Planting precious seed on the motorway Matthew 13:1-9

Planting seeds on the motorway! It is madness! Utter madness! The NRSV Bible says path, but what the heck! The A19 makes the point clearer to me. Let's take a step back … a big step… 2000 years long! With a coy smile (some would say cheeky), Jesus sets this conundrum before his disciples: “What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. …, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; ... Some fell in the weeds; … Some fell on good earth … (The Message Bible)

 

I can understand dropping seed on the gravel, or in the weeds or indeed the good earth. But I draw a line on the path, the road, the motorway. What kind of stupid is this? Never mind the birds picking it up for food! Watch out for the oil-guzzling, carbon-emitting, environment-destroying human-made perambulators scourging God’s earth! Mr Sower, you have got this one wrong, sir! You are careless, reckless, and wasteful! Much of your seed is on the ground that holds little promise. Seed on the Road gets the gold medal for agricultural ignorance!

 

It is unsurprising that we begin this new Methodist Church year with echoes of the last quarter still ringing in our hearts. The parable of the Sower, from the last quarter is perfect to set us up for the beginning of the church year. The call is the same: whether you are a Worshiper, Local Preacher, Worship Leader, Class Leader, Community Evangelist, Outreach Practitioner, or Food Bank volunteer. Scattering seeds on the unyielding road is our calling. Jesus invests in disciples who look similarly unpromising. He spends time with tax collectors and sinners, with lepers, the demon-possessed, questionable characters, and all types of outcasts, men or women or children.

 

And yet he proclaims the good news of an abundant harvest for everyone. In God’s Kingdom, everyone is a candidate for good soil, whether on the path, rocky ground, or among the thorns. Certainly, we navigate through all these soils and more during our lifetime. May you go on the motorway this quarter and scatter the seeds of hope and love. May you be the motorway and receive the seeds of grace and peace. The good news is that the Sower keeps planting generously, extravagantly, even in the least promising places. That, my brothers, and sisters, is our calling as we worship and seek God through this Preaching Plan!

 

With Love

 

Vincent

 

Health Warning: The various types of soil are not about a particular person or group, and one or one’s community is not necessarily good soil.