Readings for Sunday 12th July 2020: Isaiah 55:10-13 Psalm 119:105-112 Romans 8:1-11 Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
By God’s grace
A couple of weeks ago, our Methodist Ordinands were ‘received into full Connexion’ – a means of affirming the calling and ministry of those in relationship with the Conference – but they were not ordained. They could not be at this particular moment in history, since it was not practicable to lay hands upon them, when the closest that anyone was permitted to stand was two metres distant. We watched them make their promises one by one, to the Secretary of the Conference, a poignant moment, a significant milestone, and yet. And yet we wait to hear that all-important question from the Methodist Church to the assembled people:
Do you believe and trust that they are, by God’s grace, worthy to be ordained?
And the people have unfailingly responded with one voice, ‘they are worthy’.
Any number of priests, ministers and pastors will tell you that there are moments in life, for all kinds or reasons, that they may not feel at all worthy to share the good news, or to break the bread week by week. Except for that small phrase – by God’s grace. Graham Kendrick exquisitely sums this up in the hymn, Only by grace.
Only by grace can we enter, only by grace can we stand.
Not by our human endeavour, but by the blood of the Lamb.
Into your presence you call us, you call us to come.
Into your presence you draw us and now by your grace we come.
Lord if you mark our transgressions, who would stand?
Thanks to your grace we are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.
Whatever our calling – lay or ordained – it is only by grace that we are members of the new community of Christ. It is through our baptism, that we have been invited to turn away from all that is evil and denies God, and to turn to God, trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit as helper and guide.
Called to a task …
And yet, we look at the history of our church locally, and we see the numbers of redundant places of worship, and begin to wonder whether the Christian faith is an anachronism in the 21st Century. It would be easy to become despondent and wonder if it is all worthwhile. For those moments, the parable of the sower comes with several great reminders.
The Sower
First of all, the parable of the sower is an object lesson in the mysterious grace of God. The sower, of course is Christ, and the seed, that glorious and imperishable seed – the living and enduring word of God (1 Peter 1:23). And however stony, thorny or less than receptive humans are to the message of grace, it is the seed that has the power to new and rejuvenating life within it. So the message does not change; it is handed on from generation to generation, and we in turn are invited to take hold of that living and enduring word of God and make it relevant to the present age. It is a tale about the new community sharing in the responsibility of generating or regenerating things.
Fertile soil?
But have you ever thought about yourself as soil? No cheating and looking at family and people at church, and categorising them. This is about personal reflection and when it comes to our own spiritual engagement, Jesus gives us some examples of basic soil types. The rich, fertile, hummus in which new ideas can take root and grow; hardness of spirit which makes it all too difficult for anything to thrive; lives full of cares and unresolved issues that strangle every new opportunity. In this passage, Jesus is portrayed as the unique Son of God ushering in the new reign. On the one side, the disciples choose to follow Jesus, to become involved with establishing the new community; but those who oppose Jesus – who tend to be the religious leaders in Matthew’s gospel – will be satisfied with nothing less that his death. So the parable outlines the reasons why some people seem to grasp who Jesus is and what his message is about, whilst others fail to see any relevance in this life-giving message.
We see Jesus as the one fulfilling ancient prophecy in whom we find our righteousness, our life and peace. Yet at the same time, just like those early followers of Christ, we sometimes see falling church attendance and growing secularism as threats to our way of life. Not so, says our Lord, regardless of persecution or other difficulties, living counter-cultural lives as members of the new kingdom will bring its own reward; there will be a harvest through the power of the Holy Spirit. The time will come of course, when the ‘crop’ will be harvested: on that day, the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of the Father, and those who have rejected Christ will weep and gnash their teeth. (13:43, 42, 50) But that is a sermon for another day!
… Living the good news
So how do we proclaim the message, in words and in the way that we live? If we look at Jesus in the parable, he comes as the promised Servant-messiah whose only weapon is the word, the message or good news about the kingdom of God, and a life-style that speaks the grace of God. Of course, I would hope that it goes without saying, that the primary focus in this parable asks quite a personal question: what sort of soil are you? How is your life orientated? What is really important for you, for your family and for your church community as it gathers week by week (even if it is by online means)?
Along with the personal devotion and attendance at public worship that John Wesley encouraged all good Methodists to follow, I notice that when he lived in Oxford and founded the holy club, he was also very keen to visit those in prison, and to earn as much as possible and then give away as much as possible. Early Methodists numbered amongst the abolitionists, were foremost in the creation of trade unions who sought to bring about good working conditions, built schools and hospitals. And Methodists continue to be active in social justice today.
Holy recklessness
So this parable invites us to reflect on the source of all of our endeavours … everything we are and have and do ultimately springs from the sheer extravagance of God. Ancient sowing methods were actually called broadcast sowing – the seed was liberally and generously scattered far and wide. Nothing cautious or calculated here. No computer systems calculating the best returns on each filed and the best use of the land. God wants all to hear the message of salvation, so the seed is sown liberally. I like what Elisabeth Johnson has to say about this:
Too often we play it safe, sowing the word only where we are confident it will be well received, and only where those who receive it are likely to become contributing members of our congregations. In the name of stewardship, we hold tightly to our resources, wanting to make sure that nothing is wasted. We stifle creativity and energy for mission, resisting new ideas for fear they might not work — as though mistakes or failure were to be avoided at all costs. Jesus’ approach to mission is quite at odds with our play-it-safe instincts.
Elisabeth Johnson, Working Preacher, 10.07.11 http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=978
Invited to share the Divine Shalom
St Paul almost offers us a commentary on what it means to live the good news when we reach Romans 8. Can you imagine hearing these words for the first time, especially if you had just heard chapter 7 where we discover just how hard it is to live according to God’s law. And then you hear this magnificent ‘therefore’.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
Here is the choice again: you can either live according to your human nature and you will struggle to keep the law as God intended. Or you can choose to allow your life to be changed by the power of the Spirit of God, bringing life and peace. How is this possible? Simply through the grace of God, when we align our lives to God’s will and purpose, when we say ‘yes’ to the claims of God.
So I want to conclude with words from Tom Wright:
But here, supremely, is the promise of all promises. What the Torah could not do, God has done in Jesus; death and the power of the Spirit. He has given life and peace. In a world of death and war, God’s human temples have an awesome responsibility. If you have ears, then hear. And if you have breath, then speak.
Tom Wright, Twelve Months of Sundays years A, B & C (London: SPCK, 2012), 87
Gracious God When all we have ever known and trusted to be true is removed, encourage us to look for the new thing that you are doing. When we struggle to praise your holy name may we hear the song of the mountains and hills, filled with your creatures joyfully raising their voices in praise. When it seems as though our mission is fruitless remind us that nothing we do in your name is wasted. So forgive us, if we look less than enthusiastic to engage with your world, when our love for you has grown cold, and when we lose our trust in you, because we can no longer see the path ahead. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Thank you, Lord. Amen
Worship at home 