Odessa Christ Lutheran Church
Christ Lutheran Church
602 East Amende Drive
PO Box 400
Odessa, WA 99159
(509) 982-2411
Pre-K thru Adult
Education 9:15
Sunday Service 10:30
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Pastor Nathan Bowman
The Heart of the Sower
Gospel:Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
The Heart of the Sower Pr. Nathan
Some would say that this parable is all about the soil. Upon first glance, it is easy to agree with such a conclusion. Today, we will take a look at the soil, and that in and of itself will teach us many things. However the gospel is in the heart of the Sower. The Sower’s heart is often mocked, misunderstood and disregarded. Without knowing the Sower’s heart, and recognizing what he has done for us, even in the minute aspects of our lives, we miss out on the Gospel for today.
Our human journey with soil goes back to our origins, as at least in the case of man, God created us from the soil. Genesis 2:7: Then the Lord God formed a man[c] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. A while later, God places Adam in the Garden of Eden where he worked and cared for it. vs.15 ). All of the animals and birds in the sky were also formed “out of the ground”(vs. 19). Literally, men were down to earth.
The creation of woman would be unique to all creatures. Anesthesiologist and Great Surgeon God would put man into a deep sleep, take one of his ribs while man was asleep, close up the place with flesh, and made woman from the rib God had taken out of man. (Now there is also a fascinating study about bones, bone marrow and stem cells, but that is not the focus of this message.) When God brought Woman to Man, Adam’s first reflection was, in my words “So this is where my bone went”. He says it somewhat similarly in Genesis 2:23:
The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”
The creation of human encompassed woman, which was taken out of Man, making man incomplete without woman. In the Biblical understanding of marriage, God completes man and woman, both together in the very intimate relationship of becoming one.
The Father’s heart is revealed in what God has created, what God says and what God does. This takes us back to today’s Gospel lesson.
I was actually hoping for some feedback from the midweek devotional. I was hoping some of you would have said, “Pr. Nathan, you got it wrong. The seed is the Word of God!” You would have been right. In a different parable of the seed, where it falls to the ground and dies to itself, we are the seed. I purposefully mixed both parables together, partly to see if you were sleeping, but mostly to highlight that the living word of God, which is the seed, must be alive in us for us to be alive in God. As John the disciple ties the word of God with Jesus, we should so live that the word of God is like the blood that flows through our veins. (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome (understood) it.)
For Jesus to abide with us means that the Word of God is abiding in us. We should never define ourselves as opposed to the Word of God, as that foments the seeds of rebellion, and we deny what we were created to be.
Jesus explains the parable today, so there is little for me to do;
The seed sown on the path. Jesus: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path
The message of the Kingdom is to repent and believe. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news”(Mark 1:15). To not understand the need to repent and believe, places us on a hardened path of self-righteousness and denial. We become resistant and reject anything that God would seek to accomplish in our lives, and demand to live it for ourselves. We become disengaged with others and our relationships falter. We become unteachable. We do not grow from our self engrossed identity to the maturity of serving others. Life on the hardened path is all about me.
The birds come and eat it. This does the Word, or seed a favor, even though birds were seen as instruments of evil with some exceptions. The birds remove the seed from where it will be trampled and trodden under foot. The seed passes through their digestive system and wherever it happens, comes out accompanied by fertilizer! This sounds terrible, but this is a much better start than being scattered on the resistant and hardened paths of humanity. What was sown in their stiff-necked heart has been snatched away.
The seed sown among the rocks. Jesus says: The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. We are often impressed by the resilience of a flower that grows on the edge of asphalt next to a concrete fence. There is no soil around - just the flower. We are also impressed by the power of tree roots to crack through rocks, and worse, foundations and sewer lines! However, I have never known a farmer to pay high price for a boulder field, in order to plant the crops.
Figuratively, I liken these rocks to experiences and relationships we have had in our lives that we are not able to decompose. The addictions that follow us and overtake our minds, the inability to remain focused and complete a task, and the increasing tendency to chase after ambulances and the latest drama, are the rocks that will crowd out any transforming, renewing and forgiving power of the Word of God. The nutrients needed for the seed to grow are locked up in the rocks. There is no room for depth. It is interesting that in human encounters, there are those, who when you meet them, are able to reach deep into your life to affirm you, and you them, and it is as though you have known them for years! In contrast, with other lives, we will share experiences for years and never be able to scratch the surface to have a mutually impactful and meaningful relationship. Mistrust, resentments, un-forgiveness and bitterness solidify some of these rocks. The only thing we can do is repent of the rocks in our lives, surrender those rocks to God and have a confidante to whom we are willing to be truthfully accountable to help us on the journey. Many mentors will resist as they see it as a waste of their time. When trouble or persecution comes, we will quickly fall away. There is no dedicated commitment at this level. Someone else is expected to bail us out, and personal responsibility is absent. The ability to think for ourselves is absent, and we are easily swayed by the next whim of the crowd.
The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.
If any of you are from Washington State, you may have run into a blackberry bush. They are a wonderful source of blackberries at a certain season of year. Try to make your way through it and you will end up scratched all over. The bush overtakes all foliage around it and shuts out the sun from around its base. If you like black berry pies or blackberry jam, you will not mind the bush, but it can quickly grow and take over a yard - and life is not all about blackberries.
Or do you remember when we bought our first stock, and daily we become entwined in the movement of the stock market? Moment by moment, rumor by rumor, the price would change and our emotions and even how we treated others would go up and down depending on the latest trend? When we are diagnosed with some ailment, that ailment threatens to try to define who we are.
The most disabled among us are not identified by their disability. They are a precious child of God first and an amazing human life second. We do need to accommodate the disability in order to serve them, but that is way down the list in terms of who they are. Neither do our abilities define who we are. They are also way down the list in terms of human value. The abilities AND disabilities are given for the service and encouragement of others, to use in worship and daily faith life, to grow in the likeness of God and to live at peace with one another. We cannot serve and live for others if we are wrapped up in and consumed by our own worries day and night. Surrendering these worries to Jesus is a good place to start.“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” The farmer’s purpose in scattering seed is to yield a crop of blessing for the world. The seed scattered on good soil accomplishes this. Good soil is prepared, fertilized, turned over or tilled, nutrients plowed in, loosened and furrowed. It is able to help process the decaying ingredients and able to sustain the right level of moisture. It receives the seed and understands it and what it needs to develop. As the seed dies to itself and becomes reliant on the soil, it mourns with the seed and celebrates the resurrection. The roots are able to go deep for nutrients and moisture. The plant grows to bless the world, a hundred, sixty or thirty times.
The heart of the Sower is expressed in that God is willing to scatter the Word of God, not only where it will flourish, but also in those areas where it seemingly has no chance. The blessing of the Word is scattered equally in the different parts of our lives. God is a realist, and realizes that there are many areas of our lives that are resistant to or do not understand the Word. It is by grace that we are saved, and it is by God’s mercy that the word is scattered on all parts of us.
Gods mercy is never wasted on us, and God directs us to repent and believe. Therein, is the great love the Father, our Sower, has for us. Therein is the great trust the Sower has placed on us. Let us bless the Lord!
Pr. Nathan Bowman