Walkerville Uniting Church Sunday Sermons
Religion & Spirituality
New Testament: Luke 8:1-15
Rev Mark Schultz
Over the years, I have had some great friends involved in agriculture, many of them on the Eyre Peninsula. Of course, as with many occupations these days, farming has changed dramatically in our lifetime. Whereas we used to try and read what the weather was doing, seed when the soil seemed ready, pray for rain, pray for dry and pick that precise moment when to harvest, now it seems that most farmers spend as much time on their computer as on the land. To my simplest of understandings, it sounds like it is a precise science of educated guesswork involving, of course, huge investment!
This week we will be looking together at the Parable of the Sower. At first glance, it appears that the Sower is pretty haphazard. Some of the grain falls on the path, some on rocks. and it appears that his weeding practices aren’t up to scratch! But still, the seed that falls in the best soil produces an unreal crop!
Going back to the early church, we read of the mission carried out by so many committed believers to share the good news of Jesus far and wide. But somehow, in the dark ages, even leading up to the Renaissance era, it was deemed unnecessary to share the gospel! The argument was that a sovereign God already knows who is going to become a Christian so why do we need to do His work for Him?
It was only in the 1700’s that things began to change. People such as John Wesley, William Carey and others realised that for people to be named in the Book of Life, someone would have to share the gospel with them. So they did, at home and abroad, and the numbers of Christians grew once again, but in new and interesting places.
It begs the question: is evangelism the domain of missionaries and big-name evangelists? In the 21st century, the answer is a resounding, “Absolutely not!” Largely because people don’t trust the church. But they will happily hear the gospel from someone they know, someone they trust. Someone like you!
We are shortly going to be opening an Alpha Course, and I can guarantee you that you will have far more success in getting people along than I will. And the good news is that all you have to do is intrigue them enough to get them in the room and sit there with them. We will do the rest.
So scatter seeds as far and wide as you can. Yes, some will fall on the path, some might fall in rocks or even be quashed by the weeds. But what if they bear an even greater harvest than you or I could believe possible?
Blessings
Mark
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