Date: June 16, 2024 

Scripture: Mark 4:26-34

Sermon Title: “Scatter the Seeds”

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Bob Jon

You can also listen on Podcast from iTunes and Spotify. Search for “Podcasting from Rev. Bob Jon.”

The other day, I got my boys a Rubik’s Cube. How many of you like to play with it? When I was a kid, I could sit and play with it until I could get it right. But you know what? I guess I have lost not just my skill but also my patience. I would spend about two or three minutes and leave it on the couch. How many of you like to play crossword puzzles, Sudoku, or other puzzle games? Will Shortz, the crossword editor of the NPR says this. “We’re faced with problems every day in life, and we almost never get clarity. We jump into the middle of a problem, we carry it through to whatever extent we can to find an answer, and then… we just find the next thing. But with a human puzzle, you have the satisfaction of being completely in control. You feel in control, and that’s a great feeling.”^[1]

How about you? Do you feel like you are in control of your life? Are you in control of your children or grandchildren? Are you in control of your jobs? Are you in control of your health? Are you in control of your finance? Are you in control of your retirement plan? When you reflect on your life, when was the time you could point that you were truly in control from the point A to the point B? Are we in control of our death? Leo Tolstoy said, “My brother died. He was wise, good, and serious but he fell ill while still a young man, suffered for more than a year, and died painfully, not understanding why he had lived and still less why he had to die. No theories could give me, or him, and reply to these questions during his slow and painful dying.”^[2]

One thing I learned during the pandemic was that I was not in control of anything. I had been planning to bring the youth group of my former church to White Mountain in May 2020. I arranged with the church in North Conway so we could stay there for a couple of nights. But as the virus was sweeping across the nation, we had to cancel it. As people could not meet at the church, I livestreamed from the church. From time to time, the WIFI did not work, completely losing the signal. It is said that Bishop Sally Dyck, resident bishop of the Chicago Area said in the early year of pandemic, “We are not in control. We have wanted to control the church, control God, and control each other. And controlling is a pre-coronavirus perspective.” 

So, why bother in the first place? Sometimes, we feel like we want to throw our towels and just agree with the author of Ecclesiastes who says, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun?” And we hear the words of Jesus who gives us the parable. “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and say, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.” (Mark 4:26-27) This year again, I sowed some seeds on my vegetable garden. Every day, Daniel and Joshua go there to check on how our garden is doing. They would point their finger at the little sprout from the lettuce coming out of the ground saying, “Wow.” Then, I am looking at my boys and amazed how much they grow. It is God who grows them. 

You see after we sow the seeds, we can do much such as watering them, giving them fertilizers, and removing weeds. However, we can never see what is going on under the ground where the roots are growing. We do not know whether the roots are being nourished well or withering away. Regardless, we do our works diligently and pray that our works might lead to the good harvest. We cannot control how much harvest we will get at the end. We cannot guarantee that we will get any harvest that we anticipate in our way. But we still spread the seeds on the ground because our God is none other the Sower who does not care whether the soil is well-fertilized, dry, thorny, or even rocky. God expects us to go and spread the seeds of the gospel anywhere because God will also grow them. 

Last Sunday, we celebrated the retirement of Cheryl as the direct of Christian Education for the past 25 years. Toward the end of ceremony, we had everyone who is either in the educational program at Aldersgate or who has gone through in the past years. As I looked at the picture, I counted about 50 people standing behind Cheryl and Jim. There was a PowerPoint that had all the names who went through our education program. The number was about 500. For the past 25 years, Cheryl has sown the seeds of the gospel, teaching the children who Jesus is, reminding the children how much they mean to God and to our church. I have been here only two years now. But I am sure God is God who has been growing the seeds of God’s love in the hearts of all these young people. 

Last year, Betsey texted me and said, “I just met this person at St. Paul Soup Kitchen. She was looking for a church home. So, I invited her to come to our church.” And I said, “Sure.” Honestly, I often hear people say, “Oh, I would love to come to your church” and never show up. So, I did not have much hope. That Sunday, she came to the church. Since she did not have a car, Chris drove to her place and brought her to the church. I brought her back to her place after the worship and I thought, “Well, I hope she enjoyed our hospitality, but I am sure this would be the last time for her.” Then, she came back again and again, later joining our church as a new member. When we simply invite someone to come and see, we are sowing the seeds, trusting that God will do the rest.

This past Wednesday, I came to the church to join Wonder Women, as Laura Brown gave a talk about menopause. As I heard so many medical terms I had never heard before, I thought, “Wow. I am glad I went to a seminary, not a medical school.” And I looked around the room. I noticed several women from our church and some from the community. Well. We were not there to proselytize anyone to come and join our church. “You cannot come and listen to Laura’s talk unless you are a member of this church.” But I was glad that Wonder Women offered this talk because Jesus also cared about the sick and showed compassion for those who suffered. Disappointed by the incompetency and cost of medication, John Wesley decided to advise and prescribe himself. He genuinely wanted both medical and spiritual help accessible to the poor as he wrote the hymns:

“Giver and Lord of Life, whose power and guardian care for all are free.” 

Here is another seed that I prayerfully want to sow in our congregation today. I am praying that God would help us start a Grief Share Group at Aldersgate UMC. In my former church in Connecticut, we had a woman who lost her daughter to a car accident, killed by someone who was drinking. Her daughter was only 18 years old. For many years, she carried such a wound of loss, grief, and anger. But later, she felt God was calling her to share her story with others and share the peace of God with them. She was able to forgive the person who killed her daughter by letting go of her hatred and anger to the one who killed her. As we advertised the group in the community,15 people came and I saw how she sowed the seeds of healing and transformation there in their hearts. 

If we proclaim Christ who was incarnated in this world to be with people who were broken, hurting, and longing for the good news, we can surely think about many places in our world today that people do not want to talk about, or do not want to go. We might think that we are wasting our time, or we are wasting the precious seeds. But remember what Jesus said standing among people and unrolling the scroll and read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” We can discern where Jesus is calling us, and sow the seeds of joy, love, and peace.  

There is a story about a farmer who just experienced several bad years and went to see the manager at his bank. “I’ve got some good news and some bad news for you. Which one would you like to hear first?” “Well, why don’t you tell me the bad news first and we will get to the good news?” The farmer said, “Ok, with the worst drought and inflation, I won’t be able to pay anything on my mortgage this year, either on the principal or the interest.” “Wow, that is pretty bad.” “Hold on second, it gets worse. I won’t be able to pay anything on the loan for all the machinery I bought either.” “Wow, this is pretty serious.” “I am not done yet. Do you remember that I also borrowed money from you to buy seeds and fertilizer? I won’t be able to pay them back either.” The banker said, “Please stop there. So please tell me some good news.” The farmer replied with a smile, “The good news is that I intend to keep on doing business with you.”^[3]  

For us believers, the good news for us is that God is not done with us despite our struggles, hardships, or tribulations. Although we often realize that we are not in control of anything, God whose love for us is beyond what we can imagine, calls us to faithfully sow the seeds because it is God who will grow them and lead to abundant harvest. And the questions for us is “Will we faithfully scatter the seeds of love, grace, and peace anywhere in following our God who goes everywhere?” 

Amen.

---

^[1] Lev Grossman, “The Answer Men” Time (3-11-13)

^[2] Leo Tolstoy, A Confession

^[3] David A. Seamands, Healing Grace (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books, 1988)