Good Soil

Pentecost 7, Proper 10

July 16, 2023

Fr. Tim Nunez

May my spoken word be true to God’s written word and bring us all closer to the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Jesus explains today’s parable of the Sower, giving us analogies for each item in the parable. The seed is the word of God. At heart, the word of God spoken, the person of Jesus, himself, and the kingdom are all one with the father. John wrote the Word was the light of all people, from the beginning. How does that not solve our problems with seeking and following God?

Jesus shares what happens when that seed, that gift, is scattered amongst people of all types and in all moments of their lives. Those who don’t get it at all, don’t get it. At all. That leaves them exposed to all evil, and particularly the evil one, that simply snatches it away.

Sometimes people hear the word and get momentarily inspired by it, but because they don’t root themselves in community, and this is the real danger of trying to go at your faith on your own, like a plant with no root it simply withers as soon as trouble comes.

Likewise, when the word is planted in someone who is overly focused on the cares of the world, and or money, those distractions act like weeds that choke out the growth of the word within that person and so there is no yield. But the seed that is sown in good soil, with someone who can really hear it, understand it, and take it to heart, then they are able to bear the fruit of the spirit, fruit of the word, and they become bearers of the word to others.

The meaning of each example is clearly laid out and easy to understand. The next step is really application, to interpret each of these in light of our own circumstances and our own time of life.

Today we have a most wonderful context to share. John Bryan is just a few weeks old. His family has brought him here this morning to baptize him into the church. We must be very clear that his baptism is into the church, not our church, but the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church of all Christians everywhere and of all time. John’s family actually lives in Haines City and they have a church up there, but they come here for baptism because John's mother, Chelsey, is part of the Nelson clan. She is Barrett Nelson's and Terry Dunn’s granddaughter and Helen Nelson's great granddaughter. They have deep roots in Church of the Good Shepherd, and we are most happy to have this joyful opportunity to welcome baby John into the household of God. The bells are at the ready!

Today’s parable illustrates a stark and clear challenge to John’s parents, his godparents, his aunts and uncles and cousins, his grandparents, his home church and all of us. The parents and godparents will make a lot of holy promises before God. Then we will all swear before God that we will do all in our power to support this child in his life in Christ. These are weighty promises to make on this child’s behalf. Because here's the deal. John is brimming with potential. At this stage of life, he is almost entirely potential. John is the richest of soil.

However, he is way too young to understand the word of the kingdom that has been read, prayed and is being preached in his hearing this morning. Does that leave his faith on the path to be snatched away? No! But how will he hear the Word later when he is able to begin to understand it? He will need someone to teach it to him, to show him pictures, to let him color some pictures. Maybe somebody will drag out an old felt board to tell the story, as was done in ancient times, when many of us were little.

As he grows, what if he only hears the Word at Christmas and Easter? He would very likely associate those holidays with all the fun stuff about them without really receiving the tremendous gift we have in Jesus. What if he only hears it when his family has absolutely no other plans? Then when things get tough, would he turn to God? Would he turn to his pastor he barely knows? A shallow faith may well crumble under the heartaches and tragedies we face in this life.

Once he starts school, and especially when gets a smart phone, or something that’s way more advanced that will exist when he’s 16 or so, he will be exposed to all manner of ideas and people. All the advertisers and sites will be continuously competing for his attention. Entirely different philosophies of life will come at him. All of these things act like weeds that would choke out the good plant, the word of God, if they can. Someday, John will have to clear those weeds himself, but until then, his parents, family, Christian peers, teachers and youth leaders will help him be cleared of that bramble.

One way to look at these promises is to do all in our power to make sure that the word may be planted in good soil in John, to make sure that he knows Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and grows with him to bless him all of his days.

And let’s also remember that we are to interpret this parable in our own lives, as individuals and collectively as a fellowship in Christ. On the one hand, we want to be sure that whenever people come or join us online that the preaching and teaching we offer is the true and lively Word, that we are scattering seed that is faithful to Jesus. We are scattering a lot of seed. The live streams that we share, Sunday services as well as Compline, are each viewed by anywhere from 80 to 120 or more devices overnight and into the next day.

We are also dedicated to good soil, making our community warm and welcoming through our hospitality and fellowship. That helps encourage good soil for the word to become implanted. Deacon John or I could preach a marvelous sermon, but if someone is rude during the social hour, what will that member or visitor remember from that day? Thankfully, we just don’t do that – do we?

Personally, where are we in our own hearts and minds? If we don’t understand what was said in the readings, or in the hymns or in the sermon, we need to get after it. Ask questions. Look it up.

Are we being consistent week to week in church and in our daily lives? Experiencing a spiritual high during worship is great, but our faith isn’t just that. It’s about being rooted in the Word. The more consistently we do that, the more we grow.

It is also all too tempting for us to get all wrapped around the hard issues of the day. Our faith should and does speak into those issues. But if we’re focused primarily on the issues, they become idols distracting us from God. How often do we investigate our Lord’s will before forming our opinions? Everything is getting so politicized because people are turning to politics, to themselves, instead of God.

And the same goes for money. Jesus said very clearly, we cannot serve God and mammon, meaning we cannot have them on equal footing. We've got to put God first then our financial resources under his authority. So, whether we worry about politics, and or money, either becomes an attractive idol, which chokes out the life of the word.

What we promise to John, to do all in our power to support him, and his life in Christ, we have promised to everyone who is baptized. We are all in this together. And that is the essence of church, a community of God’s people committed to receiving and sharing his word, while making the soil we share as good and rich as we can.

AMEN