From the Pastor |
Isaiah 55:10-13 & Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
It was just over a month ago that our battle against COVID-19 had to share headlines when racial issues we face as a nation exploded with the tragic death of George Floyd. The public outcry for justice and change has been powerful. The Black Lives Matter movement gained serious momentum as millions of people of all ages and races called for change… for equal justice for all. Millions who have gathered to protest in cities, towns and villages across the country; taking up the cry for equality and justice for ALL people. Yet, there are many who feel that these calls have gone too far… that we must focus on the idea that “All Lives Matter” especially since we are all God’s children. Those who are angry that history is being “removed” as statues that are being taken down… It seems like lines are being drawn in the sand… Once again this nation is divided and angry… greatly in need of hope and love. So where does all this leave us? What are Christians to do? Well… the Gospel tells us that much like people today, the people of Israel longed to hear a message of hope and love… and they came to Jesus to receive that message. In fact, so many people came to hear Jesus speak… that Jesus had to sit in a boat just off shore. Once he settles in, Jesus responds to their need by telling a parable, the Parable of the Sower. He tells of a farmer who scatters the seed all around. He then describes four types of soil that the seed lands in and what happens to the seed: There is the Path… the hard ground where the seed is unable to take root at all… There is the Rocky Ground where shallow soil allows the seed may sprout but it can’t take root… There is the thorny are were the seeds are choked out and die. And there is the Good Soil where the seed takes root and grows to bear abundant fruit. Now, the people of Israel were familiar with the image of a farmer being a metaphor for God’s activity with Israel. After all, Israel was very much an agricultural society, and their scriptures often pointed to God as a farmer… the one who plants and nurtures and sustains. Our reading from Isaiah is in line with this metaphor: “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” This is the metaphor Jesus uses today as well. God is the sower… the farmer… the seed is God’s word. The soils? Well… that is us. You see… Jesus is not just describing different types of soil or even different circumstances of life. He is describing the various landscapes of the human heart. Hearts that are sometimes hard as stone… or rocky with shallow spots of soil… or thorny and full of weeds… and hearts that are open and fertile. The most common way of interpreting this parable is that it invites us to reflect on our hearts… to reevaluate what type of soil is within us. While this is true and is an extremely important message… reducing this parable to the simple question of “what kind of soil are you?” misses a great deal. Think about it this way… The four soils are all very different… but they all have 2 things in common. The seeds and the sower. The sower uses a method called “broadcasting”… it is the method of sowing seeds by scattering them over the surface of the soil as evenly as possible… This method was an important point because, in ancient Israel, you couldn’t simply run to Lowes to by your seeds… you had to save a portion of last year’s crops and spend time and energy to collect the seeds. No good farmer would dare waste seed. But the farmer Jesus speaks of is recklessly walking around just throwing seed everywhere! It seems a bit wasteful and foolish. However, it truly demonstrates the heart of God. The desire God has to reach out to all. The thing we can see from this parable is that the farmer broadcasts the seeds across all four soils… equally… with equal hope and generosity. No soil is left unsown… the farmer did not stop to check out the viability or quality of the soil… because this is not about the quality of the soil… but the faithfulness and love of God. God’s word is sown like the seeds… here, there and everywhere. No life, no person, no soil is left out. The status of our hearts… the soil… is important because that will determine the fruitfulness of the planting. But the good news is that even if the soil is not ideal… God will continue to plant the seeds of God’s word over and over again. So what does this all mean in relation to all that is happening in our nation? Well, can anyone argue that change needs to come to our society? This parable calls for change… change that begins internally… with some hard, introspective work. We need to take time to evaluate and cultivate the “soil” of our hearts. To enable the word of God to not only take root but to bring growth so that we can understand and strive for justice, respect and peace to come for all people. Christ’s call for us to become “good soil” means that we need seek to be those who study and receive God’s word responsibly, thoughtfully and prayerfully, and then allow it to direct us as we interact with others, work for justice and seek to bring life as God’s word empowers and guides us. It is only through God’s word that we can truly find and share love… and it is only through love that things will change. Hatred, violence, or apathy will never bring an end to racism. But people forming real relationships, listening to one another, and standing with each other in pain may be the start we need. We are in a place where all of God’s children must stand together, holding up a banner of love, understanding and grace for all, but we need to do as Jesus did and focus primarily on those who are the placed in the margins… who are oppressed and experiencing injustice. Unfortunately, there are too many people… too many Christians who turn a blind eye to injustice because they feel that it does not directly affect them… who do not seem to be shocked by the demonstrations of white supremacy… Too often we can see the hardened hearts and the apathy that surround the issues of white privilege and systemic racism. There are too many who are not outraged by the inequality of justice in our society, but instead simply look to continue their personal faith journey… Too many who seem to be missing the point… thinking only of the state of their own “soil”. For years, that was me. I had missed the point as well. I spent far too long being apathetic about these issues. I missed the chance to stand with my brothers and sisters of color and work toward eliminating injustice because I did not understand that in order to combat racism, it is not enough to non-racist… we MUST be anti-racist. For a long time, God’s liberating words of justice and love fell on my own hard and rocky soil. But that is where we truly find Good News today… here we find hope… Our God never stops working the soil of our hearts… transforming the rocks and thorns until they become good and fertile soil. When we continue to immerse ourselves in God’s word and let it grow within us… allowing God in to cultivate the soil of our hearts… that is when abundant fruit will grow… the fruits of kindness and compassion and greater love for our neighbor. Our scriptures remind us that God is always at work transforming hearts and minds… But this parable isn’t just about our individual hearts. It is full of hope for a better future… for Jesus, the Word of God, came “to proclaim good news to the poor… to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free…” [Luke 4:18b] America is greatly divided by race, politics and ideology. It seems like everyone is speaking but NOONE is listening. This needs to change. WE need to change. Our brothers and sisters of color are crying out for us to hear them… to truly listen to them. We have the opportunity… Listen to them! Open your hearts to truly hear what they have to say. Hear this parable of the sower and open your hearts to God’s word… know that God’s word has come to heal and to bring freedom and justice for all people. We are God’s people… How can we help to not only cultivate the soil of our own hearts, but to share in the loving and liberating actions of God in our world today? How will we actively participate in God’s work? How will we stand with those being mistreated? There is world of justice, joy, and hope to be received and to be given. A world cultivated by God’s word where “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in it! Amen
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Yeon Shin
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