Deeply Rooted in Faith

“Deeply Rooted in Faith” Sermon for Sunday July 16, 2017 Preached at Pleasantville UCC by Rev. Amelie Sell Psalm 119: 105-112 Matt 13:1-9, 18-23 The American Farm Bureau reports that most Americans are at least three generations removed from the farm. Farm and Ranch Families make up only 2% of the US population.i One hundred years ago, 50% of US adults were employed in agriculture. Many of us had grandparents or great-grandparents who grew up on farms, but most of us have little knowledge of how to do farm chores, help crops grow, or raise animals for food. Although our lives are not dependent on our personally raising the food we eat, many of us instinctually crave the satisfaction of getting our hands dirty and helping beautiful or delicious things grow in our yards. I have 9 tomato plants growing on my deck, and although I know the tomatoes will probably all ripen when I am out of town later this month, I couldn’t help myself when the urge struck to plant them. The spring-time weather warms up, the frost fades from the air, and we follow in the footsteps of 100s of generations of human beings and want to help things grow. We plant seeds in good soil….we water them….the sun does its job….and we watch the miracle of God’s plants growing. Most of the people Jesus met in his journeys were tied to the land. They had first-hand experience with planting and sowing and reaping and harvesting. They cared for animals who later became food. They weeded. They ate food they grew. When Jesus taught parables about farmers sowing seed in their fields, his analogies immediately made sense to his listeners. They had watched in frustration as birds ate newly planted seeds. They saw what happened when soil wasn’t deep enough for the roots of plants. They witnessed weeds take over fields. And, they knew the satisfaction that comes after a good harvest is brought in….they knew the goodness that came when seeds were planted under desirable conditions and everything grew well. Our work as Christians is to plant seeds in good soil. When we encounter people who need God in their lives, we are sowers. We are responsible for sharing the story of Jesus, for sharing the story of our faith. If we learn the person we are interacting with has circumstances in their lives that make it difficult for them to hear the “Good News,” we are called upon to help them so they can hear what we have to share. We are called upon to be sowers of seeds of faith and to be ambassadors of Christianity to the people we meet. One of my favorite quotes comes from Robert Lewis Stevenson. He was the 19th century author of the adventure stories Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The subtitle to his play “Admiral Guinea” is the proverb: "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." Our work is to plant. In our congregation, one of the ways we work to plant seeds of faith is through our educational ministries. Each Sunday, volunteers teach our younger members in our church school. We have forums and Bible studies for everyone who wants to explore more about our shared faith. We just completed 4 days of Vacation Bible School, a fun and educational opportunity for our children and leaders to take a deeper dive into the stories of our faith and learn more about our Christian responsibly to care for refugees. We are gearing up for our fall’s Confirmation program, where our congregation 1|Page

provides a faith-intensive to our newest young adult members. We bring speakers and lecturers to our church to inspire us and educate us. We are all called upon not only to be sowers of seeds of faith, but also at times to be the people who are the recipients of the seeds; we are the fertile fields. We always have more to learn about our God and God’s teachings. After this morning’s worship service, we are all invited to do a little sowing in our community. The youth have requested our congregation join them as they have their “First Annual Food Larder Parade.” We will journey to the Giant grocery store in New Britain, purchase food and toiletry items for the New Britain Food Larder, parade with those items from the store to the larder (utilizing borrowed shopping carts to ferry the food), and then deliver the food to the Larder. We will be quite a spectacle on Butler Avenue, a joyous contingency of teens bearing gifts for people in our community who are hungry. Kathy Vitantonio, our fearless church business manager, often preaches the gospel of “Putting Our Faith into Action.” Today’s parade is an example of our youth leading us in mission. They will demonstrate to us (and everyone who drives down Butler at 12:15 this afternoon) how to sow seeds of God’s love in our community. They will put their faith into action and spread seeds of faith in everyone they meet. Our work as Christians is to plant seeds in good soil. And, our lives are full of fresh fields waiting to be planted. Many of our friends and relatives are nominally Christian, or not Christian at all. Many of the people we know not only do not go to church, they also may have little knowledge of the Christian faith. The fields are ripe for planting. We are charged with the responsibility of telling people why we choose to worship God. We are changed with the responsibility to share with others why we believe the teachings of Jesus. We are charged with the responsibility to tell others why being part of a faith community has made a positive difference in our lives and in the lives of our families. We are called upon to be open with others about why we practice our faith. Our work as Christians is to plant seeds in good soil. With God’s help, we pray that our planting will result in fruit, and bring forth more people who are able to hear the word of God and accept Jesus into their lives. Let’s go plant some seeds. Amen. i

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