Pastor's Message
November 2023
Scattering the Seed
For the last few months, I have been talking about evangelism, specifically as it relates to St. Paul. So far, we have talked about having a commitment to evangelism, “pre-evangelism,” and community image. This month, we’re going to talk about “scattering the seed.”
At the entrance to church, we have a beautiful stained-glass window designed by former St. Paul pastor, Pastor George Enderle. It’s a beautiful representation of Jesus’ parable of the Sower and the seed found in Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8.
The parable tells the story of a farmer who went out to sow his seed. As he scattered the seed, some seed fell on the path, some on the rocky soil, some among the thorns, and some on good ground. Each seed had potential, but the ground made all the difference. The path was too hard for the seed to grow. The rocky soil did not allow for strong roots. The thorns choked off the growing seed. Only the good soil produced a harvest of thirty, sixty or a hundred-fold.
The spiritual meaning of Jesus’ parable was explained by him later in each chapter. The seed is the Word of God, which is always effective. The different soils represented the different ways people receive God’s Word. Some ignore it from the get-go. The devil steals it from their hearts before it ever gets a chance to take root. The rocky soil represents those who hear the Word of God and embrace it, but when that faith is tested, they quickly give up and the faith dies. The thorny soil represents those who hear the Word of God and believe, but the cares, worries and pleasures of this world slowly choke off that faith until it dies, too. Only the good soil produces a harvest of righteousness, thirty, sixty, a hundred-fold.
We can look at this parable from a few different angels. On the one hand, it is both a warning and encouragement to us. That seed of faith is precious, but it can be lost. Be careful not to be shallow in your faith or let the problems of life cause you to give up your faith. Persevere. Be strong in the Lord. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
But there is another lens by which we can look at this parable, something more in line with Jesus’ original telling of it to his disciples. It has to do with the proclamation of the gospel. Jesus was preaching and teaching in the towns and villages. He was scattering the seed. Many came to see and hear him. In the process, many put their faith in him. But for how long? Jesus was explaining to the crowd and to his disciples that not everyone will believe. We want them to, but they will not. Some will fall away.
That doesn’t mean we stop scattering the seed. If that happens, there is no chance for fruit at all, and no chance for faith. Keep scattering. Keep planting. Keep spreading God’s Word. But don’t be surprised if it doesn’t always take. In the end, it’s not your job to make the seed grow. That’s God’s job. It’s what the Holy Spirit does. Our job is to scatter the seed, to share the gospel.
All of this brings us back to our evangelism thought for this month. Keep scattering the seed! Keep sharing God’s Word. Keep offering that invitation. Keep witnessing to your faith. Keep scattering. You will often not see success. That can easily discourage. But take heart; don’t give up. Keep doing the work of the Lord because you don’t know when it will succeed, when it will produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or a hundred-fold.
On a congregational level, it means this: let us as a congregation keep doing, keep scattering, keep reaching out. Keep trying different things. Some things will work. Others won’t. But keep scattering. Who knows when and where the Lord will bless?
Pastor Ben Golisch
Scattering the Seed
For the last few months, I have been talking about evangelism, specifically as it relates to St. Paul. So far, we have talked about having a commitment to evangelism, “pre-evangelism,” and community image. This month, we’re going to talk about “scattering the seed.”
At the entrance to church, we have a beautiful stained-glass window designed by former St. Paul pastor, Pastor George Enderle. It’s a beautiful representation of Jesus’ parable of the Sower and the seed found in Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8.
The parable tells the story of a farmer who went out to sow his seed. As he scattered the seed, some seed fell on the path, some on the rocky soil, some among the thorns, and some on good ground. Each seed had potential, but the ground made all the difference. The path was too hard for the seed to grow. The rocky soil did not allow for strong roots. The thorns choked off the growing seed. Only the good soil produced a harvest of thirty, sixty or a hundred-fold.
The spiritual meaning of Jesus’ parable was explained by him later in each chapter. The seed is the Word of God, which is always effective. The different soils represented the different ways people receive God’s Word. Some ignore it from the get-go. The devil steals it from their hearts before it ever gets a chance to take root. The rocky soil represents those who hear the Word of God and embrace it, but when that faith is tested, they quickly give up and the faith dies. The thorny soil represents those who hear the Word of God and believe, but the cares, worries and pleasures of this world slowly choke off that faith until it dies, too. Only the good soil produces a harvest of righteousness, thirty, sixty, a hundred-fold.
We can look at this parable from a few different angels. On the one hand, it is both a warning and encouragement to us. That seed of faith is precious, but it can be lost. Be careful not to be shallow in your faith or let the problems of life cause you to give up your faith. Persevere. Be strong in the Lord. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
But there is another lens by which we can look at this parable, something more in line with Jesus’ original telling of it to his disciples. It has to do with the proclamation of the gospel. Jesus was preaching and teaching in the towns and villages. He was scattering the seed. Many came to see and hear him. In the process, many put their faith in him. But for how long? Jesus was explaining to the crowd and to his disciples that not everyone will believe. We want them to, but they will not. Some will fall away.
That doesn’t mean we stop scattering the seed. If that happens, there is no chance for fruit at all, and no chance for faith. Keep scattering. Keep planting. Keep spreading God’s Word. But don’t be surprised if it doesn’t always take. In the end, it’s not your job to make the seed grow. That’s God’s job. It’s what the Holy Spirit does. Our job is to scatter the seed, to share the gospel.
All of this brings us back to our evangelism thought for this month. Keep scattering the seed! Keep sharing God’s Word. Keep offering that invitation. Keep witnessing to your faith. Keep scattering. You will often not see success. That can easily discourage. But take heart; don’t give up. Keep doing the work of the Lord because you don’t know when it will succeed, when it will produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or a hundred-fold.
On a congregational level, it means this: let us as a congregation keep doing, keep scattering, keep reaching out. Keep trying different things. Some things will work. Others won’t. But keep scattering. Who knows when and where the Lord will bless?
Pastor Ben Golisch