Sermon: July 16, 2023
Reading: Matthew 13: 1-9,18-23
In the parable, the sower seems to cast the seeds carelessly, wasting much of the seed on ground that may hold little promise for a bountiful harvest. We are not to decide what is good soil. We are called to be the sower to follow the example of Jesus Christ and spread the seeds of God’s love, not judging where the seeds fall and if it will be a good harvest. God will take care of that work. Our part is to show God’s love. The Gospel, Good News of God’s love, is meant for everyone.
This is the message of God’s love we are to proclaim to spread the seed of God’s kingdom. Not everyone is going to listen, not everyone will respond, the birds may gobble up some of it, and thorns may choke out some, but we are not to count the cost. This isn’t an economic puzzle where we try to figure out the best way not to squander valuable resources and get the best return for our investment. We are to show God’s love for all creation.
If we are honest, we all have areas that are hard, rocky, and full of thorns. Yet Jesus still scatters the seeds of love to every part of our lives. He casts seeds in the places we would least expect because the result of his extravagant sowing is an abundant harvest of God’s love.
Jesus never gives up on us, just as he never gave up on the disciples who betrayed, abandoned, and denied him. In fact, he continued to love them, entrusting to them the ministry of being the sowers of the seeds of God’s gracious kingdom.
Jesus' approach to spreading the seeds of God’s love was never a play-it-safe approach. And he gives us the same freedom to take risks for the sake of the gospel just as he does. We are to spread the seeds to our modern-day tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, and outcasts. We are to share God’s love with people our society wants to marginalize and oppress, planting the seeds for God’s kingdom.
Following the way of Jesus is to demonstrate extravagant generosity in sowing the seeds of God’s love. It’s not for us to determine the type of soil, whether it is good, hard, rocky, or thorny ground; we are to freely cast the seeds because God’s love is not limited to a certain few. God’s love was meant for all creation. May we extravagantly sow the seeds of God’s kingdom in unexpected places and then witness the beautiful growth and abundant harvest of God’s love.
