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But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

᛭ INI ᛭

(5. Oops!: We make ourselves the hero of the story.)

We often like make ourselves the heroes of our own story. We so often place ourselves in the best light. That if there is anything that is perfect, isn’t great, or is even down right not good, well, we’ve got a reason for that. Those excuses often keep us from repentance toward someone we’ve wronged. “Well, you see, I’m sorry you’re upset with me, but I’m not really sorry for what I did…”

Making ourselves the hero of the story, puts us center stage. The way we often live is for ourselves, and so then if life is about others, at home or at work, well, that’s the excuse we use to live for ourselves the rest of the time. Our selfishness makes us blind, blind to the harm we’ve caused others by living for ourselves. Every strained relationship we have has a common person: us!

Now, making ourselves the center of the story gets us into problems when we’re dealing with, not just our own story, but the Stories Christ tells. Sometimes Christ preaches directly, but often He uses Stories. They’re called Parables. So, today’s Parable is, in our minds, the Story of the Soils.

(4. Ugh!: Listen again to the soils!)

If it’s a Story about soils, there’s the nagging question: well, which are you? Let’s review what Christ Himself says about each one, and see how we like that…

Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

The devil “is at work in the sons of disobedience,” (Eph 2) “whose minds [he] has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel … shine on them.” (2-Cor 4) He’s the source of all rejecting, not believing the Word of God preached and taught.

Since you’re here, seems like that’s not you, right? (There are hypocrites in the church though. Hmm…) Anyway, on to the next soil!

But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.

Well, do you have roots? How rooted are you in the Word of God? Or even just your Catechism? Has the temptation come yet? Indeed, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1)

But what about future temptation!? Many worry about that… Maybe you do… Not just temptation, but persecution…

Things are getting a bit dicey for true Christians, aren’t they? Sure you believe now, but what about in the future? When tempted? When your very life ison the line? None of us knows what we’ll do in the future… Well, we’re short on time—next soil!

Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

Oof! That one strikes deep, doesn’t it? You’re up to your neck in it, aren’t you? What isn’t there to worry about! There’s worrisome news from around the world. Troubling news in our country and state. There’s worries and cares in our communities, our congregation, even your own home and life. Bills to pay, retirements to plan for, diagnoses, medications, obligations. And all the other ways we’re unfruitful, like I talked about at the start of the sermon. And, oh yeah, there’s all the things we like to over-indulge in! Things we’ve just got to have!

As a flower of the field [the rich man] will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. (James 1)

Finally, the last soil! Who’s even left standing at this point?

But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

Noble and good heart. Yeah. Who’s got that? A noble and good heart doesn’t have “thorns” (“cares, riches, and pleasures of life”). A noble and good heart has no stones; it has deep soil, for deep roots in the Word of God. Noble and good bears fruit: “faith toward God,” “love toward one another.”

(3. Aha!: It’s a Parable not about soils but the Sower and His Seed.)

So then, how does one get a noble and good heart? Well, focusing on the soils alone isn’t the answer!. Not that the soils are unimportant to the whole story, but there is much more. For you see, the Story that Christ tells isn’t about soils, but about a “Sower who went out to sow His Seed.” That “Seed is the Word of God.” This focus lets us see the proper relationship between soil and Seed. The Seed is the Word, then the Soil is a hearer. And so Christ’s Story is about Himself, the Sower, the Word He preaches, and the hearers. But the Sower and Word takes center stage. Christ’s Parable shows what the Word of God does in each kind of hearer, which, of course, is a warning to hearers…

(2. Whee!: The Lord is the Hero, the Sower, of the Story—your story.)

Anyway, in the Parable of the Sower, the hero isn’t the last soil, the right kind of hearer, the right kind of you, or the right kind of me. The hero is the Sower and His wonder-working seed! Christ is the Hero, the Sower, of the Story.

And Christ just preach a sermon for out mental pondering. He preaches a mic drop sermon at the end that will help us find our way past all these soils. For you see, He preaches the Parable and then cry out **“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”** He wants all to hear Him. Christ Himself preaches what the Father said at His Transfiguration: **“Hear Him!”**

Christ preaches Himself not only as the hero of the Story, as in the Parable. He’s the Hero of your story. He is your Hero; He’s your Savior. He the Sower is more than sower. He becomes like a seed. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much grain.” (Jn 12) That’s Christ for you—died, then planted for three days in the heart of the earth. Germinating, sprouting, “the first fruits from the dead, that He might become the first of many brothers.” (1-Cor 15) (Is it any wonder that He was “crowned with thorns” and buried in a cave behind a massive “stone”? He’s redeemed you from your thorns and stones!

He’s your Sower, and you’re His field. What about the others—thorny, rocky, ground, path with the birds? Well, for that we need to look to the other thing this Story is all about—“the Word of God.”

(1. Yeah!: THE WORD OF GOD FORMS THE KIND OF FIELD THAT YIELDS A HUNDREDFOLD.)

The Word is center stage, because Sexagesima Sunday is the Sunday focused on Sola Scriptura, Scripture alone, and what a story to do that! Christ preaches this Story to show how powerful His Word is to create faith and fruit! If Satan doesn’t come and snatch it, the road would’ve produced! The rocky soil produced for awhile. The thorny soil di too, but didn’t last to harvest. The good soil alone brought fruit to harvest. Anyway, what you see is that in each case the Seed produces. And from the rest of Scripture we know this comforting truth:

THE WORD OF GOD FORMS THE KIND OF FIELD THAT YIELDS A HUNDREDFOLD.

The soil doesn’t form itself. You don’t. Only the Word of God—the Word of God alone—does that. THE WORD OF GOD FORMS THE KIND OF FIELD THAT YIELDS A HUNDREDFOLD.

When it comes to the devil, St. Paul says: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…”—finally taking up “the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Eph 6)

Besides that, we all need a noble and good heart. Good news is: the Lord answers the prayer we pray often: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me.” (Ps 51) That’s what He promises in Ezekiel: “I’ll give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I’ll take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezek 36) Indeed no “stone” nor “thorns” not because of you, but the Word! “Is not My Word like fire declares the LORD, and like a hammer that shatters rock?” (Jer 23)

This is why it’s paramount to be in the Word. Not because you “did it,” but because “THE WORD OF GOD is living and active,” (Heb 4) and it alone FORMS THE KIND OF FIELD THAT YIELDS A HUNDREDFOLD.

His Word will not only burn up thorns and shatter rocks, but it will soothe and strengthen you, water you, fertilize you. “As the rain waters the earth…so shall My Word be…” (Is 55) “Through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures we have hope.” (Rom 15) Indeed, we’re made branches of the true Vine, living in Him and He in us (Jn 15)—by His flesh and blood, that we might live forever with Him. (Jn 6)

That’s what we need. We need our Sower, our Savior, Christ. We need His Saving Word. THE WORD OF GOD FORMS THE KIND OF FIELD THAT YIELDS A HUNDREDFOLD, even “faith toward God and fervent love toward one another.”

᛭ INI ᛭