Sermons for the Month
The Parable of the Gardeners
DATE: September 7th, 2003
SERVICE: 13th Sunday After Pentecost/Rally Day
TEXT: Mark 4:1-9, 13-20“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
(Refer to the large plant and the smaller ones that decorate the front of the sanctuary, and indicate that they are there to help us focus of today's theme - the need to be good soil and to nurture the seed of faith that God has planted within us. Then, begin the sermon.) On Wednesday morning at around 6:30 a.m. I sat on the floor of entryway, clad in a pink silk robe, squinting due to a headache as I scooped dirt into pots. And as I did so I thought and prayed, "In this day and age how can the church help those who cross its threshold be good soil so that faith can grow and flourish?"
You see, I had the headache because my sub-conscious had not allowed me to let go of the concerns of the day before when the lack of Explorer Club leaders and confirmation class scheduling conflicts were among the topics that presented themselves to me.
How, in a world where adults are legitimately busy and positive activities vie for the time and energy of our youth can the seed of God's word be sown so that it takes deep root and thrives?
That's what I asked myself as I added dirt to several of these 12 pots that I had prepared to give to our Explorer Club and Youth and Adult classes as reminders of the need to nurture the seed of faith that is planted within us.
On Monday I had sat in my garage, dividing three plants to make 12, carefully placing them in potting soil - good soil - and moistening them with water spiked with plant food. But then the question was, where should I keep them until Saturday when I take them to church? Deciding that they would need some sun, and determined that it could not rain all day, I carefully lined the pots up by my front door.
Well, you know the rest of the story, as the holiday progressed the stormy weather settled in. And, on Tuesday morning when I looked out at those 12 precious pots, several of them were overflowing with water, nearly all that good soil washed away, and the plants were sort of hanging there, forlorn.
So, I lined my entryway with newspaper, brought the 12 pots in, and there they sat until, on Wednesday morning, I could stand their plight no longer and I padded out to the garage in my slippers to bring in the dirt and refill them. As the smell of rich earth reached my nostrils it occurred to me that a parable had written itself in my entryway.
Listen, then, to the Parable of the Gardener. Plants were diligently tended, carefully divided and lovingly planted by the gardener - hoping to give them a good start. But the rain came and pounded them, leaving them vulnerable. The gardener could not control the storm, but the gardener could add more soil and pat it firmly around the plant . Let the ones who have ears listen.
Do you understand this parable, my friends? It tells our story, the story of the people of God who are the church. We are the gardeners. Whenever there is a baptism we - parents, sponsors, the church community - promise to nurture the faith of the one who is baptized. God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, gives the seed of faith and we do all that we can to provide great growing conditions.
So, we diligently provide opportunities - like Explorers' Club or worship services or small groups - in which that seed of faith can grow. We carefully introduce new ideas about God so that the faith can expand beyond its current confines and we lovingly pray for strong roots. Our goal in all of this is to create good soil in the lives of those who gather here - young and old alike - so that faith flourishes.
But, then the storms come - schedules are too busy, choices abound, there is illness and unimagined challenges. Before you know it - without leaders to lead, without fresh ideas to engage people, when there is no time to be here - the good soil is compromised and the growing faith is threatened.
And it's just so hard because those storms seem beyond our control. It's not that we do not care. It's important to us that there be good soil in which faith takes root and we want it to flourish - for our children, for us, for our Faith family - but there's only so much we can do.
So, does the parable end with the half-filled pots of soil and the forlorn plants?
No the story continues as, in spite of the storms, one person does what he or she can to make the good soil abundant and to make faith grow.
I love the passage that we read from Isaiah 55. Through the prophet God proclaims, "…so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and succeed in the thing for which I sent it." Did you notice that there is no hint of doubt there? It always seemed to me as if the message spoken through Isaiah in this passage is that God has so much to offer us that, in spite of ourselves, God's love will prevail and God's word will be proclaimed.
We see that same theme in the parable that Jesus told. Did you notice that the harvest was sure? Even through there was interference, obstacles and resistance, in the end God's word did flourish.
So could the message be that, in the big picture of eternity, God's word of grace and mercy will be heard. What we do, or fail to do, cannot influence that occurring. But, in the small picture of the here and now we each have a part to play in creating the good soil that will enable God's word to flourish in our lives, making us better people and our world a better place.
I believe that we add to the soil because of the decisions we make and the priorities we set. It's important for us to understand that although the seed of faith is a gift, encouraging its growth is our responsibility.
It seems to me that when we honestly struggle in the midst of the storm, and we intentionally - not flippantly - make choices and we strive to be thoughtful and faithful, our efforts also will not return to us empty. Through us God's will will be accomplished and God's word will flourish.
The "end result" of this process is different for each of us - it may result in one person leading a class while another engages in personal devotions and a third makes an extra effort to attend worship. We can be assured, though, that if it's been a genuine quest, then then good soil is being created, and faith will flourish.
Are these little pots that I made for each class a good reminder of the need to nurture the seed of faith within us? Only time will tell … but the fact is that even if none of these plants survive the seed of God word will thrive as longs as we are intentional about being and creating good soil in our lives and our church. In fact, the seed of faith will so flourish and prosper that it may even over take us with its great growth. And then, watch out, because who know what will happen next!
AMEN