Pentecost 4, 2011 Immanuel Chapel, Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
In the book, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Kyrie Statmis went to Dr. Iannis, the village physician, complaining of an ear ache. Dr. Iannis extracted a pea from Kyrie’s ear that he had stuck there when he small child. Soon after, Kyrie returned to the village doctor and asked him if he could put the pea back in his ear. “It’s my wife” Kyrie explained. Before, her constant getting after him to get out of his chair and do something was a kind of steady murmuring, putting him to sleep. But now, with his ear canal cleared he could hear every word she spoke.
Jesus says, “Got ears? Hear!” What is it that blocks our ears and causes the Word of the Lord to sound like a soothing murmur to us? What is going through the pathways of our minds that hinder us from really hearing the word of the Lord? C.S Lewis book The Screwtape Letters, is a correspondence between Wormwood, a devil in training, and his uncle Screwtape. Wormwood’s assignment is a new Christian. Screwtape advises his nephew not to attack his subject’s faith directly. Rather divert the person’s mind away from God and his word. For instance, when his subject is in church, Wormwood should call attention to a bug crawling on another person’s collar. As a result, the word of the Lord has planted stays on the surface and is easily plucked away by the Evil One.
In some people the word does take root and spring up causing joy. However, when some tribulation or someone reacts negatively to his new found joy in Christ or disappointment arises when he sees how Christians often fail to live what they confess, he loses his joy and his faith begins to dry up.
When I was writing the history of Holy Cross, in Collinsville for its 150th anniversary, a couple people asked if I found the work inspiring. I replied, “If you want to study church history, you better start with a strong faith.” There were times when I wanted to reach back a hundred or more years, grab someone by the lapels and ask, “Do you know what you are doing?” One day I met Karen on the sidewalk outside church. She had been translating some of the congregational minutes. Karen said, “I don’t think there is any point continuing. I’ve come to 1911 and they’ve voted to give back the money donated to build a new church.” I replied, “Do you see that church building there? That was dedicated in 1915. Don’t give up yet.” What the study of church history gives is a stronger certainty in the amazing patience and loving forbearance of the Lord that he continues to give us his grace through His word and sacraments.
As Jesus continues to speak in our text he says that in some who hear, the word the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke out the word. Certainly we have enough going on in the world to fill us with care over the future. And the prospect of riches is held out with every casino built and lottery ticket bought.
While I was serving in Albert Lea, MN the Ministerial Association met at the Episcopal Church. It was a beautiful church set alongside Fountain Lake. Someone asked whether the view of the lake was a distraction during worship. Not only that, the Rector answered, but I can watch my parishioners waterskiing on Sunday morning.
The way Jesus is telling his parable it seems the whole enterprise of spreading the seed of the gospel is pretty much a failure, what with it having to contend with the Evil One, the tribulation, disappointment and the cares of the world along with the deceitful promise of riches that choke out what has sprouted.
However, Isaiah promises that the Word of the Lord will accomplish the Lord’s purpose and shall succeed in the thing for which God sends it. The word defies and defeats the Evil One. It’s the word that turns hearts of stone to hearts that receive and welcome the word of God’s love and salvation in Jesus Christ. It’s the word that out grows and thwarts the cares and deceitful enticement of the world. Despite the failures the end harvest of the word will be abundant.
It was none other than our Lord Jesus Christ who on his head carried a crown of thorns that he might offer to us the crown of life. The word made flesh allowed his life to be choked out of him as he hung on the cross gasping for breath. It was Jesus himself, word of God become human being, who tackled the Evil One. He defeated him that day quoting scripture and telling his adversary that we humans do not live alone by what the world has to offer. The word that proceeds from the mouth of God overcomes the world’s deceitful promises. It was the Word made flesh that cared so much for you and me who invites us to cast our cares upon him. He has already borne them on the cross and buried them in his grave.
But what of all the failures? Martin Franzmann wrote a hymn that answers that question. Let us join in singing hymn 586 stanzas 1, 4, 5,
- Preach you the Word and plant it home
To men who like or like it not,
The word that shall endure and stand
When flow’rs and men shall be forgot.
4. Though some be snatched and some be scorched
And some be choked and matted flat,
The sower sows; his heart cries out,
“Oh, what of that, Lord, what of that?”
5. Of all his scattered plenteousness
One-fourth waves ripe on hill and flat,
and bears a harvest hundredfold;
“Ah, what of that, Lord, what of that!
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