The Parable of the Sower, Christian Innovation, and Discipleship
The Parable of the Sower, Christian Innovation, and Discipleship
This coming Sunday you will hear reflections on the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23). It’s the first of seven parables in Matthew’s Gospel, and it appears after the Pharisees try to come up with a plan to take Jesus down. The people of his hometown have rejected him. Jesus has come to bring the Reign of God to earth, to bring the fullness of life, liberation, mercy, and justice that leads to changed lives, not an endless cycle of revenge. Jesus’ Gospel is rejected or not really experienced for so many reasons. The main one: being invited to participate in God’s life more fully requires effort, dedication, and sacrifice.
Yes, God plays a major role in when and where faith takes root, but good soil doesn’t just happen. It requires care. Just ask the Rev. Kerri Meyer about what is involved in regenerative farming! In Earlsfield, a part of London, a bunch of Anglican Christians came across a patch of land across from a prison full of industrial waste. They used pigs to literally till and clean up the soil! They also tended the soil in numerous ways and thoughtfully planted vegetables and flowers that would flourish in that location. Their efforts have resulted in a community garden that brings people from different faiths, cultures, ages, and classes together, and that shares its bounty with the local food shelf and neighbors who are prisoners.
The innovation ministry that I and now Jen Asp am partnering with you in can only flourish in good soil. God gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6-7), but each of us must do our part. Holy Spirit-led innovation can only happen when we spend time with God each day in prayer, studying scripture, and paying attention to what God is up to in our life and the lives of our neighbors. It also involves practicing our faith in a community of other committed disciples. Discerning the Holy Spirit’s leading involves placing Jesus at the center of our lives, asking God to help us consistently engage in the practices and way of life he taught his students, clearing room in our schedules, living in the present moment, giving up self-optimization, approaching those we disagree with in a posture of curiosity, and trusting in God’s promise that all will ultimately be well. This doesn’t mean being overly optimistic. It does mean placing our hope and trust in the one who conquered death through the resurrection.
Most of my neighbors and friends are hungering for meaning, connection, purpose, hope, and an end to the political polarization and Nietzschean dog-eat-dog way of existing in the world. The harvest is plentiful. Is our relationship with Jesus so deep and transformative that it pours forth from us, a spring of hope in a parched world? What gets in the way of sharing our faith? Fear of what others think of us? Fear of being associated with people who call themselves Christians but don’t represent the Gospel? The belief that faith is something private? I think one of the biggest hurdles is that our faith is not rooted deeply in Jesus; we can’t share what we don’t have. What kind of shape is your soil in? What is God’s part and what do you need to do so God’s seed takes root in you? Christian innovation is nothing new. It’s based in ancient spiritual practices including hospitality and witness. Why would you not want to share the hope that is in you?