St Margaret's Church Prestwich

Rev Christine preached thi ssermon on Sunday 12 July. Here it is for you again;

I’m sure many of you have tried growing something at some point in your life.

Perhaps you’ve carefully planted tomatoes in the greenhouse, nurtured a few runner beans, or maybe you’ve simply bought one of those supermarket basil plants. They always look so healthy when you buy them… and then, somehow, within a fortnight, they’re beyond saving! I don’t know what it is about basil, but mine seems to regard my office as the ideal place to give up on life!  I was quite hopeful for a while, kept it well watered and trimmed it to try to encourage growth and then is gave up and wilted away.  I didn’t waste it though I dried the leaves and kept them in a spice jar!!

Growing things isn’t always easy.

Which is why, when we hear today’s Gospel, I imagine some of Jesus’ listeners may have looked at one another and thought, “What kind of farmer is this?”

Jesus tells them about a farmer who goes out to sow seed. Some lands on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns and some on good soil.

Then, in the verses between the two parts of today’s reading, the disciples ask Jesus what it all means. His explanation seems quite straightforward.

The seed is God’s word.

The different soils represent the different ways people receive it.

Jesus says:

• The seed sown on the path represents those who hear the word but do not understand it. Before it can take root, it is snatched away.
• The rocky ground represents those who receive the message with enthusiasm, but because it has no deep root, their faith quickly withers when difficulties come.
• The thorny ground represents those who hear the word, but whose lives become so crowded with worries, distractions, and the pursuit of wealth that the message is choked before it can bear fruit.
• Then there is the good soil: those who hear the word, understand it, and allow it to shape their lives, producing a harvest far beyond what was first sown.

Simple enough.

Or is it?

Because there’s another question hiding in this parable.

What sort of farmer scatters seed like that?

Any farmer will tell you, especially those I used to know who were quite canny with the money, that seed isn’t something you just throw around carelessly. You prepare the ground and fertilise it. You remove large stones. You deal with the weeds as soon as possible. You then sow where the crop has the best chance of growing and producing a good yield.

No sensible farmer deliberately throws seed onto a footpath, stoney ground or among thorns.

It sounds almost wasteful.

Unless, of course, Jesus wants us to notice something more about the farmer rather than the soil, or where the seeds landed.

Perhaps the point isn’t that the farmer is careless.

Perhaps the point is that the farmer is incredibly generous.

The seed is scattered everywhere, all around him.  So let’s put God in the picture as the Farmer.

No one is left out.

No one is written off before they’ve even had the chance to hear, to see or to act.

That’s exactly how God works.

God doesn’t look at someone and think, “They’re probably not interested,” or, “They’re beyond hope.”

God’s love is scattered generously across the whole world.

Rich or poor, and it doesn’t matter what creed or culture you are.

Young or old.

People who’ve been in church for decades and people who wouldn’t know when to stand up or sit down.

Those who think they’ve got life sorted and those whose lives feel as though they’re held together with sticky tape and crossed fingers.

God’s grace and love reaches every one of them.

That would have been an important lesson for the disciples.

Before long, Jesus would be sending them out to share the good news, and they would discover that people respond in all sorts of different ways.

Some would welcome the Gospel with open ears, eyes and hearts..

Some would reject it.  They may even call it rubbish.

Some would be interested for a day or so and then everyday tasks, negative comments from others, would quash it altogether.

Some would be enthusiastic for a while before disappearing back into their old ways.

I suspect every church has known that experience.

Someone arrives full of excitement, volunteers for everything, joins every group… and then, six months later, you find yourself saying, “I wonder whatever happened to…?”

It happens.  However, there are some, who we may never know, where the Word lands and takes root and the seed begins to grow.  They then become part of the growing Christian community spreading the Word of love, peace and hope all over the world.

Jesus told the disciples not to be surprised by it how the Gospel is received.

Their job wasn’t to make people believe.

Their job was simply to keep sowing the seed wherever it landed.

And perhaps that’s something we all need reminding of.

Sometimes we think we’ve somehow failed if a conversation about faith doesn’t go as we’d hoped.

But Jesus never tells us to manufacture results.

He simply asks us to be faithful to trust in God, follow Jesus and let the Holy Spirit in.

To keep sowing kindness and love.

To Keep sowing forgiveness.

To Keep sowing hope and God’s grace.

Keep speaking about God’s love whenever the opportunity arises.

The harvest belongs to God.

Of course, before we start worrying about everyone else’s soil, perhaps it’s worth asking about our own.

Because, if we’re honest, we’ve probably been every one of these soils at different times.

There have been days when we’ve listened to a sermon, walked out of church, reached the car park, and couldn’t remember a single thing that was said!

There have been times when our faith has felt strong and joyful.

And times when worry, grief, busyness or disappointment have crowded God to the edge of our lives.

The good news is that soil can change.

A gardener knows that hard ground can be broken up.

Stones can be removed.

Weeds can be cleared.

Ground that once seemed hopeless can become wonderfully fertile.

And that’s what God does with us.

Little by little, often very patiently, God keeps working in our hearts.

So perhaps today’s Gospel isn’t asking us, “What sort of soil are you?”

Perhaps it’s asking,

“Will we let God keep working in us?”

Will we keep our hearts, ears and eyes open allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us?

Will we allow his word, our saviour Jesus Christ, to take root a little more deeply?

And will we trust him enough to scatter the seed ourselves?

Because you never know where it might grow.

A kind word.

A listening ear.

An invitation to church.

A quiet prayer.

A simple act of generosity.

None of them may seem very much at the time.

But God’s Kingdom has always grown from surprisingly small beginnings.

So, this week, like those first disciples, we are sent into the world carrying the seed of the Gospel. Jesus leaves us with four simple invitations:

• Hear his word, and take time to listen.
• See those around us who may need hope, encouragement or love.
• Open our hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit.
• Respond by sharing, in word and deed, the good news of God’s Kingdom.

May we go out, like that wonderfully generous farmer, scattering seeds of faith, hope and love wherever God leads us.

May we never grow weary of sowing, and may we trust God to bring forth a harvest beyond anything we could imagine.

And then, with faithful hearts, let God do what only God can do.   Amen.