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Most of us are familiar with the “For Dummies” books which have been around since 1991.
They consist of more than 1,600 different titles.
And with the subtitle for every book that reads, "A Reference for the Rest of Us!" they are intended to be non-intimidating instruction books for readers who may be new to the book’s topic.
Titles, ranging from the practical to the obscure, include “Auto Repair for Dummies,” “British Military History for Dummies,” and “Power Yoga for Dummies.”
And so it should come as no surprise that there is also a “Gardening for Dummies.”
Starting out with ultrabasics, like "how do I get my plants to live rather than die?"
the book describes itself as being the “green-thumb guide to growing flowers, vegetables, trees, and shrubs.”
But gardening for dummies advice has been around long before this book emerged on the market in 1996.
In fact, this morning’s parable, found in the 13th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, might be described as a first-century Palestinian version of “Gardening for Dummies.”
Jesus provides advice about the ideal location for planting seed,
giving us three examples of what not to do, and concluding by telling us the ideal way to plant seed.
But as we all know, the parable is more than just a chapter from an ancient “Gardening for Dummies;”
it’s a commentary about how different people respond to God’s good news for everyone.
And Jesus even provides a footnote to the parable for the dummies in the audience to make sure everyone understood what he was trying to say.
He starts out by talking about seed that was sown on a walking path.
Seed that was snatched up by birds before even getting a chance to take root and grow.
It would be like someone scattering seed around the Walmart parking lot hoping for some results.
If the seed isn’t crushed by the constant traffic, the grackles that infest the lots are sure to gobble it down for a mid-morning snack.
In Jesus’ footnote, he says this situation can be compared to those people who never even got a chance to understand the good news that God meant for their lives.
He says the Evil One snatches away anything that may have been planted in the heart.
You and I have been given good news.
We know that God’s grace knows no boundaries and includes every member of humanity.
God invites everyone to the banquet table of God’s love.
Sometimes when I redeem a coupon for a free store item,
I have to be sure to read the fine print that tells me what items are excluded from the offer.
God’s invitation has no fine print attached to it; there are no exclusions. Everyone is welcome!
But unfortunately, there are people who haven’t heard that good news.
For many members of the LGBT community, their experience is that family members, lawmakers, and churches of their upbringing have snatched the good news from them,
never giving them a chance to understand the degree and depth of God’s love for them.
And if I’m not careful, sometimes I allow others to *** the good news of my value and worth away from me.
If I don’t take care of myself, I can begin to believe the messages that others have tried to plant in my heart.
Messages that say I am no good, unworthy, and less than other members of God’s family.
So what’s the solution?
Well, although our first inclination might be to just shoot the grackles, that’s probably not the best response.
A better response might be to nurture the seed. Find some good soil to plant it in, and make sure it’s protected from anyone who might try to *** it away.
The next image we are given in this parable is that of seeds which fell on rocky ground where there was not much soil.
Soil that was so shallow that, although the seedling sprung up quickly,
it just as quickly withered away in the hot sun because there wasn’t enough dirt for its roots to grow and take hold.
In his footnote, Jesus compares this to those people who have received the good news of God’s love,
but when trouble comes knocking at the door, they are disillusioned and fall away.
Trouble comes in all sorts of packages.
It can take the form of loss of health, maybe due to age, or a devastating diagnosis of cancer or *** or diabetes.
It may take the form of loss of relationship due to death, or abandonment, or rejection by family members.
Trouble is manifested in all sorts of ways, and it’s often accompanied with the question, “Why me?”
Sometimes people think that trouble is God’s way of punishing them for something.
And some people even think it’s God’s punishment for who and how they love.
These people allow the good news of God’s love to be burned away from their lives.
And they slip away and alienate themselves from the very ones who could give them the support they so desperately need.
If the agricultural solution is to add enough good soil for the seed to take root and grow then the solution for you and me is to surround ourselves with a community of faith which is like-minded.
People who will affirm us and nurture us until God’s good news has taken root in our lives.
Next, Jesus brings our attention to the seed that fell among thorns, thorns that grew up and choked them.
Jesus compared the thorns to the cares and lures of the world.
In other words, anything that appears to be bigger than the good news which has been planted within us.
Anything that crowds out the sunlight of God’s love.
The cares of the world would be the negative things and the lures of the world would be desirable or appealing things that appear bigger than the message which we have been given.
The lures of the world might be the love of your life or the job promotion,
both which may crowd out the sacred time you once set aside for God.
Cares of the world might come in the form of fear and resentment.
When I’m afraid of what others think of me, when I resent how someone has treated me,
I can build it into such a big deal that I soon lose sight of God’s Spirit.
And for me, the solution is to periodically pull out the thorns and weeds that have encroached into my life.
Do whatever it takes to shift my focus back to God’s good news.
Provide the daily maintenance that enables me to receive the full benefit of God’s love.
And finally, Jesus brings our attention to the seed that has fallen on good soil.
Rich and fertile soil. Soil that is free from any toxins. Deep and cultivated soil.
This seed, Jesus tells us, when given the nurture that it deserves, is able to reach its full potential, and then some.
This is the person who understands God’s good news, embraces it, and bears fruit by living out that good news in word and deed.
We are at our best when we know within every fiber of our being that God loves us.
We are at our best when we believe that God also loves everyone else.
And we are at our best when we are able to share that love with others, when we allow God to use us by touching the lives of other people.
Depending on how well or poorly I am maintaining my spirit, I can and do fall into any of the categories I have mentioned today.
I can allow the old tapes and messages to play in my head, messages which *** away the good news of God’s love for me.
I can allow life’s troubles to drive me away from the very people who I need in my life.
And I can allow fear, resentment, relationships, and ambition to crowd out my relationship with God.
I can do all of these things – sometimes all within a single day.
Or I can nurture the seed that has been planted within me.
I can surround myself with a faith community that supports me.
I can open myself up to God through intentional prayer and meditation.
And I can spend time reading sacred and holy texts of God’s good news for my life.
And if I do, then I have a chance of making a difference in the world,
of providing hope for someone else.
May each of us nurture the seed of God’s good news for the world.
And as we do, may we bear fruit – the fruit of God’s love for each and every person we encounter. Amen.