on flourishing, hers was the first name that came to mind.

Because I am…very much not a Master Naturalist.

I have twice…TWICE in my life killed cacti entrusted to my care.

In the words of one stand-up comic, this means that I am less nourishing than the desert!

Which is why I’m glad that Jon Creasy will be joining us next week!

But still…

I think there’s some fruit in this series of Flourishing.

I have always thought that the Christian life should be active and moving, never content to stay where we are, but always growing and adapting and flourishing.

And looking at these parables, it seems like Jesus feels the same way.

Three Questions We Should Keep In Front of Us:

What does this passage have to teach us about Jesus?

How does this passage point us toward growth and flourishing?

How does this passage point the church to be a place of growth and flourishing?

What does this passage teach us about Jesus?

Who is Jesus in this story?

One of the best parts of a parable is that it invites us to place ourselves in the story.

And we’ll get to that!

But another fantastic part of a parable is that we get to place Jesus in the story too.

Bonus for us, Jesus explains this story, and makes it pretty plain who he is.

The sower is someone who is throwing out the word of God into the world.

Someone who is spreading the message of the Kingdom of God.

Someone who is an itinerant preacher spreading the word.

Jesus is the sower.

Just knowing that isn’t quite the full picture though, because this sower is different than others.

The sower doesn’t follow a logical game plan!

I was talking to someone on my retreat this weekend who used to own a farm.

It was in her family for generations.

Toward the end of her father’s life, he sold the farm to a big corporation.

She got to see how intentional they were about how they planted.

Computers and software and technology made sure that every single seed was planted in the optimum way, in the optimum place, just so.

It would appear that Jesus didn’t have that software!

This sower doesn’t seem to follow a game plan at all!

You get the picture of a guy just wildly throwing seeds everywhere he goes, no matter where he is, no matter whether it’s a good idea or not.

It’s random.

It’s chaotic.

It’s messy.

That’s because so is Jesus.

As someone who loves a good three point plan, I find it maddening that Jesus does not want to follow a formula.

But it’s true!

Jesus will show up when he wants, where he wants, how he wants.

And no amount of effort or energy on our part can hurry that along or bring Jesus on our time table.

Jesus is random.

Jesus is chaotic.

Jesus is messy.

Maybe you’ve been praying for something, and you’ve been at it for a good while.

Maybe you’re looking for healing.

Or maybe you’re looking for clarity.

Or maybe you’re looking for wisdom.

And maybe you’re just a bit frustrated that it hasn’t come along yet.

Hang in there.

Jesus doesn’t work on our time tables at all.

And it turns out that’s a good thing!

Because it turns out…

The sower is generous

If you were a literal bean counter, you would be furious at this sower.

Why on earth would you spread seed on rocky ground?

Why would you waste it in a place where it gets choked out by other plants?

Why are you throwing away our overhead?

Again, it defies logic, but this sower throws the seed, the word of God, just about everywhere.

Carolyn pointed us in this direction last week, didn’t she?

We can find the Word of God in nature, if only we have eyes to see.

We can find the Word of God on our daily commute, if only we have ears to hear.

We might even find the Word of God trying to fix up some trees in our yard after worship, if only we have time to spend.

Wherever we might look, our Sower Jesus is very generous with what he’s throwing out there in the world.

So if you are finding yourselves waiting for something, listening for an answer from God, and you’re frustrated that the answers haven’t come yet, just wait.

Be patient.

The logic of the sower might be difficult to follow, but His generosity always comes through.

Do you know why?

The sower is interested in flourishing

For as much as we might question his methods, it’s very clear what the sower wants in this story.

The sower wants these plants to take deep root.

The sower wants these plants to produce fruit, maybe even up to a hundred fold.

The sower wants the plant to grow and be well.

The sower wants these plants the flourish in these soils.

Jesus wants the same for us.

If you’ve grown up with an image of an angry God who is wagging his finger at you until you get your act together, maybe reconsider.

This God, made perfect to us in the person of Jesus, wants to see us grow and flourish.

So how do we do that?

How does this passage point us toward growth and flourishing?

There’s a kind of rorshak test in this parable, isn’t there?

Which soil are you?

Generally?

I think most often people assume that whatever kind of soil they are, they are that soil forever.

I know I sure used to come at this passage like that.

But, I think we’re all smart enough to know that that’s probably not true.

Maybe it’s better to ask which soil are you…

Right now?

How receptive are you in this moment to the Word of God being spoken over you?

By the way, that’s the nicest way I’ve ever come up with to make sure no one is sleeping through my sermon!

But not just church, let’s remember that this sower is generous and unpredictable.

In this moment, are you a rich soil that is able to allow the word of God to take root?

Are you full of thorns, the worries and concerns and financial burdens of life choking the word out from under you?

Are you the kind of person that gets really excited about something, but then looses the plot the moment things get boring or difficult?

Or is your heart so worn down (boy, phrasing it like that hits home, doesn’t it?) that the word can’t even get a foot hold in you today?

Which soil are you, not forever, but in this moment?

Soil isn’t static.

Again, I’m no farmer or naturalist or anything, but I do know a few basics.

Left unintended for long enough, good soil will drift back down the scale.

Good soil, if you don’t tend it well and take care of it, will become a hot bed for weeds and thorns and thistles.

Eventually enough decay comes along that the soil looses its richness, the weight of all those weeds and thorns can keep anything from reaching anything coming close to soil beneath it.

And if enough animals or humans come walking along, even that busted up soil can become a worn down path, where absolutely nothing is going to grown.

And the key word for this movement church is “unintended.”

When we put our spiritual lives on autopilot, when we’re not intentional with our relationship with Jesus the Sower, we too have the capacity to slide this way down the scale, don’t we?

There’s good news though:

Even the worst ground can become good soil.

And again, I’m generalizing here, anyone who has a garden can come correct the record later.

But if I wanted to, I could get this worn down path to be good soil, couldn’t it?

It would take a few ingredients.

Agitation

I mean, if I’m starting here, I’m going to have to get a jackhammer out right?

I have to take this worn down and hardened soil and break it up, break it apart.

If you’ve been here at this part of the process, you already know.

This is painful!

But that’s helpful to consider, isn’t it?

Some times life’s more painful moments are actually moving us further down the line.

Sometimes that job loss is actually opening your heart up a little bit more.

Sometimes that breakup is clearing the road for something better down the line.

Perhaps the absence of something or someone in your life points out exactly how valuable and precious they are to you.

Quick warning: This is usually not something you want to point out to someone who is in the process of being broken apart by the sower.

That process is painful enough, and they don’t need us piling on.

But for our own reflection, when we’re in those dark places, it can be a comfort.

Clearing

Maybe you’re life is covered in the thorny and sticky stuff of life.

Again here, I’m so grateful that Jesus explained this parable to us, because he’s specific.

Maybe you’re over-crowded with the lure of wealth.

Maybe everything about your world is trying to keep up with the Joneses, and whew boy is that stressful.

Maybe you’re working more hours than any reasonable person should just to keep the bank account afloat.

Maybe all that chasing after money and status is keeping the word from taking root in you.

Or maybe you’re over-crowded with the cares of this age?

This is a neat one, because so many of us care about different things in our world.

Maybe you’re up at night because the news told you there’s a crime wave coming around.

Maybe you can’t focus on your family because you’re worried about our democracy’s staying power.

Maybe you like me can’t focus because there’s no one out there who looks like a good fit for General Manager of the Penguins…

Do you know what you do in this instance?

Well, actually, we’re going to do it for real in a few moments aren’t we?

If we come across one of our trees that has other plants encroaching on it, we’re going to clear the brush!

Get ride of anything that could hinder that thing so that the soil is right.

If you are carrying worries about money, I know this is easier said than done, but clear the brush!

If you are spending more time watching the news than reading the Bible, clear the brush!

If your busy, active, lifestyle is getting in the way of your being part of a community of faith, cut something back.

But you know, there’s another way to make this good soil.

Manurer

Have we ever considered that the literal crap of life works to our benefit sometimes?

Like the jackhammer earlier, sometimes this helps us gain clarity and nutrients in our life.

(Parable of the Zen Master)

A patient farmer

For this to work, to take this soil from here to here, would take a lot of patience.

It would take a farmer who is willing to work with the soil, no matter how stubborn it is.

It would take a farmer who had a long range plan for his field, who was willing to take some time with all of it.

It would take a farmer who wouldn’t get discouraged when the soil doesn’t behave like it should.

It would take a farmer who was willing to invest love and care into the soil.

For us to flourish takes the right kind of Savior, doesn’t it?

It takes a savior who is willing to work with us, no matter how stubborn we are.

It takes a savior who has a long range plan for his creation, who literally has all the time in the world to work with it.

It takes a savior who (listen to me now) does not get discouraged or angry or vengeful when we don’t behave like we should.

Because our savior is so so so willing to invest love and care and grace and peace into the soil of our hearts.

How does this passage point the church to be a place of growth and flourishing?

Numbers Numbers Numbers

We have to be careful here, because some churches live and die by their membership rolls, and I’m not that guy.

But a flourishing church would be one where the soil produces, right?

A flourishing church would be one where folks were interested in inviting their neighbors in to hear the word of God.

A flourishing church would be one where more people showed up to find a safe space to have their soil cultivated.

A flourishing church would be one where new people showed up from time to time.

And again, we don’t want to live or die by the size of our congregation.

But if we haven’t seen growth in a while, it might be worth asking if we’re flourishing as a church.

It might be worth asking if we need to go through this process to come down the line together.

That means we need to be comfortable with two things in particular:

Challenge

When someone is down here at this end of the table, we ought to be open to challenge.

Again, lots of churches in lots of places have gotten this piece horribly wrong.

We don’t default to challenging people because we enjoy the jackhammering process.

We are open to challenge because we so very badly want to see them at this end of the table.

We are open to challenge because we are simply not content to let people stay in the suffering, ailment, depressed, and worn down state.

We are open to challenge because we want them to be better soil.

Hear me on this church:

We are open to challenge, but that’s Jesus’ job.

We aren’t the source of the challenge.

We’re just open to let Christ work on our hearts and the hearts of those we love.

So if we’re not here to challenge, what’s our role as a flourishing church?

Care

If Jesus is going to be breaking down some soil, wouldn’t it be nice to have a loving friend on that journey?

If Jesus is going to be spreading some crap around in people’s lives, wouldn’t it be nice if they knew they weren’t in it alone?

If Jesus is going to be clearing away the cares and worries of this age, wouldn’t it be nice if we could lovingly help folks put those aside?

We are called to be a caring community, and to allow Jesus to challenge.

If we do that, if we’re constantly working on the right kind of soil, we’ll flourish in beautiful ways.