Being Rooted in God



15th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Readings:
Psalm:                                 Psalm: 119:105-112                                                               : 
First Reading:                    Genesis 25:19-34                               
Second Reading:              Romans 8:1-11                                                                        
Gospel:                                Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23                                                                                

What I want to say:
That today’s readings help us explore being blessed to be a blessing. In the story of the sower we are offered picture of a recklessly generous god who sows seek life wherever. While we can read the soil types as different people, it is also us. We are a mix of soils. And that reckless God keeps on scattering that within us.

What I want to happen:
How do we nurture our good soil and help that seed grow, that we might be a blessing

The Sermon



       1.       Introduction:

Bethel – blessed to be a blessing
trouble is – not sure if blessed
                good enough
                what need to do?
even when might think blessed
                not sure who blessing for
                what are limits of this?
                limits got very narrow
                                Jesus and who is my neighbour
                how to be a blessing
                                what does that mean?
                                what involve?
bible is really all about this
today’s readings are all about this

      2.       Gospel

well known stories
parable of sower
irony is don’t spend a lot time on sower at all
dispute about technique of sower
                some – normal
                others – seen as incredibly wasteful
                                no way poor peasant waste precious seed in this fashion
                                they carefully place it in prepared soil had best chance harvest
                like many Jesus stories – this is shocking picture
This sower scatters seed willy nilly
                where ever
                no care for chance harvest
Use this as picture God scattering seed life
either reckless
                wasteful God or
recklessly generous,      
abundant God
scatters seed life and blessing wherever and everywhere
Go back old Bethel course
God scatters blessing all over place
don’t have do anything receive
there it is
scattered all over us and around us

      3.       Soil

next part reading Jesus explanation about the soil
which some suggest not Jesus at all
but early church trying make sense of this story in light experience
trouble was
despite stories of amazing growth find Acts
reality was
hard work
work among poor attracting attention
not all – positive
weren’t vast numbers
not everyone stuck
persecution making life hard
numbers converts drifting away
kind of like today
                we don’t have persecution as excuse
early followers of the way in Matthew’s community trying make sense of that
this story offers an explanation
                some were paths – seed not grow at all
                some rocky ground – some response
                                but then heat is on – they are out of there
                some have lives full of thorns
                                choke response
at one level –
                all this is helps us understand why mission is so hard
yes God is abundantly, recklessly generous
but soil people’s hearts not always ready

      4.       Problem

There is a problem with this
becomes really tempting for those us seemingly have responded
feel pretty smug about it all
look at us
responding to God’s blessing
we are good soil
leaves us feeling somewhat self-righteous
which unfortunately
can leaves us thinking that blessing is for us
forgetting all about 2nd part that equation
suddenly no longer good soil
join those others out there
only we don’t notice
too busy congratulating ourselves.
sad thing is history littered
                us Christians treating other people really badly on basis that we are righteous
                                blessed
                they are unrighteous
                deserving God’s judgement
                which we have then enacted on God’s behalf.
at point
we stop being good soil
somewhere else in continuum of soils

      5.       Another reading

lead us to another reading of this story
yes – all us here will be good soil
                welcomed seed reckless God scatters
                bearing fruit faith
result – trust in God
                centre our lives in love God
                be blessed
but if we were honest
                other times we will be like path
                or rocky soil
                or thorns that grow and choke
no better than anyone else
which leaves us wondering
                if we are good enough
                if we truly are blessed

      6.       Rebekah and her family

first reading heard this morning heard story about people just like that
                ongoing story Isaac and Rebekah
                                two sons – Esau and Jacob
some ways extraordinary family
ever case having more one wife
                when one wife barren – no children
                                no heirs
                                name, legacy – disappear
Isaac stays true to Rebekah - good soil
but given picture real people in this story
some ways call this dysfunctional family
Jacob and Esau – fighting even before born
parents and sons filled with
complacency
jealously
intrigue
these do not seem to be the kind of people we would describe as good soil
not kind people on which God’s promise to all humanity hinges
yet that is exactly who they are
for all humanness
are good soil at times
history changed through them.
history littered followers of the way
despite all their faults
all times they were paths, rocky soil, filled with weeds and thorns
lived lives blessing all those around.

      7.       Good news

all which good news
brothers and sisters
we do not need be good soil all time
if think you are
deluding yourself
by definition aren’t good soil
here is good news
God’s seed planted in us anyway
blessed anyway
God changing world through us
anyway.
let us give thanks that there is good soil in there somewhere
that seed God is planted within us despite all failings
                panted even in those failing
let us tend good soil
be people who live
blessing for other
How do we nurture our good soil and help that seed grow, that we might be a blessing?



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