Sunday Sermon 12th July 2020
MATT 13:1-9
The Sower
I am certain that today’s readings will be familiar to you, and you will have heard many sermons on what is known as the parable of the sower, as well as the stories of Jacob and Esau. As a preacher, it really is quite difficult at times to preach on scripture which we all know so well. But in looking at all the readings and the psalm set for today, it seems to me that there is a common theme: treasure your treasure.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, Esau gave away his inheritance, which was given him by his father, for the immediate pleasure of food. His birthright was a special honour given to the first-born son.
He was to receive a double portion of the family inheritance along with the honour of becoming the family’s leader. But he forgot all of that when he satisfied his immediate desires for food, without considering the long-term consequences of his action. He was more interested in immediate gratification.
Our inheritance as people of God is made up of many strands. The first strand is the example of the life of Jesus and the lives of those who have gone before us, especially those people who influenced our own faith journeys. The second strand is the word of God, which we should nourish us on our journey of faith. The third strand is our faith community, the people with whom we worship and grow.
In today’s Gospel, we have what is probably one of the most famous of Jesus parables, Jesus favourite teaching tool. This parable is also found in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus is talking about everyday life in Israel, the land, the seed and the weather.
I think the wonderful thing about parables is that Jesus always knows his target audience and he understands the things they understand. This is real life for those who heard it. They know about sowing seeds and they know all about weeds which destroy the crop. We know that the sower and the seeds represent the good news and the kingdom, and sometimes these seeds survive and thrive, and sometimes the seeds die.
Most unusually, Jesus also explains the parable in great depth to his inner circle of disciples, those who have already shown that they have ears to hear. Some scholars believe that it is very unlikely that Jesus explained his parables to anyone. They were all so simple that they didn’t really need a deep theological exposition.
So the assumption is that the interpretation was written by Matthew, to encourage the small but growing band of Christians in his own community, just to help them understand the difficulties they faced in their faith journey.
We can understand such pressure, because we all know what it is like to be Christians in a society which is not always tolerant to others it perceives to be “different”.
Sometimes there is gentle pressure to conform to what society regards as the “norm”. But as people who follow Jesus, we must judge for ourselves what we think of current issues, whether it is green issues, the refugee situation and even whether we can accept same-sex marriages.
We must always make our decisions within the framework of Jesus teaching about loving and accepting others, but not accepting anything we believe to be contrary to those teachings.
Those are the seeds which have been sown in us. And if we wish to share in the harvest, and be able to share God’s blessings, we must love and nurture what we have received.
But we must also be prepared to keep learning and to keep listening to what Jesus wants to share with us. I think I have shared with you before now my limitations in understanding anything technical.
One thing I just do not understand is “cruise control” in my car. I do get the general idea that if I put my foot on the accelerator, it goes forward, and if I put my foot on the brake it stops. Even I get that much. Despite many explanations, I cannot understand how cruise control works: how the car moves forward and I am not involved.
I am assured by those that know, that cruise control is a dream, it makes driving so easy, so effortless; you just point and go. You don’t even have to think about it.
So let me ask you: Are you a cruise control Christian? Have you long ago received a mustard seed of faith, set out on your Christian journey, headed in the right direction, gone into cruise control and have made no further effort since.
Do you still have the same ideas, the same prayers, and the same favourite Bible readings, still give the same amount when the collection bag comes round as you have always done?
And if you are cruise control Christian, what happens if the road ahead deviates, or comes to a sudden stop. Are you prepared for what might be ahead?
One important strand of faith for me has been the faith community in which we learn and grow. And for both Mike and I, the community of Christs Church Mandurah is a wonderful, important and loving part of our faith journey.
And as we go forward on our faith journey, let us keep treasuring your faith and each other.
AMEN
The Sower
I am certain that today’s readings will be familiar to you, and you will have heard many sermons on what is known as the parable of the sower, as well as the stories of Jacob and Esau. As a preacher, it really is quite difficult at times to preach on scripture which we all know so well. But in looking at all the readings and the psalm set for today, it seems to me that there is a common theme: treasure your treasure.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, Esau gave away his inheritance, which was given him by his father, for the immediate pleasure of food. His birthright was a special honour given to the first-born son.
He was to receive a double portion of the family inheritance along with the honour of becoming the family’s leader. But he forgot all of that when he satisfied his immediate desires for food, without considering the long-term consequences of his action. He was more interested in immediate gratification.
Our inheritance as people of God is made up of many strands. The first strand is the example of the life of Jesus and the lives of those who have gone before us, especially those people who influenced our own faith journeys. The second strand is the word of God, which we should nourish us on our journey of faith. The third strand is our faith community, the people with whom we worship and grow.
In today’s Gospel, we have what is probably one of the most famous of Jesus parables, Jesus favourite teaching tool. This parable is also found in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus is talking about everyday life in Israel, the land, the seed and the weather.
I think the wonderful thing about parables is that Jesus always knows his target audience and he understands the things they understand. This is real life for those who heard it. They know about sowing seeds and they know all about weeds which destroy the crop. We know that the sower and the seeds represent the good news and the kingdom, and sometimes these seeds survive and thrive, and sometimes the seeds die.
Most unusually, Jesus also explains the parable in great depth to his inner circle of disciples, those who have already shown that they have ears to hear. Some scholars believe that it is very unlikely that Jesus explained his parables to anyone. They were all so simple that they didn’t really need a deep theological exposition.
So the assumption is that the interpretation was written by Matthew, to encourage the small but growing band of Christians in his own community, just to help them understand the difficulties they faced in their faith journey.
We can understand such pressure, because we all know what it is like to be Christians in a society which is not always tolerant to others it perceives to be “different”.
Sometimes there is gentle pressure to conform to what society regards as the “norm”. But as people who follow Jesus, we must judge for ourselves what we think of current issues, whether it is green issues, the refugee situation and even whether we can accept same-sex marriages.
We must always make our decisions within the framework of Jesus teaching about loving and accepting others, but not accepting anything we believe to be contrary to those teachings.
Those are the seeds which have been sown in us. And if we wish to share in the harvest, and be able to share God’s blessings, we must love and nurture what we have received.
But we must also be prepared to keep learning and to keep listening to what Jesus wants to share with us. I think I have shared with you before now my limitations in understanding anything technical.
One thing I just do not understand is “cruise control” in my car. I do get the general idea that if I put my foot on the accelerator, it goes forward, and if I put my foot on the brake it stops. Even I get that much. Despite many explanations, I cannot understand how cruise control works: how the car moves forward and I am not involved.
I am assured by those that know, that cruise control is a dream, it makes driving so easy, so effortless; you just point and go. You don’t even have to think about it.
So let me ask you: Are you a cruise control Christian? Have you long ago received a mustard seed of faith, set out on your Christian journey, headed in the right direction, gone into cruise control and have made no further effort since.
Do you still have the same ideas, the same prayers, and the same favourite Bible readings, still give the same amount when the collection bag comes round as you have always done?
And if you are cruise control Christian, what happens if the road ahead deviates, or comes to a sudden stop. Are you prepared for what might be ahead?
One important strand of faith for me has been the faith community in which we learn and grow. And for both Mike and I, the community of Christs Church Mandurah is a wonderful, important and loving part of our faith journey.
And as we go forward on our faith journey, let us keep treasuring your faith and each other.
AMEN
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