Sowing the Seeds of Love

 

Matthew Chapter 13 Verse 1-23

Throughout his ministry, Jesus used parables to illustrate points. In Matthew Chapter 13, Jesus used the illustration of the sower. In an era where the vast majority of the population is urbanized, I can make the safe assumption that the vast majority of people reading this won't be familiar with the concept of sowing. A sower is someone who throws seeds onto the ground with the intention that these seeds will fall between the cracks in the soil, and grow where they landed. This process is called sowing. Using this parable, Jesus explained that some of the seeds would land on good soil and yield good results. The good seed is a metaphor for the people doing the works of God. This is the seed that I will expand on. Jesus wants people that can sow seeds in the same way that he can.

It's typically explained that Jesus embraced certain attributes. The most recited of these attributes is: love, kindness, and compassion. Jesus, throughout the Gospels, have demonstrated his love for humanity in various forms. He usually showed kindness towards people that were rejected and marginalized by society; like those that have diseases, the poor, those in need, and those suffering from various issues in general. The poor and suffering would have been on the bottom of the economic ladder, and most others would have demonstrated animosity towards this group. Despite being looked down upon by most of society, that didn't stop Jesus from rendering aid to this group and others. In the process, Jesus shook up the views of the common man. He was very proactive in helping others, both physically and spiritually. During this time, Israel was ruled by the Roman Empire. The Israelites in general held hatred towards this ancient superpower. Jesus didn't embrace the animosity held by those around him and healed a servant of a Roman Centurion. He would seek out those that were demon-ed possessed and heal them. He would cure those with leprosy or some other incurable disease. He feed thousands with five loaves of bread and two fish. People who didn't have sight were able to see again. Sometimes, he would bring the dead back alive. 

Through his works, he demonstrated how we needed to be when helping others by rendering aid to them. Jesus did the things that he did because he loved people, and he wanted to give them hope and salvation. There was no form of obligation or forced coercion. He did these things because he loved people. At the same time their was no restraint when calling out those who weren't responsive to the needs of the people, both spiritually and physically. Jesus didn't like how the ancient religious establishment (the Pharisees and Sadducees) exploited there power and held contempt to the very people that they were suppose to be helping. If the religious establishment of the day purposely neglected to do their job of meeting the spiritual needs of the people, Jesus called them out on it. The Pharisees allowed traders to convert the holy ground of the temple court into a marketplace. Jesus went into a rage because of the disgust he had when the Pharisees allowed this happen. The temple court was sacred ground that was meant to be there for all who needed spiritual outreach, and the Pharisees converted it into a place to make money. Jesus called them out because the ancient leaders discarded the very seed that there were supposed to have been sowing. Jesus held contempt to those who didn't embrace the attributes of love, kindness, compassion, and spiritual guidance. With that said, Jesus still was willing to demonstrate his love to others, even as he was being crucified.

Part of sowing the seeds of love and emulating the qualities of Jesus is addressing the wrongs being committed. Sometimes, those seeds that I mentioned earlier lands in hard places. These turn into the seeds of hatred that are very destructive. Hate is something that is taught and can be passed down from one generation to another, which can turn into the circle of death. In the modern world, wrongdoing can take various forms; extremism, abuse, theft, racial hate crimes, mass-shootings, exploitation, etc. When this wrongdoing occurs, it needs to be addressed. If someone is being abused, then the needs of the abused needs to be addressed. If theft occurs, then the people responsible for the crime need to be held responsible. Racial profiling and racially motivated hate crimes are a real thing that merits discussion. Jesus set the model for all of us to follow when addressing wrongdoings. When Radical Islamist commit a horrible crime, it needs addressing. It doesn't stop there, though. It would be a huge contradiction to bring condemnation against Radical Islam for violent actions, but then go deaf when Neo-Nazis or the KKK comes to town holding tiki torches, evoking horrible memories of the white terror of Jim Crow South. Both of these groups have a long and dark history of racial hatred. Extremism is extremism, regardless of the group. We can't pick and choose our demons. Doing so would reduce them to unimportant boogie-men. Did Jesus pick and choose his demons? Jesus recognized wrong and evil, regardless of the group.

We are given the powerful ability to stand up for wrongdoing, and the amazing thing is that anyone can embrace this ability! Sowing the seeds of love calls for leadership, and this call can be answered by anyone. This is important because in the event where our established leaders (regardless of whether there are church/religious leaders and/or our political leaders) fall short and drop the ball, that's where we pick it up. Jesus called various people to his discipleship. From a doctor, fisherman, a tax collector; you see representation of various ancient occupations, and women were part of the ministry as well. Nobody was held back by there occupation or their gender.

Sowing the seeds of love means recognizing the issues that confront people. Often times though, people resort to embracing the ideas of pariahs and boogie-men to explain and justify the reason of why there encounter tribulations (taxes, Radical Islam, the world, secularism, The Illuminati, the Government out to get them, some worthless conspiracy theory, whatever this weeks' boogie-man is, etc.). Regardless of whether the pariahs are real or perceived, one could argue that there is no need for pariahs and boogie-men because life itself provides enough problems without a declared villain pulling the strings. Just having a medical and/or mental condition, being homeless, wondering where the next meal will come from, barely surviving check to check, making rent, etc. Life can be very bitter and harsh. Jesus recognized this. This was why he had a ministry that was very responsive to both the spiritual and physical needs of people. Jesus leads a ministry that was geared to helping others. He wanted people to know that he was God's Son. He performed his miracles so that he could demonstrate God's powers and abilities. He did the things he did because he wanted to show God's love for humanity. If this message is lost to a flood of worthless click-bait social/political commentary, it's game over.

Luckily, most of the demands of life can be dealt with in a positive way and with simple acts of kindness. It's often said that the smallest acts of kindness can scream volumes. Jesus placed a whole lot of emphasis on helping those in need. Sowing the seeds of love requires this. As mentioned earlier, he provided the model of helping others that anyone can embrace. He provided the attributes for all of us to embrace. He taught that our duty was to go out and help those in need however possible. If someone needs a shoulder to cry on or need a prayer, then they need to be helped accordingly. People have spiritual needs as well. Prayer provides that personal time with God that reminds us that he our dear friend and that he is there for us, even when we feel that is isn't. Prayer can help evaluate our spiritual condition and see where we fall short and where theirs room for improvement. It also helps reflects what we need to do to strengthen our bond with God and fellow man as well. Prayer is essential in sowing the seeds of love. God's love reminds you that your not a insignificant. irrelevant, little, meaningless, secondary, small, trivial, unimportant, unsubstantial, minor, minuscule, nondescript, nonessential, not worth mentioning, paltry, petty, pathetic, puny, pointless speck of sand in the universe (I'm having too much fun with the online thesaurus).

Let's See Action

If anyone says that they don't want to see action and just want to take it easy and have a problem-free world; their lying. Service is for those that need action in there lives in order to justify there existence, and they won't be disappointed either. Again, service is for those that need action in there lives in order to justify there insignificant. irrelevant, little, meaningless, secondary, small, trivial, unimportant, unsubstantial, minor, minuscule, nondescript, nonessential, not worth mentioning, paltry, petty, pathetic, puny, pointless existence in the universe. I will stop with the thesaurus now.

Jesus would want us to emulate his attributes of helping others. As a result, we need to be reminded about our role of serving others. This could take on various roles. We exercise the love of God by extending our help to others. If someone needs a meal or a bowl of soup, they need to be served. If someone just needs a cup of coffee, there needs exist to be met. When there is someone who needs canned food, we lend a helping hand. When someone has been walking in the sun for awhile, and their thirst needs quenching, then we offer them that bottle water. For the ones full of pride, helping others mean doing the following: open your mind, swallow your pride, and open your eyes. In order for the spiritual needs of people needed to satisfied, there physical needs had to be fulfilled as well. The basic needs of food, water, shelter needs to be met. Disasters don't know any gender, racial, economic, and or social barrier. When a disaster affects a region, it affects everyone in that area, regardless of who we are. We are all equal in suffering and pain. Despite whom we are, we all have the same needs. You may nor may not heard of this saying, but regardless of who we are, all of our blood is the same color. Help has to be rendered to everyone, regardless. Jesus didn't make distinctions between who should and shouldn't get help. He helped men and women, child and adult, Israelite, Samaritan, Galilean, or Roman. 

A huge part of this sermon was written as a response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The canteen (mobile kitchen) is a very effective mobile kitchen that it can distribute meals to areas that may be out of reach. Salvation Army, HEB, Catholic Charities, the American Red Cross, and various other businesses, charities and non-profits, are hard at work helping those that are in need. Mexico even offered help and assistance after the hurricanes. The power of community spirit reaches its full potential when all of these organizations can reach out to those that have been affected by the hurricanes. All of these organizations reflect the strength of the community spirit and helping those that have been hit by horrible circumstances. Sowing the seeds of love means reaching out to the community. 

When I hear the stories of the volunteers in Texas and Florida, it brings back memories of the help that was offered during Hurricane Dolly back in 2008. I was with the Salvation Army in a canteen distributing food and water to those that been affected for several hours a day. There was a constant change in scenery, which could be a blessing for those that see the same trappings on a daily basis. One would be wondering how the day would play out. Where was the destination? How would you help those in that destination? Would your muscles be able to survive an agonizing day of work? How about multiple days of work? Would you be able to pick up that box if need be? Could you make it by your next break? The beauty is that life provides you with whatever experience you need in order to perform that task. As a volunteer, you quickly learn new things, like becoming a  team player. It's true that whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Humor goes a long way too. Do you know that vampires really do exist, and they drain energy and suck the life blood from you? Their called politicians! There are no dull moments. Sometimes, you would become a passive observer to the events playing around you.

Other times, you would be affected by what you see and hear. You would drive down this road where the canals and drainage ditches were filled completely with debris and ruined furniture. They would be left in those ditches in the front yards. It looked horrible. The people were affected were in a harsh situation. Some who wanted to rule the world now had nothing. Possessions had been lost because of the flood. Power lines were down, and tree branches would sometimes block the road, requiring taking a different path. The humidity would be very high, and there wouldn't be any wind to keep you cool. Sometimes there would be a isolated thunderstorm while outside, and you would get damp in the process. The mosquitoes would chew away at you as if you're one giant piece of steak full of juicy blood. You would swat or left arm with your right hand, and that hand would have 4-7 mosquitoes plastered to it. 

The canteen settles in an area where food would be distributed, and the people would come. These people have been under harsh circumstances themselves. Their homes were hot and humid, and there would be no power. AEP and CPL is working like clockwork restoring power, but most of these customers would go two weeks without power before it was restored. The people would have the look of pain in their faces, but when they smelt what was cooking on the grill, you would be witness to the biggest smiles. 

Along with the physical needs of people, the spiritual needs are there as well. People just want someone who will hear them and listen to their stories or hardship. Sometimes, one might get the impression that when reaching out, the volunteer have to put on this elaborate show with a fancy sermon/speech in order to let there presence be known. What's need instead is for you to shut up and listen to their experience. Some of them want to shout and let it all out. They want to know that they are being listened too and that there words are being valued. Since the volunteers themselves are going through hardship as well, often, they can relate to the pain that the other is going through. A relationship can't be established if one can't relate to what the other is going through. One person can't act as if their Superman because then they couldn't see the pain that the others are suffering from. Those in suffering want to know if their needs will be met. Sometimes, as a volunteer; listening to their story, just being there, or offering a little prayer can make a world of difference. They want to know that their love and valued. They need to know that's God's love is there. Action speaks louder than words. Even doing the small things can make the world so much better. Helping others and rendering spiritual and physical aid makes people feel that they're loved and valued in a world filled with rejection. Being reminded of God's Love and the sacrifice that Jesus made for us is the ultimate seed of love.