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The parable of the sower, like all of
Jesus’ parables, has been preached and taught from numerous
times. And many more sermons will continue to pour out from
Jesus’ parables to enable us to deepen our relationship with
God and one another.
Interestingly, I realized while preparing
this sermon that I could not remember the last time I preached
from one of Jesus’ parables. I asked Bill Ritter for some
suggestions and tips on preaching when I arrived at First
Church three years ago. One suggestion Bill made was that I
should preach on a parable. So, for my last sermon at First
Church, I have taken the challenge of preaching from one of
Jesus’ well-known parables. It is a challenge because I have
heard so many sermons on Jesus’ parables that I wondered
what I could teach that hasn’t been said before.
Though most of you know the parable well, even hearing
Bill preach from this parable last year, I hope to give you
other insights into the parable of the sower.
Though Jesus used parables to help people
understand or remember his teachings, sometimes there was
confusion. The word “parable” in Greek means to compare or
put two things side by side for comparison. Fortunately,
because the disciples were totally confused and asked what the
parable of the sower meant, we have an account of what Jesus
told them.
Most of us have been taught that the sower
in the story is God or Jesus Christ, to think of the seeds as
the Scriptures, the various grounds or soils as people, and
the destructive plants in the soil as persecution, harmful
personal desires, or the lack of understanding. After more
study and meditation on this parable, I realized that Jesus
did not identify the sower, and that the sower could also
represent each of us, not only God; the seeds represent the
words that come from our lips that build God’s kingdom, not
only God’s Word recited from the Holy Bible; the types of
soil also represent different stages of our faith journey or
various life circumstances, not a single state of one’s
heart to understand and accept words of the kingdom of God;
and the difficult times and temptations in life represent life
and faith-strengthening experiences when we fail or when we
overcome, not just the harmful effects to our faith or
spiritual growth.
By the very nature of who we are—followers
of Jesus Christ—each of us is a sower, having an
understanding and the experience of the life-giving and
transforming words of God’s kingdom.
By definition, a sower is one who plants by scattering,
spreading, or throwing seeds. The seeds are plentiful, and the
sower hopes to scatter the seeds everywhere they could
possibly grow. In this parable, the soil wasn’t all prepared
or selected. The goal of the farmer in the parable was to
spread the seeds, not minding where all the seeds fell. Though
the seeds could yield a great crop in the right soil, it seems
as though the supply of seeds was not an issue.
The seeds we sow are the Word of God as well
as the words we speak. We all spread seeds by the things we
say, whether positive or negative. But do you see yourself as
a planter of words that results in drawing people to new or
deeper faith and walk with God?
We are here in this place worshipping God
because Jesus taught his disciples to go and tell others about
him and his love, teaching them to do as Jesus commanded them.
As the disciples planted God’s seeds of salvation everywhere
they could, so have our families and friends who have gone
before us.
My grandfather died for the Gospel at a very
early age. My grandmother lived to her 94th
birthday, daily planting seeds of God’s love in her family.
And my mother and father planted seeds in me to bear fruit, as
I learned to do the same. That is, learning to be a sower of
God’s seeds.
I had heard the story of Jesus and his love
many times as a child, the seeds my parents, friends, and the
ministers planted in my mind and heart to build me up in my
faith and life.
What are these words, the seeds of God?
First, they are the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We journey through
the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in
our church every year. And we will always do so, never tiring
of telling the story. The most important seed you can plant is
the story of Jesus Christ. For it is the power of God to save.
I was around twelve years old when Jesus
took root in my soul. The seeds of the Gospel that were
planted year after year finally made sense to me. I understood
and made a decision to trust in Jesus as my God and Savior,
saving me from the guilt and penalty of my sins. And when I
was fourteen, I heard again the story of Jesus’ sacrifice on
the cross and his resurrection from the dead so that I could
live life abundantly every day. I realized I trusted Jesus as
my Savior, but I didn’t make a decision to live my life
following him and his example. I told Jesus that I would live
my life for him no matter what I was called to do. At that
time I had no idea that being a minister was even an option.
It was after two years studying at GMI (now
known as Kettering University) and while working at GM that I
realized that I was called by God to full-time ministry as a
pastor. Part of my calling came from the passion to teach,
preach, and lead by guiding others in being disciples of
Jesus.
God calls us to speak the truth in love.
That doesn’t mean that my parents and Christian community
walked around only quoting the Bible and telling me about
Jesus every single day. The
seeds they and many other Christians planted in my life were
words seasoned with God’s love and with my spiritual
well-being in mind. They included testimonies of how God
worked in their lives that encourage and strengthen my faith.
I can look back now and see how the words my
parents spoke to us included many of the foundational
teachings that helped form who I am today. Though we know the
saying that “actions speak louder than words,” we also
know that some words can touch and transform the heart and
mind in ways that no actions can accomplish.
My father always talks about the importance
of family and made sure we understood what it meant to take
care of each other. Those seeds my dad planted in me did not
take root until one day when my older brother, Dan, told me
how my dad regretted not starting his 401k earlier. My dad
realized he could have started saving money for retirement
much earlier and been able to retire when it was time and not
worry about providing for him and mom. Well, Dan walked into
the room with some tea and said to my dad, in front of the
financial planner, that he should not worry one bit because
we, his four children, were his special “401k” plan. My
dad smiled and stopped worrying so much about the future. That
seed took root in my life after I understood more fully how we
are to take care of each other and do well to keep planting
those kinds of seeds in each other and our future children.
I wish I had time to tell you all the kinds
of seeds I have discovered taking root and sprouting in my
life. I wish I had the time to share about the many seeds I
have planted in the hearts of those I have met in my lifetime.
Some are so moving, healing, renewing, and strengthening,
while others could entertain you with side-splitting laughter.
A very special friend of mine spoke about
how, in Asian cultures, humbleness and modesty are highly
important traits to possess. But in other cultures, they can
be perceived as being timid or having a lack of confidence.
Sometimes the hidden talents, traits, and character of a
person are what people need to see and learn from.
I wish I had heard and understood that
earlier in my life. But God’s timing is perfect, and those
words have taken root in my mind and heart. About a year ago,
I would not show some of my gifts and talents, having been
taught not to be prideful or too “showy.” There is a
difference in being too prideful and having a healthy pride in
one’s gifts and talents.
Another seed that was planted early in my
life was to give God my best. That seed was also given much
strengthening throughout my life through the lives of my
mentors. One mentor during my seminary education was Daryl
Byler. He taught me about giving to God all that I possibly
could, including my income—of course, doing so while still
taking care of myself and those I was responsible for. I share
this to impress upon you how powerful those testimonies have
been in my life and how they have benefited me and many
others. Unless I was told about offering, I would not have had
an idea what to do. I was taught to give ten percent of my
income, and that’s before taxes. Then, though not told to do
so, I learned about offering God as much as I could. After
consulting with the co-executive of our household—that is
Jamie, my wife—I continued giving more than double of what I
had always given to God’s work through the church. Of
course, when we have children one day, our ability to give
will change, but won’t go below what I had started out
giving. That is the same with my time praying, reading the
Bible, and ministering with acts of mercy, justice,
compassion, and worship. I realized who taught people like my
parents and Daryl to give as much as possible. It was people
like John Wesley, the founder of our denomination, Methodism.
You may know his famous saying which I call
the “earn all you can–save all you can–so you can give
all that you can plan.” I don’t think I have the
discipline to go as far as John Wesley did.
When he died, all he had left was a few coins, the
clothes on his back, and one black widow drape that he put in
his will to be used as part of his burial when he died. The
rest of his belongings, what little that he did have, were
given away.
What kind of seeds are you planting, not
only in younger people, but with everyone you know and meet?
And not some days, but every day?
I’ve talked about how we are all sowers of
God’s seeds; that seeds are God’s Word and the very words
we speak to build others in their faith. Now we take a look at
the types of soil also representing us and others in the
different stages of our faith journey or various life
circumstances.
For some reason, the sower in Jesus’
parable scatters the seeds knowing they are going into ground
that may not produce fruit. There are several points to make
here. Though the ground can be tested to see if it is worthy
for planting, the hearts and minds of people are able to grow
seeds under the toughest circumstances and are never to be
judged as unfruitful. We are not to hold back kind, loving,
and godly words because we perceive others as being
downtrodden, walked-on, hardened, and tired from life’s
experiences. We might think some people are like the path that
has been exposed and hardened by time, leaving the seeds you
plant open to the scavengers of forgotten thoughts and
misunderstandings. Remember, God’s seeds are abundant, free,
and to be generously given. For some seeds are not stolen
away, but sit there for a long time and later grow amazingly.
What is the point? We must continuously speak godly words to
others even when they don’t understand or seem to reject
them at first. For it is God who makes the seeds actually
grow. We are to liberally scatter the seeds of God’s love.
We are also to sow seeds of God in our
lives. We can look at our own lives, and examine when we find
it hard to be faithful, and take hold of God’s truths in our
lives. Sometimes the “soil” of our lives or certain areas
of our lives are hardened, filled with rocks, weeds or thorns.
Whatever the circumstances in our lives, we must continue to
sow life-giving seeds.
So by remembering God’s words, and the
loving and guiding words of our family, friends, teachers, and
even strangers, we prepare our hearts for God to do his work
in and through us.
What do you see in the areas of your life
where God’s seeds have taken root? Where are there evidences
of blessing? Is there more healing, forgiveness, confidence,
strength, hope, joy, peace, or love? I sure hope so. Good soil
produces good and plentiful fruit. Sometimes you won’t find
out until your faith is more ingrained in everything you do
and say.
The last part of Jesus’ parable that I
resonated with was the mention of life’s trials and never
giving up. They do not have to be faith-destroying. They can
be life and faith-strengthening experiences, even when we seem
to fail or are overcome.
The first time I preached was when I was
about twelve years old, as old as most of you being confirmed
today. It seemed like a total failure. Embarrassing, too. One
Sunday, Mrs. Pak, the Sunday school director, asked me if I
would preach at the youth service the following week. The
youth service involved sixth through twelfth grade youth. Can
any of you imagine having to preach at the age of twelve? My
dad was one of the Sunday school teachers who took turns
giving the sermon. He had just preached the Sunday before. I
worried and tried to get something written by the end of the
week. But I had a major writing block, and worse, I was
paralyzed by fear! I asked myself why I agreed to preach. What
was I thinking?
Well, Sunday came, and I remember sitting in
my dad’s station wagon in the church parking lot, quickly
writing some notes on what to preach. Now, I hardly knew how
to write a paper with a thesis statement, let alone a sermon.
Well, I did what I knew how to do. I preached a two-minute
sermon summarizing what my dad had preached on the Body of
Christ the previous week, and his sermon was thirty minutes
long. I prayed this prayer: “Dear God, Forgive me for
messing your sermon up. Help me to do better next time.
Amen.”
Well, I didn’t really think there would be
a next time. But as you can see now, I am preaching a little
better than I did before. And in July, I will be preaching
every week at my new appointment.
I thought I had failed. I look back and see
that I did do a horrible job preaching. But I tried, didn’t
give up, and learned from that experience. So I did not fail
in trying. I also did not fail in learning. I realized that
what my dad preached stuck in my mind, and God planted seeds
in me through the words my dad preached. And the seeds of
God’s word and my dad’s teaching dug deep inside me,
taking its roots of love, diversity, acceptance, and a clear
and strong sense of identity as a member of the Church, the
body of Christ.
We are connected, one to the other. And we
are ultimately connected to Christ. Jesus told us that when we
take care of those who are in need and who are some of the
most neglected, we are actually serving him. Understanding
that in serving others we are serving Christ is a precious
seed of God that leads us to love and treat others in ways
that make others wonder and ask who we thought we were
serving.
Seeing yourself, others, and life with the
perspective of Jesus allows us to better see and love others
as they are and who God desires for all of us to become.
Let
me close by offering and scattering a few seeds I selected for
you.
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Sometimes
you have to forgive someone for something done in the
past, every time you see, meet, or think of him/her. And
one day you won’t have to anymore.
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There
are some things in life that you may love to do, but
don’t because you don’t think you’re good at it. But
do it because you love it, not because you’re good at
it. Some things take more practice than others. Loving
others can be one of the hardest challenges at times. But
it is worth it.
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Faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these
is love.
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Always sow seeds of God’s love.
I pray some of these seeds will take root in
you. Amen.
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