( Sermon Luke 8: 4-8 ) [ German Sermon ] [ Announcements (German)610.94 KB ]
At my induction service, I brought this sign and it's been hanging in the vestry ever since. It says: Where God has sown you, there you shall flourish.
That is first of all a demand on me and I see a sower before me, who is first and foremost God.
He sows all his love in our hearts, all his words, sometimes sharp as a sword, then again quietly, so that I have to listen carefully, then clearly and distinctly and full of compassion. He also sows people in certain places at certain times.
Sure, sometimes I thrive. But sometimes I also long, like the scattered seeds for water. Sometimes what I do just doesn't work and as if it is smothered by the thorns.
According to the annual plan, today (February 7) is a staff thanksgiving service. And today, in spite of everything and maybe even now more than ever, we thank God who sowed you into our community.
To all of you who flourish where God has sown you, you will help to build the church with your talents in all the different areas. Maybe it doesn't seem like a big deal to you, but it bears fruit 100 times over, as we hear Jesus telling this parable:
The Parable of the Sower
4 People kept coming to Jesus from one town after another and when a great crowd gathered, Jesus told this parable: 5 “Once there was a man who went out to sow grain. As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some of it fell on rocky ground, and when the plants sprouted, they dried up because the soil had no moisture. 7. Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up with the plants and choked them. 8 And some seeds fell in good soil; the plants grew and bore grain, one hundred grains each.
Imagine a bag full of grain being sowed - an image of abundance and momentum and waste.
By no means will everything sprout, grow up and bear fruit. But that doesn't bother the sower at all. He is like all of us in our tasks. We know that not everything will succeed. Some things turn out well and some things fall by the wayside. But that doesn't bother the sower at all. He continues. Step by step. He does not get discouraged, although the loss can be great.
Three attempts do not lead to success, although the seed itself has the full potential to do so.
Jesus knows: In many places, in what we do, success is hindered or even prevented. He knows the temptations of those who rejected him and his listeners knew it too, so do we. How often does this experience frustrate and paralyze us. All efforts seem to be in vain. The work seems to have been in vain.
Yes this happens. Whoever listens to Jesus knows this well it happens in countless ways.
…. But this also happens: Other things fell on the good land; and it sprang up and bore fruit a hundredfold. The success is unexpected and overwhelming, which makes any loss from before seem insignificant.
We are God's helpers. Doing our service by sowing from what we have received from God. I see you, dear co-workers full of energy in my mind's eye. We draw from the sowing bag, filled to the brim with God's love and want to reach people's hearts. What will grow out of it... we don't know. Much is not in our hands, but some things are.
3 things have become clear to me:
- Not everything we set out to do succeeds, but it is good to hear from Jesus that this is normal. That it is part of life. But it is no use to always look at what does not work. That only discourages us and clouds our eyes. We then no longer see what is really growing and bearing fruit a hundredfold. Jesus encourages me. Where I think that nothing really works, I need someone to open my eyes, someone to tell me: trust in God where you think everything is lost.
- At the time, the people listened to Jesus. Jesus told them about God's kingdom and about God's love in contrast to what the people heard in their everyday life.
There are many voices that speak to us.
I should not only hear, but also listen to what God is telling me.
- Jesus spoke about how things are in God's kingdom. They were words that allowed for a new way of thinking and freedom. Powerful Words create a reality. First in our hearts and then on our tongues. I want to be mindful of the words I choose.
Our church should be a community of the sown and of sowing. This is our mission: to blossom and sow ourselves and then be patient for it to grow, in the knowledge that we are and remain dependent on God, while sowing in word and deed.
It can happen that plans fail because I do not have my life in my own hands. It can happen that, through no fault of my own, I no longer see how things can continue. But the sower goes on and on to sow his seed and I know: the seed can bear fruit even without much action on my part.
Mostly it ends well, but sometimes later and above all differently than expected. Many of you know: In the hope of being successful, patience is key.
Jesus tells this parable to those who listen to him and sometimes become discouraged and his message is: Do not let yourselves be paralyzed by fear or discouragement. Look at what God has begun and continues to do.
The kingdom of God is growing in our midst. At all times. Even now. Especially now. God's Spirit is changing the lives of those who have become fertile soil. He makes fruit grow and flourish for his glory and blesses and nourishes those people. This is where mercy and goodwill grows. This is where people who are moved by Gods spirit come together. It is there were God's orchards and fertile landscapes are created and the love of Jesus moves the hearts of people who belong to him. At the right time, they do what He needs them to do. God's spirit cannot be stopped. His healing and wondrous Spirit becomes a part of so many people’s life stories. These people are being shaped, begin to blossom and become a blessing to others. His kingdom is growing in our midst.
Amen