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Like all of you, I "wear different hats." They are not limited to the pastor's hat that I wear on Sundays and other days. One of the hats that I wear is a farmer's hat. I started to wear it when one of my children decided that farming was to be his vocation. Farming, like many vocations, brings about a mixture of feelings. They can go from disappointment to joyful satisfaction with various emotions in between.
One of my many joyful moments in farming was the first time I both planted a field and then harvested it. It was a unique feeling that is difficult to explain. Still, I believe it is akin to working in our own, individual mission field. This Sunday's lectionary lesson from Matthew 13 tells of Christ sitting by the lake. The gathering crowd becomes so large that Jesus takes a practical approach and gets into a boat to teach. He tells one of his more familiar parables, The Parable of the Sower and the Seed. In the parable, Jesus tells of seed sown in different locations: on a path, on rocky ground, among thorns, and some of it on good soil.
As a "farmer," I have seen seed planted on many soils, some favorable and some very unfavorable. Almost always, the yield is impacted by where the seed is planted. The depth of the topsoil, soil condition at planting and during the growing season, etc. all have great impact on the yield. One can help production by doing things like fertilizing, but the soil condition is the big determiner. I have seen plants that barely get out of the ground, others that whither and die, and some that never reach maturity, while most do reach maturity and yield.
Christ sometimes explains the meaning of His parables, especially to His disciples. This week's reading is one of those cases. However, even though we can draw much from this parable, we see clearly that the main point is the imperative to share "the message about the kingdom," the Good News of Redemption through Jesus. We are called to go forth and sow God's message for the world. Still, in doing that, we realize that some will have the seed snatched away, for some it will not take root, for others the concerns of the world will choke it out, but others will hear and understand and produce a crop. That does not impact our responsibility to plant.
Although Christ may explain the meaning, He lets the putting it into action reside with each of us. We are called to engage in ministries…to plant seeds. Some may produce while some may not, but we are called to plant. Dr. Derek Weber encourages us not "just to look at the seeds but also the dirt, to see the potential that awaits." We need to look all around and see the potential in every person. So, in faith, in hope, and in love, we share our beliefs and values, living them each day and trusting the seeds will produce a transformation.
May the hat we wear bring redemption to the soul, peace for the heart, and a guiding path to God to those waiting to hear.
We hope, as God's children, that the hat we wear most proudly and most often is the hat of the farmer or, as Christ says, the Sower.
The Rev. Max W. Furman, serves as pastor of the Antes Fort and Oriole Methodist Churches is an elder in the Global Methodist Church.