Reader’s service on the parable of the sower by Jenny Taylor
Call to worship:
We come before you Lord with hands wide open, ready to receive you.
HYMN 337 O Lord of heaven and earth and sea
854 = Psalm 65
Prayer of Confession: Forgive our sins Lord we pray, both past & present.
Forgive us for sins we’ve committed to please ourselves
& those we have committed to please others.
Forgive us for the times we have not understood your message but not tried to dig deeper.
Forgive us for the times we have given up –
for feeling depressed or desperate when life gets difficult –
for not trusting you to make things work out all right.
Forgive us -
for allowing the love of the things of this world to get in the way of loving & serving you.
Forgive us for deliberate sins and sins we are scarcely aware we have committed.
Forgive us for the sins we try to hide from you & do not even want to admit to ourselves.
We ask this in the name of the Father, through the Son,
in the knowledge of your great love & mercy for us.
Forgiveness: Come back to the Lord your God. He is kind and full of mercy; he is patient and keeps his promises; he is always ready to forgive and not to punish. [Joel 2 v13]
A Children’s talk could be given about what seeds need to grow/ what do we need to grow as Christians.
HYMN 274 Saviour blessed Saviour
Matthew 13 v1-9 & 18-23
Isaiah 55 v 10-13
HYMN 363 Yes God is good
SERMON:
The parable of the sower describes four reactions to hearing the word of God.
Jesus is the central character – he is the sower.
The Path: Some seed fell on the path – it was unable to take root and then the birds ate it.
There are many people in our communities like this –
who think Jesus and the gospel are irrelevant to them.
If they do hear the gospel message they don’t understand it -
and can’t be bothered to make any effort to engage with it.
Or they misunderstand it and think it is just superstition.
They ignore the message. Evil is able to get a hold on them; they are easily tempted to sin.
Satan lures them away –
it is all too difficult to understand, irrelevant mumbo jumbo; they can’t be bothered with it.
For those of us who do bear Christ’s name, it is not enough just to read our bibles –
we have to study them, to search for the meaning in scripture.
A life centred on earthly values and without God is no life – we are already dead.
Life begins when we believe in Jesus and give our lives to God to live through the Spirit.
That life continues after death. The earthly one does not.
The rocky ground:
Some seed fell on rocky ground – it could only grow shallow roots and they got scorched.
Some people who hear the message – perhaps at a rally, are enthusiastic to start with,
but they give up as soon as life gets difficult.
There are people who hear the gospel and in the first flush of enthusiasm come to worship,
read the Bible & pray -
but they may find our church services boring or feel uncomfortable -
they don’t feel as if they are really a part of the fellowship.
At the first sign of life not going well or of being ridiculed for coming to church they give up.
Their faith is shallow it has no depth; it can’t stand the heat when life gets difficult.
In The Imitation of Christ by Thomas À Kempis, he says:
Jesus has many lovers of his heavenly kingdom, but few bearers of his cross.
He has many who desire consolation, but few who desire tribulation.
He finds many companions of his table, but few of his abstinence.
All desire to rejoice with him, but few are willing to endure anything for him or with him. Many follow to break bread with him, but few to drink the cup of his passion.
Many love Jesus so long as no adversities befall them.
Many praise and bless him so long as they receive consolation from him.
But if they do not feel Jesus near, even for a little while, they fall into complaining or dejection of mind. 1
To stay the course, we have to be at peace with ourselves and life.
Prayer is essential to ask for God’s help to get us through difficult times.
The thorns:
Some seed fell among thistles; it germinated and started to grow but got choked.
This represents people who believe and try to stick with it -
but worldly cares and temptations,
negative comments from friends and family, overpower their desire to follow Jesus.
It’s so much simpler to go with the flow, do what is popular.
To want to making money in a way that takes little thought of others.
To get the cheapest deal even if others are losing out and being exploited.
To demand our rights even if it is no longer possible because the world has changed.
We cannot please God and fulfil all our earthly desires.
Jesu’s life turned a spotlight on sin - only then could it be condemned.
[1 Of The Imitation of Christ by Thomas À Kempis, 1380 – 1471, chapter XI para I ]
We are called to walk in the way of Christ and the power of the Spirit –
rather than the way of the world
Love of this world destroys the love of God.
We must use our resources wisely and for God’s purposes –
and give generously to those in need.
What are we focussed on?
Worldly possessions lead to jealousy, covetousness.
But if our focus is on Jesus, we can have the bountiful joy that loving him brings.
Thomas À Kempis again:
O how powerful is the pure love of Jesus, which is mixed with no self-interest or self-love.
Are not all those mercenary - who are forever seeking consolation?
Do they not shew themselves to be rather lovers of themselves than of Christ,
who are always thinking of their own profit and advantage?
Where shall one be found who is willing to serve God for nought?1
If our hearts and minds are focussed on the world,
we have turned our backs on God and he will not force his way in.
The good soil: The seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear the message,
understand it and bear fruit.
When a seed starts to grow it sends roots down into the soil to give it stability,
- and to provide it with food.
If we sow seeds, we expect them to grow into good plants & produce a harvest.
The seed that lands on good soil represents:
- Those who listen, hear, understand, stick with it and act.
- Those who stay constant in faith, whose faith grows and they bring others to Christ.
Their lives are controlled by the Spirit who gives them real life.
It represents those who love Jesus for his own sake –
and not because they hope for some benefit for themselves.
- Those who manage to praise him in all circumstances, good or bad.
Even if things continually go wrong they give thanks for what they have.
If we sow seeds we expect to produce flowers, foliage or fruit – if they don’t we pull them up
The same is true of Christians and the church, it is not enough just to exist –
We have to produce fruit.
A barren church dies.
[1 Of The Imitation of Christ by Thomas À Kempis, 1380 – 1471, chapter XI para III ]
Summary
Our world is a field planted by Jesus.
He gives us seed to sow on his behalf.
The most effective work is done when there is a good foundation in prayer.
We don’t know whether what we do or say will produce a harvest –
We may never know if a word spoken may germinate in someone’s heart -
It may happen years later.
Rob Frost told of a time he was travelling with an evangelistic drama group.
On a particularly bad night his car was broken into & his case stolen.
He had to borrow clothes for the next day – it was snowing & icy.
There were very difficult driving conditions and the other players had colds – an all time low!
They found the church in Hull; only 30 people turned up – was it worth it?
However, several years later when Rob was speaking at a conference,
a young woman came up to him and said:
“you won’t recognise me but I gave my life to the Lord at a snowy drama in Hull”
There had been a harvest even when it seemed like the worst of conditions for sowing seed
Isaiah says just as God waters the earth to make seed grow,
so God’s word waters our lives to produce a crop.
The real test of our faith is –
can it survive through misunderstandings, troubles & worldly temptations?
When the seed falls on a path or rocky ground some will shrivel up, but not all.
When it falls amongst weeds some will get choked but not all.
As the sower sows the seed, not all will come to church but some will.
Some will not stay; their faith may be shallow but it is up to us to keep faith with Jesus.
We are called to be faithful rather than successful.
To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for.
We may not see the harvest of the seeds we sow -
but some are silently growing waiting for spring.
HYMN 769 God is working his purpose out
Prayers of Intercession:
Dear Lord. We pray for the things we hope will come quickly:
To the hungry: food,
To the thirsty: water
To the weeping: joy
To those living with violence: peace
To those who argue: harmony
To those in poverty: all that is necessary to live a truly human life
To those who do not know you: the knowledge of your faith
To those who doubt: faith
To those who despair: hope.
Be with all Christians who find themselves in a minority in their community
and give them courage to proclaim their faith.
Give us patience & perseverance to work for your kingdom.
Give us hope & joy to proclaim your good news.
Give us vision to see your presence all around us in ordinary things.
Give us light to see your kingdom through the darkness of this world.
We ask this in Jesus name & in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Lord’s prayer
Offertory: prayer:
We bring before you Lord these gifts, like tiny seeds, not knowing what fruits you may bring out of them.
We wait before you Lord, asking that we and these gifts, offered in your service will make a difference to the world beyond all our imaginings. Amen
HYMN 678 In heavenly love abiding
Blessing: Go out in the name of God to love and care for God’s creation.
Go out in the name of Christ to share the good news of salvation.
Go out in the power of the Holy Spirit to share the riches of life in God. Amen
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