We Grow. Matthew 13:1-23. 05/26/24.
We Grow
Matthew 13:1-23
May 26, 2024
Rev. Dr. Rhonda Blevins
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. If you have ears, hear!” Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance, but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:
‘You will indeed listen but never understand, and you will indeed look but never perceive.
For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes, so that they might not look with their eyes,
and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn—
and I would heal them.’
“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
“Hear, then, the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet such a person has no root but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
I am a guitarist. At least that’s the story I tell myself. It’s been months since I picked up my guitar . . . maybe even a year or more. To be honest, I can’t tell you the last time I played my guitar or even took it out of the case for that matter. But back in “the day,” I was a pretty good rhythm guitar player. I even made a terrible living at one time—me and my guitar—as a praise and worship leader.
It would be an understatement to say that “I’m a little rusty.” It would take a whole lot of WD-40 to get my guitar-playing skills back to what they used to be. Nevertheless, in my mind, in the story I tell myself at least, “I am a guitarist.”
The thing is, I am not a practicing guitarist.
When you play a musical instrument, it turns out that you have to practice in order to produce beautiful music that delights the ears and inspires the soul. If I were to pick up my guitar right now and play something for you, I’m pretty sure that it would not delight your ears and I am certain that it would not inspire your soul.
When it comes to people who have guitars, it seems to me there are four types of us:
Those who own a guitar and never really tried to play.
Those who have a guitar and are trying to play, but it’s just not clicking for them.
Those who have a guitar and learned to play pretty well, but life got in the way, and the guitar has stayed in the case for too long.
Those who have a guitar and use it for its intended purpose—to make music!
This is a metaphor for faith, similar to the one Jesus told his listeners one day as he taught them from a boat while they stood on shore. Jesus used a metaphor as well—an agrarian metaphor for an agrarian people—a story about seeds and soil, and the conditions required for faith to flourish.
In the parable Jesus told, the sower is sowing seeds, which represents the “word of the kingdom of God.” The “word” lands on four types of people, represented by four types of soil:
Some seeds land on the path—on soil too hard. Some people are too hard—too closed-minded or too shut off to receive the “word of the kingdom of God.”
Some seeds fall on rocky ground. These folks had, at one time, a joyful faith. But because of the rocky soil, their roots couldn’t grow deep. So their faith withered.
Some seeds fall among the thorns. Jesus later interprets these thorns as the “cares of this age and the lure of wealth.” Faith is choked out for these people.
Some seeds fall on good soil. These are the people who thrive in their faith and produce a great harvest.
Which of these scenarios best describes you and your faith?
In the same way that someone can think of himself or herself as a “guitarist” even though they never play anymore—who never practice—I think there are a whole lot of people who walk around thinking of themselves as “Christian,” maybe even telling others that they are “Christian,” but they haven’t taken their faith out of the case in God knows how long.
Or to use Jesus’ metaphor, there are a whole lot of people who call themselves “Christian” but their roots never got very deep or they never grew because their faith was choked out by the “cares of this age and the lure of wealth.” And let’s face it, the “cares of this age” demand our attention every, single day.
That’s why, as people of faith, we must commit ourselves to Christian growth. Why? Let me explain.
At a previous church I served, a gentleman came to see me after a sermon I preached. He said he’d like to talk with me, so we set up an appointment for some time the following week. When we sat down, he began to talk about his faith—how he used to be excited about his Christian walk and how at one time his faith gave him great joy, but now it seemed like a habit more than anything. Church attendance was, for him, more out of tradition and guilt than anything else. I didn’t know this man very well, so I asked him to describe what he did to practice his faith throughout the week, offering suggestions as to what a “practicing” faith might look like: “Maybe you read your Bible or pray regularly, or volunteer with a local non-profit or read books about spiritual things or do acts of kindness for your neighbors or attend classes about faith? What are you doing to grow as a Christian other than attend church?” He drew a blank. He said that once he finished confirmation classes as a kid, that he didn’t see much of a need to read or study or take classes. He had his confirmation certificate. What more was there?
That would be like a guitarist learning C, D and G chords and thinking that was all they ever need to become a guitarist. Admittedly, you can play a whole lot of songs if all you know is C, D and G. But it’s a very limited repertoire! And quite boring! Learn one more chord, say E Minor, and that one new chord opens up a whole new range of songs! It keeps it interesting.
The church has done a real disservice to young people by making them think that once they’re done with confirmation or children’s Sunday school, they’ve got everything they need for a vibrant life in Christ.
And that’s what we’re about here at the Chapel . . . a vibrant life with Christ. It’s in our mission statement:
Chapel by the Sea aspires to be a beacon of God’s love,
inviting people into a vibrant life with Christ.
The truth is, in order to have a truly vibrant life with Christ, we must continually grow in faith.
Like William Burroughs once said, “When you stop growing you start dying.” That’s why Christian growth is one of our top ten core values here at the Chapel. Here’s how we worded this core commitment:
We grow through Bible study and deep conversations.
There are many other ways we can grow, but Bible study and deep conversations can certainly be part of the equation.
So back to the Bible, in Matthew 13, after Jesus told the parable of the sower, his disciples asked him why he spoke to the crowds using parables. Here’s Jesus’ reply:
The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive,
and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’
Jesus observed that, for the vast majority of people, they could “see” without “perceiving.” Jesus told stories to help people “see.”
We are still in need of learning to see today.
And that’s what Christian growth is. It’s practicing our faith so that we can learn to see what Jesus called “the kingdom” of God ever more clearly. This is a lifelong pursuit and never fully accomplished—certainly not fully accomplished with a certificate of confirmation.
So how do we grow in faith? It follows the same basic pattern of learning most anything.
At Christmas, my husband and I bought each other a pickleball set. We decided that we wanted to learn how to play pickleball. It’s May now, and what do you think has happened with that pickleball set? Nothing! It’s collecting dust somewhere in my house with other “great ideas” we had one impetuous day. But if we decide to learn how to play the game, there are some steps we could take to learn, right?
Maybe we could read about pickleball, the rules, the history of pickleball.
Maybe we could watch videos about pickleball.
Maybe we could have conversations with people who play pickleball, ask them to tell us everything they know about pickleball.
Maybe we could dust off the pickleball set and swing the racquet/paddle (what do you call it?) around.
And after we do all of that, we’ll be pickleball players, right? No??? What have I forgotten? Oh! That’s right! We actually have to step out on the pickleball court and start playing. And will we be outstanding pickleball players after one time out on the court? No! What will it take to be really good pickleball players? Practice!
To grow in our Christian faith, like becoming a better pickleball player or a better guitarist, we must practice. What does practice do for us?
1. Softens our hearts, that we might become more open to the kingdom of God.
2. Deepens our shallow roots, so that our faith doesn’t falter when troubles come.
3. Removes the thorns, so that the “cares of this age and the lure of wealth” no longer choke out our faith.
Practicing our faith is the work we do to “clear the field” so that the seeds of God’s word—when the Spirit decides we’re ready—might have fertile ground in which to thrive.
Ok, preacher. I get what it means to “practice” guitar or “practice” pickleball. What does “practice” mean when it comes to faith? Thanks for asking!
These practices are called “spiritual disciplines.” Richard Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline, lists twelve spiritual practices or disciplines. I think of them as umbrella terms that can take on different shapes and forms for different people. Here they are, in three groups:
The Inward Disciplines or Practices:
Meditation: This is practicing silence . . . when we listen to God’s voice that we might draw closer to God.
Prayer: Prayer is more like communication with God, in which we both speak and listen, to deepen our relationship with God.
Fasting: Fasting, like when we “give something up for lent,” is a voluntary abstention from food or other pleasures so that we can focus more intensely on spiritual matters and reliance on God.
Study: This could be Bible study or other spiritual reading or taking classes to help us deepen our understanding of God and God’s kingdom.
The Outward Disciplines
Simplicity: Simplicity is when we pursue a life free from unnecessary clutter and distraction, prioritizing the kingdom of God above all else.
Solitude: The intentional withdrawal from social interaction so that we can spend time alone with God, fostering a deeper inner silence and awareness.
Submission: The willing acceptance of God’s will and the discipline of placing others’ needs and desires above our own.
Service: Service is when we express God’s love through humble and selfless actions to meet the needs of others.
The Corporate Disciplines
Confession: The practice of admitting our sins to God and others, receiving forgiveness and spiritual healing.
Worship: The intentional focus on God, expressed through adoration, praise, and reverence in both individual and corporate settings, like right now! (Gathering weekly for worship is a spiritual discipline or practice!)
Guidance: Seeking and receiving direction from God and the community of faith to discern and follow God’s will.
Celebration: Embracing joy and gratitude in recognizing and commemorating God’s goodness and faithfulness in all aspects of life.
I am going to read these spiritual practices to you again slowly. This time I read these as a prayer—inviting the Holy Spirit to nudge you—to prompt you to focus on one of these practices as a potential next step along your journey of faith: meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration.
Did you feel the Spirit of God nudge you toward one of these practices to begin or to engage in some new or more intentional way? Now, take out a pen or pencil and write the name of that spiritual practice on your bulletin so that it really sinks in . . .
Think of spiritual growth like a plant:
You first must remove barriers to growth—rocks, thorns, etc.
Then you need to provide sufficient sunlight and water—not too much, not too little!
You can do these things, but do you have the power to turn a seed into an apple tree or a hibiscus? No! It’s God that causes the growth.
The same is true of spiritual practices . . . they clear the field. They’re like water and sunlight. But always remember . . . it’s God that causes the growth.
Like a guitar case that holds a flawless Martin D-28, each of us has potential to produce beautiful music for the world to hear. It just takes . . . practice. Spiritual practice.
This week I played a recording of me playing guitar to my 10-year-old son—a recording of me at the peak of my guitar playing made when I was in my early 30’s. I told my son, “That’s me playing guitar.” He said, quite matter-of-fact, “You don’t play guitar.” I said to him, sadly, “I suppose you’re right.”
And he was right. I don’t play guitar. But all I need to change that reality is to take my guitar out of the case and . . . practice.
Maybe, when it comes to faith, we just need to practice. And with practice, soon enough, our lives will become the source of many beautiful songs.