Date: 03 Jul 2002
Time: 17:47:39

Comments

"Dust in the wind all we are dust in the wind dust in the wind dust in the wind everything is dust in the wind."

Our band will be playing Dust in the Wind by Kansas during this service.

God's word can change the soil and amke it fertile.

Pr.del in IA


Date: 05 Jul 2002
Time: 01:15:07

Comments

Someone has referred to this as the PARABLE OF THE SOILS rather than the SOWER AND THE SEED. There does indeed appear to be an emphasis on at least four differing human response to God's word and initiatives. The seed is not lacking in potency. Bob in Oklahoma


Date: 05 Jul 2002
Time: 12:26:51

Comments

Is Jesus telling us that God’s grace falls on all (rains on the just and unjust alike) and whether it takes root and becomes fruitful depends on the state of whom it falls? Deke in TX – Pace e Bene.


Date: 06 Jul 2002
Time: 05:06:28

Comments

(How shall I word this so that it doesn't come across as negative or a put down or giving the impression that "I know better." Well, just say it, I guess.)

I don't think we have to asssume that because some of our congregants don't turn out for events that they are not fully committed to Christ... and so we have to have to "challenge" (berate?) them every Sunday with the sharp two-edged sword. I stopped doing that quite a number of years ago (I am 72.) After all it's what they do "out there" that really matters... It is like the modern way of "acting" in afternoon TV soap operas. (No, I don't watch them, but sometimes you catch glimpses.) Evidently it is considered great acting now for a character to "tell another one off in no uncertain terms" and then turn on your heal and slam the door behind you. It is a horrible example to give young people in their dealings with loved ones. I can't imagine really great actors like Catheine Hepburn agreeing to do anything like that. And so I hate to see it done in the pulpit too. Solution: Ah...there's the rub...no great, easy solutions except to look at the preaching task as "reinforcing the message that Jesus just gave in the Gospel." How did u feel when u read it this week? What came to mind for you? Last week, for example, the words "I have revealed this to little ones" stood out. I told the story of a little seven-year old in a nearby city who started collecting money for street people. His picture appeared in the local paper and I bought the picture and had it with me and held it up. Make it a good day. Joe from Maine


Date: 06 Jul 2002
Time: 19:21:44

Comments

Joe in Maine, I don't think we have to berate our members, because the challenge is certainly to all of us. What makes us listen to God's word so that we become good soil? What makes us turn away? We all struggle with being "hospitable" to the seed--God's word--so that we will produce fruit. The key it seems to me, is to keep our ears open and truly listen! There is so much other noise that is constantly in our face. God's word is good and will produce, but we have the choice whether to be receptive or not to the seed. GB in MI


Date: 07 Jul 2002
Time: 10:40:38

Comments

Have you ever seen a tree growing out of a rock? I have. And amid the weeds of an overgrown yard, still the raspberry bush produces fruit. The paved pathway to the building across the street (sidewalk) has something growing in almost every crack.

Some people see this text as an excuse to keep the word within their walls, after all, that is where the "good soil" is found. But, oh, the joy when one finds that the seed has taken root in one who lives among rocky soil, or hard pathways, or amid the thistles!

The power of the word, the seed, is not completely predictable. The parable is an illustration, but can also be carried much farther. Consider hydroponics, in which there is no soil, but nutrient-filled liquid. Consider clay-filled soil, and sandy soil, and peat-moss. No matter how terrible one's situation, the word can grow, and the receiver will, in time, become good soil.

Let ANYONE with ears listen! (13:9)

Michelle


Date: 07 Jul 2002
Time: 11:47:06

Comments

Pr.del in IA wrote, "Our band will be playing Dust in the Wind by Kansas during this service."

That's great! I've thought several times about using that piece as part of worship -- primarily, I've thought about quoting it in a sermon. Great song... it surprises me that it ever got to be popular! (Especially from a band with a weird name like "Kansas"!)

Blessings, Eric in KS (the state, not the band)


Date: 07 Jul 2002
Time: 16:38:37

Comments

I did this passage in 1st person. I am no actor by any means, but it went over really well. Here below is an outline of what i did. Once you get into the character, it is easy to just "go with it."

By the way, I came to church dressed in khaki pants, white oxford shirt and tie and jacket. Looks fairly normal. I wear a rob on special occasions. Here in the south, a rob makes it very very hot. Anyway, during the special music time, I slipped into the back, changed my shirt to a country flannel shirt and rolled up the sleeves. if I'd had more time, I'd have found a straw hat or a "John Deer" cap to help get into character.

Intro.

Situation

4 soils

1. North - hard as concrete - Hard hearts

2. East - rocks, hills, sand - emotional response to the Word

3. South - weeds, kudzu, briars - worldly, cares of the world distract from focusing on God.

4. West - good soil - receptive hearts, care, patience, study of the Word of God.

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Spiritual equation.

What is the soil? Our hearts

What is the seed? The Word of God

Who is the sower? God

Who is the sower's helper? The one who delivers the Good news of the Gospel. Plant seed in every one you see. In every relationship, make sure that some seed is planted.

Jesus said that there will be 4 general responses when we present someone with the gospel.

1. Hard hearts, no response

2. Emotional response due to shallow faith

3. worldly, cares of the world distract from focusing on God.

4. receptive hearts, care, patience, study of the Word of God.

Manuscript (sort of...)

Hi, my name is Joe. I'm a farmer. Actually I'm not a farmer, I'm a farmer's helper. It is my job to take care of the crops on the owner's land. My boss owns this land and he lives in the big white house near the main road just outside of town.

Your pastor sent me here to tell you about what I do. Sometimes I wonder myself what I do, or at least why I do it.

This has happened the past 15 years. Boss comes over to my place right before we are gonna start planting. He tells me what he wants, where he wants it and how much I am to plant there. He says this last time he says "Joe, I want 50 acres of corn over on the south side, 50 acres of corn over on the east side, 50 acres of corn on the north side and corn on the west side." And I can almost tell you how good we are going to do by what he puts where.

You see, on the south side of the property is near the main road and the ground is hard as concrete. You ever tried to plow concrete? Its tough! It tears up the equipment, makes a horrible sound, like a child screaming. And then the birds and other animals come and eat the seeds.

Then on the east side of the property is a little bit softer, but it is on the side of a hill and it is real rocky and the soil is real poor. The water just runs right off. Nothing sticks.

Now the north side of the property goes to the other extreme. There are sticker bushes, briers, and kudzu all over the place. When we try to grow over there, the kudzu and briers just choke out everything good that we have planted.

Now I haven't forgotten about the west side of the property. There is a little stream, a brook, the flows by that side of the property. Everything seems to grow well there. But even in the south west corner of the property, its even better than all the rest. I mean, we can plant anything there. I mean peas, corn, butter beans, rutabagas anything and it will a bumper crop.

But he's GOT to know the problems with the property that we are having.

Just as There are different kinds of seed for food, there are different kinds of seed that are for spiritual things.

Money, time, love, things that you can invest with.

My boss and I have had these discussions before, I think that it would be better if we just planted over by the stream. He wants me to plant everywhere. It makes more work for me. Now, occasionally, one of these bad areas will produce a little something. And that seems to help motivate me to plant over there. But I wish there were a way to liven things up.

Is this seed good? Yes. Is this ground good that I am putting this seed into?

Go from there. Hope this helps

TF


Date: 07 Jul 2002
Time: 17:20:39

Comments

Is verse 9 a play on words, or is it only in english that "ear" is the word for a full seedpod of grain?

TF, the one and only time I ever felt moved to do a 1st person sermon in character was as Peter, recalling all the different times in following Jesus that rocks had been mentioned. I had a bag of rocks and brought them out one by one, telling where I picked it up along the way to this place near Jerusalem where Jesus said the rocks would cry out. I admire dramatists, though I don't profess to be one. That is the only sermon I ever did that I know several people remembered more than a year later. Hope your's sticks too. tom in TN(USA)


Date: 08 Jul 2002
Time: 04:25:46

Comments

Is there any other way of planting the word of God?

We would all dearly love to plant only in the hearts of the receptive and yet we are unable to tell which soil is which, and in effect it impossible to allow our words to reach the ears of the unbeliever. Words are simply the air moving. And yet those same words move the hearts and minds of people, as Jesus proved. They are the means by which the dead rise.

There is no more effective or efficient way to plant seed than to spread it out upon the land. Yes, some of it will fall on barren and unproductive landscape, and yet we only need a few to take root to cover the whole landscape with plants.

We cannot be disheartened knowing that this occurs, we are simply to continue to speak about Jesus and what he taught and did.

Life and grace are not ours to control or predict.

If I only influence one person to become or remain committed to their faith in Christ, the result may be a reward, a hundred-fold.

Its always worth the effort.

Have a great week - DPSers. I involved with our Clergy Conference and Synod this week, so I won't be able to check back and see all your insightful comments.

Regards to all, KGB in Aussie.


Date: 08 Jul 2002
Time: 04:32:44

Comments

At the end of last week's discussion, Tom in TN asked:

"Style question for you(or anyone else who posts sermons) - Do you deliver it verbatim, or is the printed sermon a summation on which you sometimes expand or expound?"

Here's my answer:

No, I don't deliver it exactly as written -- I frequently make a few side remarks that pertain only to our congregation -- I also abbreviate some of the stuff. I don't give the citations at all; those are only for the written publication.

Your point at a sermon seeming to be two different pieces at different delivery locations or times is probably pretty universal experience. We have two Sunday morning services and, when my wife or another listener has been at both, the comments are that one or the other addresses were "better", "different", etc.

I also often rewrite my sermons after delivery -- frequently things occur to me in the pulpit that I hadn't thought of at the computer -- or in the pulpit I phrase something in what I feel is a "better" way -- or I decide not to say something at all! So what I post to the website on Saturday may not be what stays there on Sunday evening.

Hope that answers your question.

Blessings, Eric in KS


Date: 08 Jul 2002
Time: 04:42:33

Comments

Tom:

The word play doesn't work in Greek. The word for "ear" (as in an organ of hearing) is "ous" (which is related to the word for "mind"). The word for an "ear of grain" is "stachus" (usually translated as "head" -- See Matthew 12:1).

Blessings, Eric in KS


Date: 08 Jul 2002
Time: 13:12:47

Comments

I see an interesting interaction between the OT text in Genesis and the Matt. text. The parable of the sower itself seems to me to communicate the fragility of human life, but even in the midst of death, life can spring forth and grow and prosper. So there is a sense in which one should live each day with gratitude and fruitfulness, kind of a seize the day attitude.


Date: 08 Jul 2002
Time: 13:14:51

Comments

I see an interesting interaction between the OT text in Genesis and the Matt. text. The parable of the sower itself seems to me to communicate the fragility of human life, but even in the midst of death, life can spring forth and grow and prosper. So there is a sense in which one should live each day with gratitude and fruitfulness, kind of a seize the day attitude.Esau's problem was that he was only concerned with today's needs and not tommorow's promise. Interesting paradox. What do ya'll think? REVTommy in Texas


Date: 08 Jul 2002
Time: 13:34:20

Comments

Oh boy! I'd sure like to have that 4th kind of soil for my planting! Perhaps that is the response Jesus was hoping for in his listeners. I checked over at the John Wesley connection, where he indicated that the 4th soil was all that the first three were not -- soft, deep, and purged.

If this is about how we receive the word of God, then this becomes a passage that lends itself to talking about spiritual formation, so that we can become "soft, deep, and purged;" and therefore ready for the Word to take root in us and bear abundantly.

OLAS


Date: 08 Jul 2002
Time: 14:45:33

Comments

TF, Good sermon stuff, but I don't agree with your direction in the USA... The West is not good soil... in the UMC the west is liberal...(you know what issue) I would not call that good soil... I would say south is better soil, BIBLE BELT COUNTRY! East and South... Northerners... I think are a mix, Vermont is liberal and Maine and Mass. puritan country! LOL Like the Dust in the wind song too... how about Against wind, running against the wind...like Forrest Gump did... Another cool song if you have country ans western peeps to use is Bible Belt by Travis Tritt. I just thought of this, I was thinking about Genesis passage and this together... the Good soil,seed thing and the Maunline Churches SELLING OUT. What have they sold out for... Social club not a a Church? Sold out the youth? Lots to think about. Bible Belt and Country Club by travis Tritt would be appropriate here! I'm a member of a country club... And He was the Asst. preacher and Sunday SchoolTeacher in the Church that I grew up in...She was a looker from Atlanta sang in choir played piano...had a body that was made for sin...she didn't care he was married and the torch she carried was hotter than the fires of hell, she had plans a solution and she knew she would loosen a notch in the bible belt! Have we loosen our nothches in the Bible Belt here? When we let satan have a Foothold I smell t-r-o-u-b-l-e! (As you can I like Travis Tritt songs) LOL pastor mary(redneck preacher girl) from OH


Date: 08 Jul 2002
Time: 15:17:18

Comments

Mary said, " The West is not good soil... in the UMC the west is liberal..."

Mmmm.... as a born-and-bred Westerner (transplanted temporarily to the Great Plains), I resemble that remark! I suspect that in all of our (USA)denominations congregations in the West are more liberal than their counterparts in the East, though not all.

But ... why would you think liberal territory is not "good soil"? After all, "Jesus was a liberal Jew." I have a t-shirt that says that, so it must be true!

I don't see "liberality" or "conservatism" as an indicator of "goodness" or "badness" of soil. Frankly, my experience in the "liberal" West compared with the "conservative" Plains is that the "liberal" soil grows "better" (or at least more committed) Christians.

So, isn't the question more one of "receptivity" than of whatever the currently (or regionally) popular definitions of "liberal" and "conservative" may be?

Blessings, Eric in KS


Date: 08 Jul 2002
Time: 15:40:44

Comments

While some might consider this an exegetical stretch, but it feels as if I have preached "the soils" too many times over the years. I intend to speak of Christ as the sower -- an example to the disciples and to us -- who were/are to follow his example. Then I intend to speak about us and our lives as seeds.

Not every seed is intended to grow in every kind of soil. Not every crop (fruit) is appreciated by everyone. Each of us has been called to be both sower AND seed to this world (to often we only want to sow in "friendly fields" and among seeds like ourselves).

therevvv


Date: 08 Jul 2002
Time: 16:54:19

Comments

I am toying with the idea of how to prepare soil. That preparing soil is part of what the church is about. Not all who come are ready for the seed to grow. Some need to throw away rocks of anger, greed, envy etc. Some who seem to grow quickly need the church to water and nourish them so that they will not wither away. Just rambling Nancy-Wi


Date: 08 Jul 2002
Time: 19:42:07

Comments

When I was giving directions in my 1st person soils example, what I meant was the west part of the property or the east or south or north part of the property. I was not meaning the USA or and other location of the world. While I was performing the sermon, i was walking around in front of the chancel area and pointing (north, east, west, south). I was not intending to mean anything liberal or conservative, politically or religiously.

Although, that brings up a good sermon idea. Was Jesus a liberal or conservative? (just stirring things up.)

TF


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 03:29:43

Comments

TF--I love the illustration. I hope you don't mind that I borrow it. I think I will go looking for straw hats for our little guys and do a children's sermon around it, too. After all, it is hay season, the gardens are bursting with produce, the elderly men are racing their motors at the starting line to see who can get ripe tomatoes to church first, and with all this heat and humidity the farmers sometimes regrettably know who they are now more than ever--sewers of the seed--rain, shine, or blistering hot. But when everything is harvested and the weather starts to cool, it's all worth it.

I was at my Grandma's this week, and she had tomotoes (this is a prize around here). I asked if it came from the garden. She said, "Yeah. One in AR. They're not bad, but not as good as MO." :) (Only because they have to be picked greener to get them here and sold before they go bad.) God's timing is the key. I agree we have to be receptive, to open our ears, but I think it has to do more with what God is doing than what we are doing. Do seeds really have a choice as to whether or not they grow? Is blaming the soil if we don't just an excuse? Maybe it's not just about whether or not we grow, but whether or not we produce fruit worth harvesting.

Some seeds take longer to germinate. The Spirit moves for some at 4, some at 94. Maybe we don't always put up a fight. Maybe God doesn't send the revelation until after He's prepared the soil. Maybe we try to pick the fruit too soon and it's not any good and the plant has to start all over again. Maybe there are times when we should just worry about preparing the soil and then let the mystery do it's part, or plant the seed and maintain the soil (but we can't force the seed to grow, only change the environment to encourage it.) It's better not to rush. It only makes things worse.

Maybe he's trying to encourage us to work the soil a bit before we try to sew the seed. How might we do that?

Just brainstorming. I have no idea where this is going. Maybe one of you can clarify.

Maybe this: But God's miracle is most revealed when there is fruit in the harshest heat, the thickest clay soil, and the rockiest terrain. Come to think of it, the gardens do produce in the heat of the summer--in the elements only God can control. All we can do is hoe the weeds and fertilize (but there again, too much fertilizer will burn up the plant). The point is, we have our part, and the Spirit has His.

RamblingRevS.


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 04:54:36

Comments

What is "the word of the Kingdom"? Here in the midwest, if you're going to plant corn you better know what a corn seed looks like. Just wondering if we really understand what we are to plant. If we don't then it goes away. I am wonder if we are planting the right seed. Hoosier Preacher


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 04:55:36

Comments

What is intriguing to me is this; even in the good soil the harvest is different .. some 100, 60, 30. even bwith the blessing of and from God. Some are just able, willing, led to give and offer more than others. Seems God is pleased with the 100 and the 30. Could we too be pleased?

Phil in KS


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 05:54:33

Comments

RamblingRevS.,

Oops. Careful. It is the seed that grows, but we are not the seed. The seed is the word, which grows in us.

I don't mean to say that we don't grow, but it might be tricky using this illustration in the way you mention. It might work, though, to talk about the word growing in us, and us growing as a result...?

Michelle


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 06:01:05

Comments

RamblingRevS, Did you call farmers "sewers of the seed"? That's just how they smell at the end of the day, in from the hot fields! heehee, Magi in the Middle


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 06:06:23

Comments

Thanks Michelle for your word of caution.

When I made the original posting, I meant that by living the Word, we -- as seeds -- scattered into the world; i.e., the lives of others, become living examples which are the means for the Word to be planted in those soils.

As noted elsewhere, not all seeds will grow in all kinds of soil. Nevertheless, most NT injunctions do not encourage us to be selective about the soil.

I still see some new perspectives for presentation without dissing the folk or boring them with another "soil" sermon. However, as you noted, "we are not the seed. The seed is the word, which grows in us."

Thanks for your response. therevvv


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 08:12:25

Comments

Reflections from The New Interpreter's Bible takes a different look at the text. In an attempt not to allagorize this text, it suggests that the Matthean reading of Jesus' parable presents the reader with four affirmations: 1) The victory of the kingdom of God is sure. The harvest is God's doing and God is faithful. Note the orig. Greek text uses the word "The" sower went out to sow not "a" sower. 2) The line between sowing the word and reaping the kingdom is not without problems and opposition. Don't be suprised or discouraged that there will be opposition. 3)Although the responses and actions of believes do not effect the final coming of the kingdom (it will come), the choices we make are important in determining which side we are on at the final harvest. 4)Even though the Messiah had been mostly rejected by His own people, God's purpose remained sure and will be fulfilled. There are many ways to go with this text. The temptation is to allagorize an allagory. I'm trying to look for the golden nuget, the one central truth to the parable. Could it be that God's kingdom will come with an abundance and we need to make sure we are on the right side when it comes? Till the soil of your heart to receive God's word. Pastor John in CT


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 09:21:46

Comments

Without knowing it, as the Word of God is proclaimed to me (in sermon, sacrament, spiritual reading) it is filtered through the deep recesses of my heart. The Word falls like seed on the rocky places of my life hardened by the unwillingness to forgive, by past failures, by a low sense of myself; Other seed falls among thorns, those areas of my life that I must seek to control, filled with occupation and my preoccupations. This soil basically cries out I don't have time to live the life of a disciple; yet some of the seed falls on fertile soil and moves deeply into the soul giving life and sustain life even in the midst of refusal and denial.

How are we to come to know ourselves well enough to be able to understand how God works within us?

tom in ga (where the soil is red and clay)


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 09:23:57

Comments

Although this Gospel passage fits nicely with the Isaiah and Ps.65 options, I'm having some difficulty tying it with the Genesis/Ps.119 track (which is the one we're following at my parish).

Anyone have any clear ideas about making any sort of tie between the "parable of the soils" and the Esau/Jacob birthright story?

Blessings, Eric in KS


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 10:56:30

Comments

Eric in KS,

I often struggled with tying the lectionary texts together until someone finally gave me permission to stop trying to find a link. Sometimes we end up streching the truth of each text so thin just to fit it with the other lessons of the day. If a common thread is not obvious, stop trying. It is OK to choose one text and preach on that. I'm not sure the compilers of the Lectionary ever intended the lessons to necessarily fit together in complimentary or contrasting ways each week. Sometimes they fit, othertimes they don't.

Pastor John in CT


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 11:25:57

Comments

Eric,

I think that they fit in a paradoxical way. One interpretation of the parable of the sower seems to tell about the fragileness of life but the opportunity nonetheless for life, so grow it, nurture it while you have it etc. The Esau/Jacob story tells that Esau was ONLY concerned with right now, his needs today (in this case food). He neglected the promise of tommorow for the temporary needs of today. Interesting paradox, but stimulating. Just a thought. Tommy in Tx.


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 11:56:16

Comments

How about this? We think of this passage as encouragement for enthusiasm. We would like not to waste our efforts and only sow in the best soil. But Jesus calls us not to be choosey. He says sow the seed. The results are not always as bad as we think. How many of us driving down the highways have seen trees growing out of rocks? I listen to a gardening radio program out of Columbus,Oh on Saturday mornings - Gardening with Denny. He says when planting, it is not always good to ammend the soil. You see if we only ammend the soil near a plant, then the plant has trouble growing when it reaches the bad soil with the rocks, the clay, etc. Denny suggests that sometimes it is good for the plant to struggle, producing a stronger plant in the long run. Sometimes things grow well where we think they wouldn't. The bottom line is our job as the church is to be seed sowers. It is up to the soil and God to do the rest. PH in OH


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 12:05:49

Comments

Just got back a week ago from a cruise up Alaska's inside passage - amazingly beautiful! One day we spent in Glacier Bay National Park watching icebergs "calve" from the glacier. It was on that day as we sat there in the middle of this icy fjord that I noticed all around us seeds floating and drifting in the air looking for a place to find some "good soil." Not suer what kind of seed it was, down here I would have assumed cottonwood, not sure what to assume on Glacier Bay... "The" sower is busy and at work in Alaska!

Mark in WI


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 12:56:26

Comments

I'm surprised that little if anything was mentioned about thorns representing the seduction of riches and the anxiety of life. After all, this is the USA, land of lotteries, over-consumption and workaholics. My sermon title is Beware of Thorns. Thorns attempt choke the seed to death.

LayRev in PA


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 13:44:29

Comments

When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong, just remember in the winter,far beneath the bitter snows... lies the seed that with the Son's love (my interpretation) comes the rose.

Could not resist another soil/seed song. peace, ks in PA


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 13:52:36

Comments

I just moved to a small town church from a city with a population of 3 million. Imagine me preaching this to the farmers. Arghhh. I am going to work in the direction of our church seeking to be fertile soil for seeds (read souls) to be planted in. Where people can grow to fruitful ministers of the Gospel. Hope I don't misspeak any of the jargon of those who truly do till and sow.

Rev. Israel


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 14:43:13

Comments

Nancy-Wi it seems that you and I are always on the same train of thought. (I meant that as a compliment really) In reading this parable I was struck by the soils. Some soil was not prepared at all to recieve a seed, some soil was worked on very fervently NOT to accept seeds and be a road, and someone took great pains in preparing a section of soil to be perfect and ready when the sower came. I am a UMC pastor (in the "bad" west [sorry couldn't let that one go]) and I am appointed by my bishop to serve a parish not a church. If I choose to serve only a church (and by church I mean a specific congregation) then I'm just working the same plot of ground over and over. If I serve a parish (a community or location) I find myself working hard in other fields preparing it for the sower, sometimes with great harvest, sometimes with weeds and sadly sometimes with no harvest at all. Thus is the nature of a call to ministry. Are we willing to work hard at a plot of ground that might not be on church property? Or one that someone else has worked over intentionally not to accept the seed the sower casts??

Mark In SW Washington


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 14:43:21

Comments

Nancy-Wi it seems that you and I are always on the same train of thought. (I meant that as a compliment really) In reading this parable I was struck by the soils. Some soil was not prepared at all to recieve a seed, some soil was worked on very fervently NOT to accept seeds and be a road, and someone took great pains in preparing a section of soil to be perfect and ready when the sower came. I am a UMC pastor (in the "bad" west [sorry couldn't let that one go]) and I am appointed by my bishop to serve a parish not a church. If I choose to serve only a church (and by church I mean a specific congregation) then I'm just working the same plot of ground over and over. If I serve a parish (a community or location) I find myself working hard in other fields preparing it for the sower, sometimes with great harvest, sometimes with weeds and sadly sometimes with no harvest at all. Thus is the nature of a call to ministry. Are we willing to work hard at a plot of ground that might not be on church property? Or one that someone else has worked over intentionally not to accept the seed the sower casts??

Mark In SW Washington


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 14:49:20

Comments

One more thought by way of an illustration. I have a friend that bought ocean front property several years ago on the Washington Coast. Something happened that I never knew about. After 25 years or so the ocean has deposited a considerable amount of land (by way of sand and logs and dead wales) (just kidding about the wales) infront of his property. Now the state wants to sell it, thus negating his "ocean front". I guess that typically it's not an issue because the sand and stuff the ocean deposits is very unstable and not good for much; but if you go in and work the land with heavy equipment it has some very nice building caracteristics. Speaking of new soils that need to be worked on and prepared... Just a thought.

Mark In SW Washington


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 17:08:56

Comments

Pastor John in CT wrote, "I'm not sure the compilers of the Lectionary ever intended the lessons to necessarily fit together in complimentary or contrasting ways each week."

I'm quite certain they didn't intend that -- their commentary on the patriarchal track of lessons makes that clear.

Nonetheless, I try to find someway to work both the Gospel and one of the other lessons into the sermon. I don't always succeed, but I try.

Blessings, Eric in KS


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 17:09:05

Comments

The post with reference to the New Interpreters Bible struck a chord with me, because I want to marry the Matthew text with the Isaiah text. My leanings have been toward talking about the seeds and the soil, but focusing on the Word, which does not come back empty. I think I intend to show that while we plant at different times, in different soils; ultimately the harvest or lack thereof is the Lord's. Our job then is not to be the preparer of the soil or the planter of the seed, necessarily although that can be part of our job, but rather our focus should be on clarity in sharing of the Word so that regardless of where it falls, it can be fruitful. Thoughts? Pastor's Wife struggling to preach on Sunday


Date: 09 Jul 2002
Time: 18:26:39

Comments

To Eric in KS: As a part time lay speaker in 2 UMC multi-point charges, that use the RCL, I too have struggled to find the common uniting link in the scriptures. And tho this is "carrying coals to Newcastle", I sometimes find that the link is point and counterpoint. I think that applies in this week's lections. Both Esau and Issac have short term goals in mind with no thought to the consequences of their actions. The future anguish resulted from both men's greed at the moment and the thought that all was solved by their respective behavior. The sower on the other hand, gives the farmer's notion of never ending work. The preparation, the sowing, the cultivating, the reaping, and the sorrow of the failed areas are but feelings of the called in their daily efforts to "propigate" the word. As a builder I know too well the ego trip of thinking that I can build the permanent structure that is perfect. As a struggling lay minister I know too well the reality of facing the constant of sowing to all. Hope this helps. Bob the builder


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 07:55:40

Comments

Picking up on focusing on the Word and not the soil or the seed...Jim Taylor in CURRENTS proclaims "God is not stingy. Every fall, God supplies enough goldenrod pollen to color the whole earth yellow, if it all grew. The Parable of the Seed itself tells us God is extravagant and generous. Any sensible farmer makes sure the seeds go only onto the good ground. Only God scatters seed on highways and parking lots, among rocks and swamps..."

God even scattered the word on the greedy twins! It did not come back empty.

What a breath of fresh air for the church! Sometimes we get so frustrated because everyone "doesn't get it." Sometimes we are tempted to be stingy with the Word, preferring to work only with the tried and true inner circle of faithful ones...because we know the word will bear fruit and the work will get done. Guess what? We do not have to worry about who gets it and who doesn't. We simply are called to scatter it. As it was so beautifully noted earlier, "The Word does not come back empty." Talk about encouragement (especially for my exhausted CE committee who just finished another action-packed, over-the-top VBS extravaganza and wondered if it was worth it.) revdlk in Nebraska


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 08:00:56

Comments

Rev DLK,

Thank you for the affirmation! You cannot imagine how much I needed that this day! May God Bless you with your message this week as you spread the Word! Pastor's Wife Preaching


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 08:09:31

Comments

Although the common interpretation of this parable seems to focus on the state, or "attitude" of the different soils, I think perhaps I'm going to look at it from the perspective of "hearing, understanding, and bearing fruit." How can we (followers of Christ) help others to listen so they can hear, so they can understand, and so they may bear fruit? The attitude of the Sower (in Matthew this is Christ) is one of generosity and grace. The seeds are abundant and fall everywhere in an all-inclusive manner. The harvest, despite the early pessimism due to the destroyed seeds, is at the end still fantastically abundant. God's victory is sure. Promise and hope exist because of God's gift to the hearts of those who hear, understand, and bear fruit. Even understanding is a gift of God. Just some food for thought as I continue to work through this passage. Lisa


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 08:10:03

Comments

Although the common interpretation of this parable seems to focus on the state, or "attitude" of the different soils, I think perhaps I'm going to look at it from the perspective of "hearing, understanding, and bearing fruit." How can we (followers of Christ) help others to listen so they can hear, so they can understand, and so they may bear fruit? The attitude of the Sower (in Matthew this is Christ) is one of generosity and grace. The seeds are abundant and fall everywhere in an all-inclusive manner. The harvest, despite the early pessimism due to the destroyed seeds, is at the end still fantastically abundant. God's victory is sure. Promise and hope exist because of God's gift to the hearts of those who hear, understand, and bear fruit. Even understanding is a gift of God. Just some food for thought as I continue to work through this passage. Lisa


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 08:44:54

Comments

Dear Preacher's Wife, I am glad I made your day! Your focus truly honors the intent of the parable. By the way, my sermon title this week is "The Extravagant Farmer." Since we Nebraskans are in the midst of a serious drought, this is going to be interesting. No one has anything to waste right now, including water. And yet we are going to look more closely at the risks we are called to take in spreading the Good News of the Kingdom, because God takes those kinds of risks with us. The rewards are beyond measure. By the way, another growth/garden parable is on the agenda for next Sunday. Guess what? Not only do we NOT have to worry about who gets it and who doesn't, we also do not have to worry about the presence of evil. Our calling is to be patient and nurturing instead of judgmental. In the final separation, God will be satisfied as God makes good that which we cannot. My sermon title, "God's Messy Garden." Given God's farming tactics, should we be surprised? Preach on! revdlk in Nebraska


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 09:03:17

Comments

Hello fellow dpsr's! I am in a quandry this week. We are having a Celebrate America Sunday, and I would like to stay true to the lectionary, but am unsure how to do that in the midst of patriotic songs and the like. We will also be honoring our firefighters and police, emts, and those who have served in the armed forces.

I don't usually do this type of service, so other than the songs, I am somewhat stuck. I cannot find much in the way of invocations or calls to worship in that arena either.

Any help? I am garnering great information from your contributions so far; just not sure where I am going with it. Thank you all.

Betty in NY


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 09:56:35

Comments

A colleague of mine, having ministered in his present parish for a little over a year, commented to me yesterday that everything he has been able to successfullydo here has been because his predecessor faithfully planted seeds. We do not always see the fruits of our labour. We are not called to. We are all called to be faithful (not necessarily successful)in the planting. This is a tall order sometimes. To everything there is a season. Just some musings. Peace, Mike in Canada


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 13:12:53

Comments

This passage begins with, "that same day"..look back at the day and it is escalating conflict with the religious establishment and misunderstanding by his family, yet the crowds are growing exponentially as people hungry for the word of the kingdom crowd in on Jesus. The parable deals with why the word of the kingdom is rejected and misunderstood by some while embraced by others. The thought strikes me that you cannot judge the readiness of the soil (the receptiveness of human beings) by appearance (religious folks seemed to reject him while tax collectors and thieves gathered to him. I've though of the condition of the people who are not reached as: hardened, discouraged, frozen with cares or as U2 puts it "stuck in a moment and you can't get out of it", and seduced by the world. Good soil in contrast would be pliable, hopeful, trusting and disillusioned with the "world". Lewis in Alabama


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 13:14:54

Comments

This passage begins with, "that same day"..look back at the day and it is escalating conflict with the religious establishment and misunderstanding by his family, yet the crowds are growing exponentially as people hungry for the word of the kingdom crowd in on Jesus. The parable deals with why the word of the kingdom is rejected and misunderstood by some while embraced by others. The thought strikes me that you cannot judge the readiness of the soil (the receptiveness of human beings) by appearance (religious folks seemed to reject him while tax collectors and thieves gathered to him. I've though of the condition of the people who are not reached as: hardened, discouraged, frozen with cares or as U2 puts it "stuck in a moment and you can't get out of it", and seduced by the world. Good soil in contrast would be pliable, hopeful, trusting and disillusioned with the "world". Lewis in Alabama


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 15:07:40

Comments

Betty in NY,

A couple of thoughts. The phrase, "The Land of the Free and the Brave," comes to mind. Maybe you could do something with that, since all the different soils make up the land.

Or, maybe you could bring up the theology of vocation, and how these many people, emt's, soldiers, firefighters, and police work in the rocky, thistled, hard-packed places of earth, being God's love and care in some of the most horrible situations on earth.

Or, maybe, as everyone else is celebrating America, you could pick up on some of the ideals of America, or what you would hope the ideals of ALL people could be, if they heard the word of God, and were able to respond as good soil, even amid the thorns, etc.

Just some thoughts...

Michelle


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 15:49:12

Comments

Wow! Another tough sermon this week. I've been wrestling with the soil motif as all of you have. I think that I am not one type of soil, but all types. I've been the hardened soil of the path, the rocky soil without roots, the soil choked by thorns, and with God's grace the good soil.

I wonder if the faceless crowd who sat on that beach at first wondered why this great teacher named Jesus was talking about seeding soil. Didn't he have something better to share than something everyone already knew about. Perhaps as Jesus sat in the boat sharing good news he saw the disinterested look on their face (if you preach you know the look) and then his words perked up their ears "Let anyone with ears listen!" But what was Jesus to say...

We know that the ones who came to the beach that day came willingly. The Bible says nothing of people being dragged there. Jesus must have gained a reputation as a genuine teacher at this point. And then as he speaks he redirects their eyes from the ground and into their souls. And he reminds them that the father will provide a seed. But as with the condition of our souls, seed can only grow if it is cultivated.

Did some people in the crowd walk off that beach disappointed. Maybe. Were any proud enough to see themselves as the good soil. Perhaps. Or did some truly look at their own soil and see that the field they were harvesting was made of more than 'topsoil'.

I know that I am more than topsoil. There are areas in my life that I work very well cultivating. But I am not consistent in every area. Face it, we all face the temptation that money provides. Money can slowly choke the life right out of us. An epiphany moment can make us believe that we can change our lives in an instant, but we slide right back into our old habits. The point is that no field and no soul is perfect, nor without the need of constant attention. At some points we feel like 'dirt' and other times 'topsoil'.

What was Jesus getting at anyway? Maybe for us to come to grips with reality. That all of us should strive to be topsoil so that we can bear fruit, but we should recognize that in order to do this we must get our hands dirty and do the work of cultivation.

Pastor John on the Jersey Shore....


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 17:14:07

Comments

Betty in NY

I have these lyrics from an old song, which I have used twice for memorial/patriotic type services, because I love the way it ties that patriotic fervor back to the primary example of Christ.

People tend to forget.

I was just a young boy, and he an old man He was sitting in the park on that summer day He said, “Do you see that cannon over by the tree?” I said, “Yes, it doesn’t work. It’s just for play.” He said, “Has anyone ever told you, have you ever heard about the war, the blood, the pain that old gun stands for?” But I just looked at him, and finally nodded no But I wanted him to tell me, ‘cause I wanted to know

And he told me of a war for freedom and final victory And he told me of the many lives that were lost for him and me And he said let that old cannon remind you and me That freedom is never cheap, just because it’s free.

Some prices are so high there only paid in blood An empty helmet in the snow, or still boots in the mud And to the many ones, who died, we’ll always be in debt But people fail to remember - people tend to forget.

Well many summers have come and gone, But I was in that park the other day And I remembered that old man and the words he had to say Then I looked up at that old white church with the wooden cross on top And as I sat there in the park alone, to myself I thought

All about a war for freedom, and final victory And I thought about a life that was lost for you and me And I almost heard that old man ask if that cross reminded me That freedom is never cheap just because it’s free

Some prices are so high they’re only paid in blood A lifeless body hanging still, his garments in the mud And to the one, who gave his life, we’ll always be in debt But people fail to remember - people tend to forget. People fail to remember People tend to forget.

By, R. Salsbury, J. D. Hooven Copywrite 1977, Strawbed Music

I don’t know if this will be of any use to you just now, but it may be in the future… Still, I could see it used with the Matthew passage, as it demonstrates the already mentioned, “Extravagance” of a God who would throw seed everywhere, knowing it will not all take root, but loving so much that no other manner of sowing is possible. That may be free, but it is not cheap. Nor is the willing service of those who you seek to recognize this week. And, of course, the problem is that all too often the significance of the seeds sown – and the lives risked in service – does not take root, is not remembered in soil that is too hard, too shallow, too entangled in whatever.

Blessings, Just Another Tom


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 17:21:13

Comments

Betty in NY

I typed the preceeding lyrics in verse form, but it came out in paragraphs... so I apologies for the seeming lack of punctuation, but I trust you can decipher it.

Just another Tom


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 19:42:26

Comments

Rev. Israel wrote:

I just moved to a small town church from a city with a population of 3 million. Imagine me preaching this to the farmers. Arghhh. ... Hope I don't misspeak any of the jargon of those who truly do till and sow.

Ya know... this is a wonderful chance to let some of the wise farmers teach YOU! When I preached this three years ago in my little church, I went humbly to some of my gardeners and read it to them. I asked them to hear it with their gardening ears and talk to me about what they heard. They gave me thoughts and vocabulary and examples of how to best relate it to our congregation.

And, of course, they thought it was a wonderful sermon because I gave them credit for helping to mold it. It was a great way to "sow the seed" in their hearts before Sunday, and cultivate my soil as well. (I did the same thing with the farmers about last week's "yoke" imagery. One old farmer brought me a lapel pin of a yoke afterward.)

Hope it works for you.

Yell AROSE!nTx


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 21:08:22

Comments

Sue Can, Deke in TX and the rest of the DPS family...

Sorry for the delay in my "update" on the memorial service. We had the service on Monday and I want to thank you for the prayers... it went "well" and some good healing took place. It is now time to pick up the brokeness and move toward new life. I'm thankful for this medium... as prayers show no boundaries. Especially nice to know prayers from Canada to Texas surround the family, co-workers, pet owners and friends...

In God's abundance, thanks again,

pulpitt in ND I reflected on the experience in an article *soon to be on my pastor page (*7-11-2002) http://faithumcfargo.com


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 21:33:35

Comments

Hello, Are any of you clergy going to attend the School of Christian Missions that the UMW 'puts on' in your conferences? I am, I get Continuing Ed credit, taking the James and Mexico studies... No, I didn't mean to start a liberal-conservative struggle here...just an observation. I know there are liberals every and conservatives everywhere... I was just making remark based on the WV CONFERENCE Newspapers photo of the two 'old ladies' (who by the way looked like one man and one woman) who had a convenant service in California. This was after THE CREECH INCIDENT. By the way, I joined in this after that. DID Jimmy Creech, I dont know if he still is a Rev. in UMC in Nebraska, come here and post??? I am just curious is ALL... no comment one way or another... Just wondered if someone 'famous' like Jimmy Creech ever visited here.... And to the question if Jesus was a liberal or conservative...hmmm I'd say depends on your perspective. I am still mediating on Matthew And Genesis combo... selling out... Pastor Mary OH


Date: 10 Jul 2002
Time: 21:37:34

Comments

Hello all,

Our Text Study group talked about this passage... almost too familiar to preach... someone suggested... true... one of my colleague said he's titling his sermon... "From the beach"... his premise is that we need to get out of the boat/church and be sowers... EVERYwhere... not just where we're SURE our seeds will take root. Jesus/the sower... scattered seeds indiscriminately... God's love is shared that way... with little thought of only placing the seeds in good soil... Jesus once again does the unexpected.

OK... I know people won't look at my web page for the story... maybe you'll read this story though... :?) I probably should tell it in second person... but here's how it happened.

I had that funeral on Monday - a Veterinarian... lover of animals, ALL animals, perhaps I was more "tuned in" than usual, because... later that afternoon, my son and I were going down Main Avenue and came to the 25th Street intersection... a red light... about 6 cars ahead of me and numerous more cars behind me. The turning lane to my left was full of about 8 cars - I suppose. The right turning lane was empty ... except for the lone creature. I saw it there... struggling to walk... tottering a few steps... falling to its side... righting itself again and again. I waited for it to get to safety on it?s own what seemed an eternity. I watched the pigeon struggle to get out of the way of traffic. (First I asked my 17 year old son to go move it - "Dad it's just a bird!" So with that, I put the car in park... got out of the car... and of course... Just as I approached my feathered friendm the light turned green! It was trembling as I quickly and cautiously placed my hands over it's wings... praying that it would let me pick it up without a struggle, without pecking at me, once captured, it put up no fight. I had carefully gathered it's wings in my hands and whisked it to the curb, the grass, the shaded area of a parking lot shed... there it found sanctuary, a safe place in which to rest and be rescued I hoped. By the time I returned to the car, my son had moved over to the driver seat and we left. A curious thing happened, not a soul honked their horn on that hot summers day.

Having shared that story with my preacher pals on Tuesday morning... one made a good insight I thought, (made ME cry)... "Sure, your son thought "it's just a bird"... but you planted a seed for him and any that saw the rescue take place... Sure, others may have helped, but then again, they may not have. But now, when someone who witnessed THAT rescue sees an animal or a person in need... they may think twice about helping it/them out - they too may decide to be a "fool" for Christ's sake. As far as your son, well, he doesn't know it now... but someday he too will remember when you planted that seed of hope, that life is more precious than the wasted time in performing a good deed."

I think that's what Christ calls us to do... to be extravagant - even reckless in our planting... who knows what seeds will TAKE ROOT AND GROW TO CHANGE THE WORLD!

Thanks for the forum and your imput in it... preach it folks! As one of my mentors commented, "If you don't PREACH it, who will?"

pulpitt in ND


Date: 11 Jul 2002
Time: 05:07:30

Comments

pulpitt in ND, nice web site. Your piece brought to mind the charge that Francis of Assisi (another animal lover) made to his follower, "preach the Gospel always, when necessary use words."

Thinking about this parable, I got to thinking about the extravagance of God in the sowing of seeds. None of us begin as fertile,deep soil ready for grain seed. We are rocky, hardpan with thorns and brambles crisscrossing everywhere. The Sower is a master gardener. He sows all kinds of seeds to the wind and some of those lodge in crevices, their roots widening the cracks and eventually dying to begin the process of soil building. Other seeds come and continue the process. Some like alfalfa put deep roots (25 to 50') which draw up a wealth of minerals and nutrients to the surface. And they die leaving the soil enriched.

And still the sower casts out seeds to winds until the day comes when this patch of waste land becomes a vibrant and fruitful garden with the tree of Life growing in its midst. Pace e Bene – Deke in TX


Date: 11 Jul 2002
Time: 05:23:46

Comments

Any thoughts about comparing the different soils with the differences in children within the same household? Children are born to the same parents, the differences have to do with the other siblings. But almost any parent will tell you that their children had different needs, even from the time when they were first born. One may have been collicky, one jaundiced, one unwilling to go to sleep, one unwilling to eat, one wanting to eat all the time, but only a little bit, one who slept the whole night through, one who slept in daytime... and the list goes on. Even our children are different soils...?

Michelle


Date: 11 Jul 2002
Time: 08:28:58

Comments

Maybe another emphasis besides 'soils?' See vs.8 & 9 -- even the few seeds yield hundredfold (an amazing yield even for modern farming methods!!). Then look at Isaiah 55:10-11. How about seeing this as an encouragement for those who sow God's seed to not focus so much on results as on the sowing, and let God's Word do its work? Just a thought that might help... Willi in ME


Date: 11 Jul 2002
Time: 08:39:48

Comments

Just wondering!!!!

It seems to me that there are two agents in this parable an active one (the sower) and a passive one (the soil). I don't know why we spend so much time reflecting on the passive one for it is the continuing grace of God that showers his seed on everything. He doesn't distinquish as we do between the soils, he, with abundance releases the seed into the wind.

tom in ga


Date: 11 Jul 2002
Time: 09:40:58

Comments

It strikes me that there is nothing so bad about the bad soils-- they are just not ready to be planted. The hard dry soil is great for a path, the rocky soil might be good for climbing or beautiful to photograph, the weedy soil, good for growing as soon as the weeds and thistles are destroyed.

We do what we can to make the soil ready to plant. But that job is ultimately up to God. We would like to be able to take a loved one of ours that has always rejected the Word, and make them receptive. Better than we continue to pray for God to do that.

Our job is to sow and sow and sow and sow. We are not going to run out of seed. God's Word won't run out!

The other thing we try to do that is not our job is decide which soil is good and which is not. Too many people in churches look around the community for "the right kind of people" to invite, to talk to about church. We need to spend more time looking for people who need us-- whose lives are prepared soil-- instead of being careful to invite those who will cause us to change the least.

joinva


Date: 11 Jul 2002
Time: 10:53:02

Comments

jo in va,

I liked your thought about the different soils being useful in other ways. I thought about this as I was driving to my country church this fine summer morning. The road side is covered in weeds in bloom (thistles are a gorgeous purple) and the weeds prevent the erosion as well. A testimony to God's inventiveness and abundance and patience? We are not all ready to hear God's word, it takes the teachable moment (or many teachable moments) yet God still uses us when we are sinners and finds us worthy of reconciliation. Thanks for the many contributions, certainly helps get things percolating.

KSin PA


Date: 11 Jul 2002
Time: 13:45:01

Comments

Humbert on Romans in the Early Dominicans:

We must realize, then, that there are many people whose spirits are in their bodies like corpses in their tombs.

Again there are people whose hearts are harder than rock. The word of God sometimes breaks this hardness. "Are not my words like a hammer, smashing the rocks? <Jer. 23:29>

There are people whose piety and compunction and devotion towards God are quite dried up. But the word of God sometimes melts them.

There are many people in whom charity has grown cold. But the word of the Lord rekindles it.

There are many who are like a barren woman, unable to conceive any good undertaking. But the word of God makes them conceive. And it not only causes conception, it also makes things bring forth fruit. "As the rain and the snow come down and make the earth drunk and fill it with moisture and make it germinate, so will my word be, which comes from my mouth. <Isaiah 55:10-11>

tom in ga


Date: 11 Jul 2002
Time: 18:19:57

Comments

tom in ga -- great stuff from the Early Dominicans. Where's that from (citation) exactly? I really like it!

Blessings, Eric in KS


Date: 11 Jul 2002
Time: 19:28:53

Comments

I have a very clear memory of being about eight or nine years old and watching every day to see a dandelion grow up through the asphalt sidewalk outside of my school. I remember wondering how on earth a dandelion seed got down there, under the sidewalk, to start with, and being truly amazed at the strength and determination of that plant to break its way up through the sidewalk, pushing cracks into the hard blackness. I was a dandelion-picker at that time, my mother had glasses and jars of my dandelions (with the occasional daisy or black-eyed susan or Queen Anne's lace mixed in) all over the kitchen. But there was no way I was going to pick that dandelion, even though it grew to a tempting foot-high (since no one bothered to mow it down as there was no lawn for at least four or five feet in any direction!).

I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this, maybe something about the awesomeness of the seed to grow in the places we'd least expect. Because somewhere deep down under the asphalt there had to have been some good soil.

Heather in Sharon


Date: 11 Jul 2002
Time: 19:33:38

Comments

So often we point the finger at the churches that offer 'lite' Christianity and think ourselves superior. Before we do that again I wonder if we are really going to preach this sermon the way it reads. Call me crazy but isn't Jesus talking about an eschatological judgement? Isn't he saying (and if you read the whole chapter you might agree) that there will be some who hear the word and are rewarded and some who miss out?

This is a parable about the kingdom. It seems to say that only those who hear the word and understand it (or respond to it) will yield fruit.

This is tricky business for us Protestants. We don't know what to say about rewards. But it is also difficult for us to talk about judgement, especially when everyone seems to be walking away from the church (we try to keep them in by reminding them that they are accepted and God love's them). But can we preach a 'comfort sermon' this time?

Kind of curious in Jersey


Date: 12 Jul 2002
Time: 05:02:49

Comments

Michelle & Just Another Tom:

Thanks for your assistance! I really appreciate your taking the time to respond to my question and needs. The song is great, Tom. And perfect for my focus because obviously I want to draw us toward a focus on God.

I think it will work - with God's grace!

Betty in NY


Date: 12 Jul 2002
Time: 08:19:55

Comments

Eric,

The reference is in the Classics of Western Spirituality Series, published by Paulist Press and the Book is entitled: Early Dominicans: Selected Writings. Edited by Simon Tugwell, O.P.

You will find the quote on pages 201-203 in a section titled: The Usefulness of Preaching.

Enjoy, tom in ga


Date: 12 Jul 2002
Time: 09:07:03

Comments

Here's an interesting quote I found: The best way to garden is put on a wide brimmed straw hat and some old clothes. And with a hoe in one hand and a cold drink in the other, tell somebody else where to dig.--Texas Bix Binder

another Ohio preacher


Date: 12 Jul 2002
Time: 09:09:26

Comments

How hard it is to hear the word and understand it in the context of today.

The thorns are many - the thorns say you can't trust the seed or the sower, for look what happens when you trust - you can't trust business, the executives are all greedly little bastards who are looking out for themselves and not their workers - you can't even trust your doctors, treatments that women have been taking for years now this week say cause more harm then good, knee sugeries that supposedly helped with arthritis this week say might not be so - you can't trust your pension, the stock market is devastating the hopes of the recently retired. This is not evening mentioning the thorns of fear, of isolation that seems to also be permeating through the community.

From where I stand, thank God that the sower sows admist the thorns anyways, because among the thorns is where I and I think most of my congregation is living right now.

+ JP in CO


Date: 12 Jul 2002
Time: 09:17:26

Comments

What about those who really had no choice in terms of thier condition? What about those who were born into rocky terrain, and are doing the best to live amidst the rocks? Or those who have thorns around them? Or those who can't keep the birds away?

When I was younger I thought this was such a nice little parable - now it is making me have a very bad day.

Pete in MT


Date: 12 Jul 2002
Time: 10:52:36

Comments

Pete in MT,

The way I read this text is that all the soils are found in one person. They speak of my own difficulty in receiving the Word, my refusal to understand, my weakness to embrase, and yet at the same time my attempt to remain open. I don't think this is a parable about those who have received the word against those whose soil for what ever reason refuses to let the seed grow. At the heart of this venture into the soils is our own willingness to know ourselves: How do I discover why my heart is so hardened, my will so willful, my mind so lacking understanding, why do I close my ears to the word, what am I afraid of, why is living the Gospel so hard for me? etc?

tom in ga


Date: 12 Jul 2002
Time: 12:18:07

Comments

I guess I'm looking for the big "so what?" in this week's Gospel. Surely those who hear this Word proclaimed will wonder what type of soil they are; everything from awful to good (4 types). But just maybe we should be focusing on how we recognize each of the soils (states of the heart to receive God's Holy Word), and most importantly what to do about what we find within ourselves. What impact does this Gospel reading have on the living of our lives? I really don't want to preach a soil sermon. Suggestions welcome.

Ptbo Pastor


Date: 12 Jul 2002
Time: 12:49:41

Comments

tom in ga: Thanks -- I suspected that it could be found in Tugwell's book (which is one of many that are in boxes in the garage hoping someday to again see the light of day). Thanks for the citation.

Blessings, Eric in KS


Date: 12 Jul 2002
Time: 13:15:18

Comments

I wonder whether the big 'so what' is God's faithfulness. God is persistent, generous even extravagant in scatering the seed.

Interesting to me -- I am working on planing a new church, and our team has surveyed the different neighborhoods. They were much better received in some than others, and we had thought we would focus on those where we were well received. Bit you all have reminded me that God's word can take root where we least expect it....

Aloa,

HW in HI


Date: 12 Jul 2002
Time: 13:33:10

Comments

I am a little troubled even with my own thoughts. If we say that God is generous to everyone - does that mean that we are not called to responsibility? If we say it all depends on the grace of God does that mean that my faith, my hearing is not important? What is my responsbility for my own life? Am I the gardener of my own soil/soul? How much of this parable have to do with self-knowledge: the seed, no matter, where it falls, is mean to grow and come to harvest, how am I to help that happen?

What role does prayer, sacraments, meditation, sacred reading, serving the poor, reaching out to the unloved, etc have in keeping life sensitive and open to God? Or do we simply say, God will supply our need?

tom in ga


Date: 12 Jul 2002
Time: 14:28:44

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As one who recently planted 200 lilac seedlings by hand on soil that varies from sand to rock to what was once a paved area to river loam and who is now in the process of removing the creeping jenny from the poor choking little shrubs, I can truly relate to Jesus' story!

Even though I have all four soil types where I wanted to plant my little trees, there was something I could do if I wanted my lilacs to grow around my yard. In the sandy areas, I had to add leaves or grass clippings or manure to make the soil better. If there were rocks (or even pieces of burried pavement and block), I had to dig down under them and remove them. The weeds are a constant problem -- some I can spray but others are too close to my tender plants so I must till and pull weeds. The rich loamy soil? Well, that affords me a sigh of relief because I just go by with my little tiller and smile at how big my lilacs have already grown there. Each "soil type" can be made into rich, fertile, receptive soil with a little work. Our goal is to get all the soil to be good, fertile, rootable soil. To reach that goal, we have to fertilize, pull, spray and till weeds, and move the rock! I do know that a few of my lilacs won't make it. I'll just go back to them next spring, pull out the dead trees, work on the soil, and plant again. And when the mature lilacs get old and die out, I'll be back to plant AGAIN.

"We work the field of souls, together you and I, some fields are blooming now, and other fields are dry. We are not the same, but differences aside, we work the field of souls, together." (I hope those are the right words --this really is one of my favorite Michael W. Smith songs.)

Thanks for your wonderful contributions. This site is always inspirational to me! Janel in ND


Date: 12 Jul 2002
Time: 15:58:37

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My title: "The Prodigal Farmer" Chuck in WI


Date: 12 Jul 2002
Time: 17:13:55

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Do you all know of Seeds of Peace, the summer camping program that brings kids from Israel and Palestine (and other war-racked areas) together to meet and get to know one another? John Wallach, Founder and President of Seeds of Peace, died on Wednesday, July 10th, 2002, of nonsmoker's lung cancer.

I have been thinking about the hard work they do and that there can't be any rockier ground on which to sow the seeds of peace than the holy land at the current time. It has made me think that perhaps another way to look at this parable is to see ourselves as sowers (assistant sowers, if you wish) and our need to appreciate the kinds of soil that we are called to work with. Often, I think, we blame ourselve when our pastoral ministry, evangelism, etc. doesn't seem to produce much ... perhaps it is the soil we're dealing with, not the failure of our own effort.

Just some Friday evening thoughts.

Blessings, Eric in KS


Date: 12 Jul 2002
Time: 17:15:45

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PS -- By the way, the URL for Seeds of Peace is http://www.seedsofpeace.org/

Blessings, Eric in KS


Date: 13 Jul 2002
Time: 10:04:59

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Tom, GA This quote has rested on my desk for months.

"Nothing gives us more trouble than the unmerrited grace of God, especially where we have established ruels for what merits God's approval. We are undone."

Sorry am not sure of the source. Maybe another can help here.

Israel, looking forward to meeting you. Your (DOC) brother.


Date: 13 Jul 2002
Time: 10:08:49

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Unmerited grace quote sent by Phil N


Date: 13 Jul 2002
Time: 10:17:15

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Try this one more time.

Nothing gives us more trouble than the unmerited grace of God. Espceially where we have established rules for what merits God's approval, we are undone.


Date: 13 Jul 2002
Time: 13:26:31

Comments

Imagine the wonderful world it would be if the birds never snatched the word away from anyone, if the thorns never choked out goodness, if the stones never interfered with foundation!

Sometimes, the word intended for my ears may have been snatched away. Sometimes, the cares of the world turn me in other directions. Sometimes, I don't recognize the significance of a godly event, and it passes from my memory.

I agree with similar postings, all the soils are present within me. Thanks to the grace of God, I can also receive the seed, bear fruit, proclaim to others, with all kinds of soil in their lives.

Phil N, don't know the (earthly) source of the quote either, but could God's Holy Spirit be the true source?

Michelle


Date: 13 Jul 2002
Time: 14:02:17

Comments

Joseph G. Donders taught and served as a student chaplain at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Later he was associated wiht the Washington Theological Union in Washington D. C.

He writes of this passage... about the boyfriend and girlfriend that had a fight... the boyfriend tried to call, write, but chickened out... so he bought her a rose, set it in front of her door and watched from behind some garbage cans as she returned home from work one day... she got her key, opened the door, stepping over the flowers... an opportunity for reconciliation was missed... God must think we miss many chances to touch others...

On page 53 of his book (Praying and Preaching the Sunday Gospel) he writes... "God gives us signs day after day, trying to get our attention: a flower, a thought, a dream, a child, a person, a fine feeling, sometimes even pain. How often do we notice? How often do we stop and say: "Hello, thank you, my God"?

We live as those who have eyes and see not; as those who have ears and heart not; not only as far as God is concerned, but even as far as the people around us are concerned. Isn't God trying to speak to us through others? Isn't that what God tried to do through Jesus?" Joseph G. Donders PRAYING AND PREACHING THE SUNDAY GOSPEL... Orbis Books, c. 1990

pulpitt in ND


Date: 13 Jul 2002
Time: 14:27:48

Comments

It's late Saturday afternoon, so many will probably not see this, but here's my two cents worth to connect the Esau/Jacob story with the Gospel.

The "seed" is the birthright -- the promise of God for both. In Esau, that seed was planted in rocky soil; he was willing to trade it for some food. In Jacob, the seed would find fertile soil. Jacob heard the whole story, accepted and trusted God's Word, and sought to provide it with fertile ground.

I agree with those who say we are the four types of soil, in one. We go through different days being different soils, with different receptivity to God's Word in our daily lives. We need to work on ourselves daily to prepare ourselves for receiving the seed and allowing it to grow, as God would have it grow in each of us.

Many thanks for all your thoughts each week. This is indeed fertile soil for sermon preparation!

Don in Ontario, Canada


Date: 13 Jul 2002
Time: 16:36:57

Comments

Eric,

Thanks for the link to the "Seeds of Peace" webiste... for all the desperate preachers out there... THIS letter from the son John (the founder of Seeds of Peace)... Michael Wallach will indeed preach THIS Sunday! http://www.seedsofpeace.org/wallachletter.cfm

thanks again, pulpitt in ND


Date: 13 Jul 2002
Time: 16:55:40

Comments

While some of you are listening to "Dust in the Wind" we'll be listening to "Cast your fate to the Wind" by Vince Guaraldi.

C in IN


Date: 13 Jul 2002
Time: 18:45:04

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I took a class from Andy Langford who was one of the people who helped to formulate the Revised Common Lectionary. One of the secrets to the Scripture during the Common time is that there isn't a connection with the OT and the NT. I was so relieved when I found that out. The readings will come together from Advent through Pentecost. After that, we are on our own. Stop driving yourselves crazy trying to put together Scripture that may not match. I am currently battling God's seeds that have been so abundantly shared with the furtile soil of my tire garden. I have planted tomatoes. I keep pulling up the soft wood tree starters, and the ever present grassand the dandilions. I wish that my culitvated plants did as well as the ones I didn't plant. PSINIA


Date: 13 Jul 2002
Time: 20:23:22

Comments

C in IN, Vince Guaraldi is the coolest, and next to "Linus and Lucy"(of course), "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" is the BEST! Thanxfor reminding me. I'm on my way to IN tomorrow after church, for the big Fellowship of Christian Magicians conference at Indiana Weslyan University, in Marion. I'll probably be humming Guaraldi as I drive now. tom in TN(USA)