Sowing Seeds of Grace

Sowing Seeds of Grace

June 18, 2012

Mark 4:26-34

Sundays in the summer growing up was time with my dad.

Because he was a part of the synod staff, most Sundays my father was not at worship with us at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Syracuse. During the school year, with my sister and I in Sunday school, and mom in the choir, my dad would be travelling; going from congregation to congregation in Sunday visitations.

But when Sunday school ended each year, if my dad wasn’t travelling too far, 

he’d invite me along.

I loved those Sundays in the car with my dad.

We’d talk about everything.

He’d tell me about the church we were visiting, if there was a special occasion he’d tell me what to expect.

We’d talk about school. How I was doing. What I’d like to do.

We’d talk about the people we saw along the way – he would ask me questions to imagine what their lives were like.

Sometimes, we’d talk about Disney World.

It seems simple enough, I know. It was, it was regular conversation with my dad.

I know now, those were sacred times.

To anyone passing us on the highway we would of looked quite ordinary…

but according to the Word…

we might have as well been on one of the farms we were passing by through the Upstate NY countryside – For in that car, my dad was sowing seeds, planting faith and hope and love in me.

…

Now, I know Father’s Day is hard on many (as mother’s day is difficult for some) – for different reasons.  Not all people have had a loving and caring father. Not all people knew their father.

But someone planted seeds of life and love and hope in you. Who was that?

Who sowed seeds in you?

It may have been a parent, but it doesn’t have to be…and the truth is MANY people become the sowers of seeds of love and life, faith and hope, in our souls.

………………………….

The Kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground,

and sleep and rise and scatter some more…

In Mark’s gospel this morning the first parable is not concerned with what could happen (weeds/sun/birds) but that the sower continues to sow.

And the seed does grow – first invisible, underground, then the stalk, the flower head, the seed, or the “Fruit” of the plant.

The fruit of the plant is what the plant yields for having been seeded.

Sow peace, you will reap peace.

Plant seeds of joy in a child and she will share joy with those she encounters.

Seed within a child to care for others, by leading them in example, and a child will learn to care for others.  Do you know children learn how to treat other people by seeing how their parents treat others?

There is no greater lesson than the action of our teachers.

So following through in the first parable…

We are the seed the bears much fruit, fruit that will last…

………………………………………………

What if we feel we have little fruit to give, little seed to share?

What if we are not a parent?

What if the lessons our parents taught us are ones not worth repeating?

The scripture says, “Behold I make all things new.” We have been made new, and are new every day. We hear that confirmed in the words of our absolution this morning.

The truth is, we all have something to give, we all have gifts to share – not only with children – but with so many.

“Behold I make all things new,” In Christ, God plants within our hearts gifts of love and mercy, gifts of patience and kindness, gifts of service and leadership, gifts of teaching and healing. Each one of us has this Seed of Life within us – Each one has something to share with another person.

……………………….

As an adult, another person I enjoyed riding in the car with was Chuck Myers.  Chuck had a habit of taking his pastors out to lunch. I was not the first.

I loved our time in the car.

For every question that Chuck was trying to get to the bottom of, Chuck was also seeding in me his strong gift of faith in our Lord.

But once in a while Chuck would say,

“You have a Higher Calling” pastor. And he would believe it.

With no disrespect to Chuck, I have to disagree…

In the early church, before Augustine made the church a state organization, Christians were outlaws, their leaders, their pastors were martyred for their faith.

Clergy were criminals, not “called” to sacred orders. 

That came later, as the church became institutionalized.  As a state church, Christians became comfortable in society, and so it was seen as a “higher calling” to leave public life and enter a religious order.

We know Martin Luther’s own decision to join the ministry was not because he felt a sense of vocation, but because when caught in a thunderstorm, offering to “give his life to the priesthood” was seen as a righteous sacrifice.

And pastors then are called and set aside to do the work of the church, right?

Yes, but….

The banner on the back wall of our sanctuary doesn’t say, “The pastor shall plant seeds of God’s love Christ…” The banner hangs where it does so that everyone, as we leave this place, everyone is reminded that we are planters (out in the mission field) of God’s love in the world.

St. John’s (that’s all of us) – planting seeds – it’s our public mission…

You’ll even notice that our bulletin – when it lists the staff, you are named – members of St. John’s – as the ministers of this church!

But Chuck would wrestle when Pastor Tricia, and our predecessors before us, and we would tell him – you are called too.

The truth is we are all called to share the Gospel, to plant seeds of God’s grace…

……

Consider today’s second parable.

Jesus could have picked any tree to make his example.

He picks a bush.

A shrub.

Why the mustard bush (this isn’t the parable about faith the size of a seed).

It’s not the smallest seed of Jesus' day.

It’s not even the biggest bush.

Yes, big enough for birds to rest in, that’s comforting,

but it’s not like the strong Cedars mention in Ezekiel…

Why the mustard bush?

…

Could it be, because…

It’s every day.

It was common.

They would have seen them often; they were ordinary.

Could it be that, 

 

The kingdom is made real in little seeds that we plant every day, in every day ways, when we are sharing ourselves with another, when we are living our lives for another, when we give of ourselves for a stranger.

That these little seeds of grace, became great trees of life!

…

The truth is – you have been seeded in grace.

God has planted within you all that you need to be free in this world.

We have it all – most of all grace – 

Share it. Seed the world. Let God do the growth.

Amen.