Sermon Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 Seeds of the Kingdom

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 Seeds of the Kingdom

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

July 13, 2008

The pastor of the church wanted to measure the effectiveness of her spiritual development program. She hoped that though her weekly sermons and the numerous Bible studies at the church that the members of the church would be transformed into the image of Christ. But was this happening? Were her programs really effective or was she just wasting time?

A year before she had asked a new members class to join with her in a monthly Bible study. Although several people who started in the group left during the year four people continue to study scripture with the pastor. Donald was student at local university. He had been raised in a large evangelical church back east, and after coming to California for college naturally looked around for a church to join. Linda was an international student who had come to California from China. She was attending a language school and learning English. She came to the church for its ESL program and joined the church because it helped her adjust to American life. Tracy and Mark were young parents who came to Los Angeles for Mark’s new job. Mark was a junior executive at a large multinational company and Tracey stayed home with their two young children, Jennifer and Jason. Donald, Linda, Mark and Tracey all met with the pastor to study and discuss scripture once a month.

Today, they began their study in the usual way[1]; the pastor said a short prayer. Lord Jesus Christ be in our presence today as we study your scripture. Open our hearts and our minds to receive the message you have for us. Help us to be transformed though your Word. And we pray this in your strong name, amen.

The pastor then asked Donald to read the passage that she had selected for today’s study. Each person was asked to listen carefully to the scripture and pick out a word or phrase that seemed important or in some way stood out. Donald read the following passage from Matthew.

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

Donald paused for a moment to consider his answer and then said, “sprang up quickly”, and invited Tracey to share her word or phrase. Tracey pondered awhile collecting her thoughts, said “choked”, looked at her husband and invited him to speak. Mark said “some a hundredfold”. Mark then invited the pastor who said “great crowds”. Linda was invited to speak and said “birds ate them up.”

The pastor then asked Linda to reread the passage while group considered the question, “Why did you choose this particular word or phrase?” Linda then read:

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

Linda was the first to speak and said, “The reason I selected “the birds ate them up” was because I just don’t find anything here at the church that I am interested in. I listen to the sermons and just don’t understand what they are about most of the time. Maybe it is my language skills and limited English. I just can’t understand how this talk about God and a man who lived 2000 years ago has anything to do with my life today. How can Jesus help me learn English, get a job, and find a place to live?” I thought that there might be something here at the church when I joined, but now nothing is left, maybe the birds ate it all up.”

Linda then invited Donald to speak and after a few moments of silence Donald said, “When I first came to this church everything seemed to go so fast. I joined the choir the very first week and started attending Sunday school and a Tuesday night class. Someone in the church would invite me to do something almost every night of the week. I loved all the activity. Then my classes at the university started and there were some clubs I wanted to join. There was a college group at a large church on the other side of town I got involved with. But then I just didn’t have time to study and write papers so I am now just coming to church just one Sunday a month. I am too busy to do any more than that.”

Donald then invited Tracey who had been waiting quietly for her turn to speak. Tracy looked tired. She said “I feel like a flower that is choked by weeds. Last year Mark and I moved here from Nebraska. It was the first time I have lived away from my family and as soon as we arrived my mother got sick. I was so guilty being here when she needed me back there. And I didn’t have her help with Jennifer and Jason like I did when we lived back there. I am so busy and worry so much I just can’t get involved in church the way I used to. I sit in this Bible study month after month but I can’t concentrate on what we are doing. My mind keeps drifting to all the problems I have.” Tracey then looked to Mark who gentle squeezed her hand and gave her a gentle smile. Mark said, “When I first came to this church I too was feeling overwhelmed with starting a new job and finding a new house. I didn’t know if I could do everything I had to do. But during the new members class last year I found that a feeling of great peace came over me whenever I read scripture. The Bible was, for me, like an intoxicating drug. As I read it I felt God’s love for me and my love for Tracey and the kids increased nearly a hundred fold. I even started a Bible study for some people I work with.”

Mark then invited the pastor who smiled but passed on the question. She then invited Mark to read the passage a third time and asked the group to consider what God was calling them to do or change in this passage. Mark read the following words from Matthew.

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

Mark said, “The Word of God, when I hear it and understand it generates in me a desire to hear it more and more and share it with others. I need to keep reading it and studying and learning more about it.” Then he looked over at his wife Tracey and said, “Maybe if we read a scripture every day at breakfast it will give you a little boost and help you to deal with the kids and your mother’s illness.”

Tracey said, “That might help, the Lord knows I don’t have any other time during the day to read the Bible. So let’s try reading scripture together starting tomorrow and see what happens.

Donald said, “I don’t have time for things like reading the Bible. I usually sleep though breakfast and with exams coming up I have no time to read scripture.”

And Linda said, “I don’t see what difference that would make. Reading nonsense out of the Bible every morning would be a waste of my time.”

The pastor then shared with the group Jesus’ interpretation of the story they had been reading. He read from Matthew,

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

The pastor then invited Mark to close their time together in prayer. Mark said, “Father in Heaven, we thank you for this time to be in your presence through you Word. Turn our hearts into good soil that will receive your word and that it will transform us into your people. We thank you and praise you that as we are transformed we will become your instruments who will bring your love and your Word to hundreds in our community. We know that not everyone who hears your gospel will respond, but many will and our church will grow, amen.

---

[1] Bible Study using Mutual Invitation adapted from Eric Law, The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb: A Spirituality for Leadership in a Multicultural Community, (St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 1993), p. 113.