Sermon preached at All Saints' Rome on the 7th Sunday after Pentecost.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
When I was ten years old, my family took me on a trip to Disney World in Orlando. Like any child, I was excited, at least until we reached this particular ride in the Magic Kingdom. For those who have been, this was Splash Mountain.
I remember standing there, looking up at the great red mountain rising up above me, watching the logs disappear over the top before plunging down a great drop. I could even hear the screams of the people on board, followed by the enormous splash of water as they reached the bottom. To everyone else, this looked like great fun, to me, this looked like absolute terror.
I dug my heels in and said: “I don’t want to, I am scared, go ahead without me”. My mom could have easily said: “it’s fine, we’ll skip it”. Instead, she came over, sat beside me, and gently encouraged me. She simply asked me to trust her, she said I would have been alright. She understood I was frightened but promised me I would have enjoyed it as this was one of the most iconic rides in the park.
And so, I eventually found some courage and listened. Not because my fears had disappeared but because I was trusting the person speaking to me, my mother, more than my own fear. So I got on, after joining the long queue, again…
And, as it turned out, my mom was absolutely right. By the end of the right, I was happy and wet. Before long, I was asking whether we could have done it again. What I thought would have been one of the most frightening experiences in my life turned out to be one of my life’s best memories.
Looking back on that moment, I realize that this was not simply a lesson about overcoming fear, but also a lesson about trust. Sometimes, we are invited into something before we fully understand. Sometimes we have to listen to a voice that knows more than we do and take a step forward before we can see what lies ahead. Our Christian journey can sometimes feel a lot like that.
God often calls us into places where we have to trust him. Although we hear his voice, we still hesitate. We still worry. We wonder whether following him is truly the right path. We would rather stay where we feel comfortable than to take the first step into the unknown. That invitation to trust in him remains the same and this is truly the heart of today’s Gospel.
Jesus tells us the familiar parable of the Sower. A farmer goes out scattering seed. Some fall on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil. Jesus explains that the seed is the Word of God. We know that the seed is always good, the seed in itself is not the problem, the real question is how the seed is received.
When we hear this Gospel, we often ask ourselves: “which soil am I?” – am I the path in which God’s Word truly never takes root? Am I the rocky ground in which faith begins with joy but struggles when hardships come about? Am I the soil filled with distractions in which God’s voice becomes difficult to hear? Or am I becoming the good soil where God’s word can grow and bear fruit? These are all important questions.
Perhaps there is another question hidden within this passage, what happens when the seed grows? Because a seed is never planted to simply remain such. It grows and reaches towards the light, producing good fruit. Within that fruit are more seeds, ready to bring new life.
The purpose of the seed is always to give life beyond itself, this is how God’s Kingdom grows. Jesus began with a small group of disciples, twelve ordinary people who listened, followed, and allowed God’s Word to take root within their lives, then sharing what they had received, and this carries on to this day, generation after generation, God’s seed continues to spread, through those that heard, believed, and followed the Word, only because someone before us trusted and allowed that seed to grow within them.
Perhaps a parent, grandparent, mentor, spouse, friend. It was their quiet example that allowed Christ to enter into our hearts nourishing our faith. Because these good people became good soil, the seed eventually reached us. Now it is our turn.
Something beautiful about seeds is that the most important part of its growth happens when nobody can see it. The roots grow quietly, yet without them the plant cannot survive, the same is true of our faith. The deepest work God does in us is often hidden, sometimes even hidden from us. This happens while praying before bed but also when we gather together to worship. It happens when we choose forgiveness instead of resentment, patience instead of anger, kindness instead of indifference, these are the roots. The stronger they are, the stronger is the fruit.
Jesus tells us that some seed sprang up quickly but had no depth of soil, when hard times came, it withered away. Faith is not simply about great moments of excitement or inspiration, Christ is not only with us when things go well, when we get a raise or when our tax refund allows us to book that Disney World vacation for one’s kids. Faith is about allowing Christ to be near us at all times no matter who we are. It is about trusting him when life is uncertain too, he will be there.
Just as I had to trust my mom’s voice more than my own fear outside that ride many years ago. We are called to trust Christ even when we don’t think how he is leading us. Often, when we do trust him, we discover that what seemed frightening can turn into something else.
In a few moments, we will sing one of my favorite hymns Be Thou My Vision. I really like it because it really is a prayer asking God to change our lives: “be thou my best thought in the day and the night, both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light”.
Our Christian life is not only about what we’re doing in this beautiful old building this morning, it is about allowing Christ to become our constant companion. To have him with us in our work, in our relationships, in our joys and struggles, because his presence is our light. “Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word”. The seed is his Word, a living word that transforms us and teach how to forgive and how to love, thus becoming more like Christ.
When Christ begins to shape our lives, then something wonderful happens. Others begin to notice and take example, not because we are perfect or have all the answers, but because they see Christ in their neighbor’s actions, they begin to forgive because you do, they begin to be kind, because you are, they begin to hope because you do. Maybe when they begin to ask questions about God it will be because they see the joy and peace that your faith has brought into their lives.
You might remember being with your younger siblings or cousins as a child and being told to come indoors. Some would have listened straight away, while others would have carried on playing outside. Eventually, those who ignored the warning would have found themselves caught in the thunderstorm that followed, soaked through and wishing they had come inside. The next time, everyone would have followed the example of those who had listened.
In the same way, just as younger siblings often learn from the example of the one who listened first, people can sometimes find their way towards Christ because they see someone else already walking with him.
We cannot force the seed to grow, but we can help God to plant it, nourish it, and work through how, this is why Jesus ends the parable with such encouragement. He says that the good soil produces different harvests, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty… not everyone produces the same fruit and not everyone’s calling looks the same, yet every life offered to God can bear good fruit. He doesn’t want us to become somebody else, he wants us to listen and trust in him so that we can grow and spread his love.
The last verse of the hymn says: "Great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all." So no matter what happens, joy or trouble may it be, let God be your vision, no matter whether we know or not where he is leading us. The hymn is a prayer of the good soil, that of a heart that trusts in the Sower. May God prepare our hearts, may his Word take deep root within us, and may we grow strong in faith, that our lives may become seeds of hope that can inspire others so that they may come to know the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
