Pastor Jonah Sage preached from Mark 4:1-9. He said that the Kingdom of God is catholic, abundant, and potent. Lector: Kristen McGee
Pastor Jonah Sage preached from Mark 4:1-9. He said that the Kingdom of God is catholic, abundant, and potent.
Lector: Kristen McGee
Over the last decade I have become an accidental and occasional fisherman.
Accidental: friends taught me. Didn't grow up fishing. Wasn't a thing for us or me.
Got invited on a trip, and I went. This Summer, I got invited to go on a fly fishing trip
I've read a river runs through it, so I figured I could do it. Behold my mighty bounty:
Tiny fish picture
Occasional: I never choose to fish, but I enjoy it when I do. I get invited, I go.
I stand before you not an expert, but an accidental, occasional fisherman.
In my decade on lakes and rivers, I've learned lots of rules.
Fishermen have a ...way...about them. The serious ones at least.
Everyone is convinced that right around the corner is the next strategy or idea that will make their fishing dreams come true.
While fly fishing, I learned a very impressive sounding question: "what's biting?"
Sometimes, fish like some things and and other times other things.
Sometimes they want Mexican food and other times they want a burger.
Get the right fly on the line and bam, all your fishing dreams come true.
Fishing lakes in Minnesota taught me the colors of your bait are very important
"If fish you lack," we say, "put on black."
"If the lake is dead," we say, "put on red."
Want the big one? Put on squirrelly Burt.
Cast into bubbling water on the lake, cast into calm waters next to rocks on the river
Get this reel, this line, this bait...rules and strategies, hoping for that fish.
Can anyone tell me the most important rule of fishing, though?
The number one rule, the sure-fire way to catch a fish, if you don't follow this rule, you are guaranteed to never catch a fish...anyone?
PUT YOUR LINE IN THE WATER.
Pick your fly, polish your gear, choose the lure, go to your spot etc etc etc
But if you never put your line in...you'll never catch a thing.
Jesus is about to teach us something about fishing...by talking about farming.
This story he tells, this riddle, takes up more space in Matthew, Mark, Luke than any other story he tells.
In Matthew, Mark, Luke, this story always introduces Jesus' use of parables.
Outside of Jesus' death and resurrection, the amount of space, conversation, and reflection given to this story in the gospels is only comparable to the transfiguration, which we'll see during Advent, and the feeding of the 5,000.
Something very important, key to the mission of Jesus, is before us.
This isn't he key story to understanding who Jesus is and what his Kingdom is like.
“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. 4 As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. 5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” 9 Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
-Mark 4:3-9
If you have ears, listen and understand! Hilarious. Have a good day!
Listen and understand. What are we to listen to, here?
Many of us, like accidental, occasional fishermen, focus on strategy and gear.
Many of us have heard sermons on this passage before
We leave asking questions like "what does the different ground represent?"
What are the birds? What does it mean they eat it?
What makes soil shallow? What are thorns?
What kind of soil do I have?
Are those the questions Mark, and Jesus, want us to be asking here, though?
If I told you that I had a fishing lure that caught fish in weeds, in deep water, in shallow water, on lakes, in the ocean, on rivers, in fast moving water and slow moving water, when it was cold out and when it's as hot out, in the morning and at a night...what question would you ask?
WHAT IS THAT FISHING LURE?!
this is the question we must be asking. what is this seed.
We know a few things about this seed:
The seed is CATHOLIC. Using that word on purpose because it's triggering
little "c" catholic means everywhere. Like we say in the nicene creed.
One catholic church, a universal, everywhere church.
this seed goes everywhere.
Where did this farmer throw this seed?
in a field
on a footpath
shallow soil
thorns
fertile soil
This seed goes everywhere. By implication, what does this say about how much seed there is?
Plenty to go around. it is catholic and abundant.
You only throw seed like this if you know there's another handful in the bag.
Catholic, abundant, and potent.
Did you notice that the seed did what seeds do everywhere it went?
"what about the foot path?!" you say. "birds ate it and flew away!"
Where will that seed end up? the bird will lovingly deposit it somewhere...
what if it lands on shallow soil? The seed will sprout quickly.
In thorns? the seed will grow.
Fertile soil? The seed will grow.
this seed grows everywhere it touches dirt. potent.
Three full chapters now we have received pictures of the Kingdom of God
Remember: when Jesus came announcing the gospel, he announced a KINGDOM
The Kingdom of God is at hand. So turn around and come home.
From there, he calls disciples who are fishermen.
He tells them they will come and fish for people.
Then the miracles: casts out demons, heals the physically and socially sick.
Forgives sins, calls a tax collector, and corrects the religious leaders.
More teachings, more healings, more opposition.
Last week, he's accused of being out of his mind and demon possessed.
After announcing the in-breaking of God's Kingdom, Jesus shows them that the King is not the kind of king they were expecting.
Opposition, anger, rejection, all stemming from misunderstanding
So Jesus capitalizes on this confusion by telling riddles
As we'll see next week, he has something in particular to tell to his disciples.
I'll give you one hint: Jesus says the seed in this story is the word of God
It is that announcement that the Kingdom of God is at hand
Now let's pretend we are fishermen for a moment.
Jesus brings them along this mysterious, unexpected mission.
He's told them they are to fish for people...but what does that mean?
If I gave you a limitless supply of seed, and told you it would grow everywhere no matter where you threw it and you could never run out, what would you do?
This is seed that could feed your family forever, in fact it could end world hunger!
What would you do?
Would you go to a class on sowing seed? Apparently it doesn't matter much...the seed is potent!
Would you go to a class on surveying to know the best place to sow seed?
Apparently the seed goes everywhere...it's catholic.
Would you study books on the best wrist-flick-technique to disperse the seed?
Do you see what I'm saying?
If you were a fisherman, and I gave you a lure that could catch any kind of fish in any place regardless of the conditions, what would you do?
YOU WOULD PUT YOUR LINE IN THE WATER!
We have a seed to sow, an announcement to make. The Kingdom of Jesus is at hand
The place where the sick are made well. The outcast welcomed home.
The lonely given family. The sinner forgiven and restored.
Where do we take this seed? EVERYWHERE
Who do we announce it to? EVERYONE
But my neighbors are Biden supporting atheists!
The seed is catholic, abundant, and potent.
But my sister does drugs and is homeless
The seed is catholic, abundant, and potent.
My dad hates Christians, my coworker is homosexual, my neighbor is transgender, but he's a socialist, but he's a fascist, but he's a conspiracy theorist but but but NOTHING
They home school! They private school! They vaccinate their children! They eat sugar!
The seed that is the word of God, the seed that is the announcement that we can come home, the kingdom of God is at hand, is catholic: it goes everywhere for everyone.
There is no one, no kind of person, no persuasion or political ideology or class or race that makes someone incapable of receiving this seed.
Because the Kingdom of God is potent, and it is abundant.
For weeks now, weeks, we've been looking at the nature of Jesus' mission
Mercy on the margins, to the vulnerable, the sick, the suffering, and the sinning.
Over and over and over again, Jesus heals, forgives, welcomes, and restores.
And now, he gives us this story, this riddle, about a powerful seed.
He gives the story to fishermen trying to learn what it means to catch people.
He gives the story to you and me as a gentle, patient way of asking us "HOW WILL YOU RESPOND"
Who do you know that fits the "help wanted" sign of the kingdom of God?
Who do you know that is far from home and needs to know they're welcomed back?
Sow your seed. Put your line in the water. Maybe in small ways. Invite someone to church.
Recent study found 86% of new church attenders came...because they were invited
Maybe you know someone struggling in ways you have, too.
Tell them how Jesus has carried you, forgiven you, healed, welcomed, restored you.
If you knew this Kingdom announcement went everywhere and worked on everyone, HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND?
Oh the patient mission of Jesus. Patient with you and I who are stubborn and scared
Patient with those far from him. Patient with good soil and hard soil.
Patient with thieving birds and thorny bushes.
Patience birthed of love and confidence.
Some seed will sprout quickly. Some will take time. Sometimes we need to throw that seed over and over and over again.
But there is no seed like the Kingdom of God: catholic, abundant, potent.
The invitation is not about our techniques, our words, our strategies, as much as it is about the power of the seed that is the word of God.
The Kingdom of God is at hand. Come home, believe the good news.
Most of us, like me, are accidental and occasional fishermen.
I think that might change if we understood just how powerful this message is.
How will you respond?
Let's pray.