November 2024
“A Beautiful Story I Will Tell You”
“Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.” (Mark 4:8)
A few days ago, I visited a parishioner who told me she enjoys coming to church because she likes my sermons. After we shared our faith and life stories, she gave me a gift—wildflower seeds and two garlic bulbs—telling me to plant them in my garden or scatter them anywhere. There were “notes” on the paper wrap of the seeds, “Wildflower seeds from my garden. Toss in a ditch and one day they may bloom.” She said, “If you plant in a ditch or your garden, one day flowers will bloom according to God’s will, and wouldn’t anyone who sees them feel warmth in their hearts?”
Oh my, what a wonderful and touching story! It made me think about the beautiful story of Jesus. Isn’t the Good News of Jesus Christ just like that? As we scatter the seeds of the Gospel, like wildflower seeds, wouldn’t God’s grace cause them to take root in someone’s heart and bloom, leading to the salvation of souls? What a truly heartwarming thought. Wisdom isn’t far away. It seems that God’s wisdom is alive in the conversations we share with those near to us in our everyday lives.
These days, it’s true that we often encounter people with troubled hearts—people whose hearts are hurting and closed off due to loss, disappointment, or incidents caused by others. This is much like the parable described in Mark 4:1-20, where hearts are compared to the path, thorny ground, or rocky soil. We might see these people as individuals with wounded or strange hearts. That’s why, when we come across such individuals, we tend to avoid them in order to prevent causing or receiving hurt. People with emotional wounds—those with hearts like thorny or rocky soil—can be easily hurt, even by the smallest touch on their wounds, or their pain could worsen. But what if these people are our family members or neighbors? Should we simply distance ourselves from them and pretend not to notice, just to avoid causing more pain? As Christians—or even simply as family—haven’t you ever wondered if you could comfort them or help heal their wounds?
You might say, “I tried to help them, but it didn’t work; in fact, it got worse.” Yes, I understand that you tried. The scripture in the Gospel of Mark describes this: “Some (seeds) fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seeds fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain” (Mark 4:5-7). As we can see from the scripture, it’s not easy. It may take longer than we expect. However, I noticed that the parable was written in the past tense, meaning it happened in the past. This suggests that it happened before, but it might be different in the future.
The disciples asked Jesus about the parable when they were alone with Him. Jesus explained to them, “The person with a heart like rocky soil is someone who receives the Gospel with joy, but when trials or difficulties come, they quickly fall away. The one with a heart like thorny ground hears the Word, but the worries and temptations of the world prevent them from taking root.” These are the people who need the Lord the most, and they are the ones whose wounds need healing. Even we, as Christians, didn’t start out with hearts like fertile soil on our faith journey. There were times when our hearts were dry and barren like the path, times when we felt lonely like rocky soil, and times when life was difficult and full of worries like thorny ground. But as we came to know the Lord’s love and grace, we must recognize that our hearts gradually transformed into fertile soil.
Therefore, those with hearts like rocky or thorny soil—those who seem strange or wounded—are the ones who need the Lord the most. Who knows? If we continue to sow the seeds of the Gospel, perhaps one day the flowers of the Gospel will bloom even in rocky soil, among thorns, or along the path. Or perhaps there are people whose hearts are like good soil, but they’ve never heard the beautiful seed of the Gospel of Jesus because no one has shared it with them. We are all called by God to be sowers of the Gospel seed, peacemakers, and healers, as Jesus was. Since it is the Holy Spirit who causes the seeds to grow and the wounds to heal, let us joyfully go forth in our calling and sow the seeds of the Lord’s Gospel!
Blessings on your faithful journey!
Pastor Jenny