Homily 15th Sunday Ordinary Time Year A - Be the seed that grows

Homily (Sermon)

Be the seed that grows.



The Readings for the Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A:
Isaiah 55:10-11
Psalm 64
Romans 8:18-23
Matthew 13:1-23

[All these readings can be found at www.universalis.com for the next few weeks. Remember to scroll down for the readings of the day.]

Let me ask you some questions. You don’t have to put your hands up or shout out answers. Just ask yourself the question and think about your answer, and if you would like the answer to be different.

Are you the seed that falls at the edge of the path and is carried away? Do you find it difficult to understand the Christian message?

Are you the seed that falls on rocky ground?
Do you love what you hear in Church but forget it during the week?

Are you the seed that falls among thorns?
Do you place the worries and desires of the world above your faith?

Are you the seed that falls on rich soil?
Do you work for the church for your faith and help those around you?

If I am honest I can answer yes to all those questions at some time in my life. And that is where this beautiful parable breaks down. Seeds don’t move themselves once they are planted, but you can.

Did you notice or think about what Christ said in between the parable and the explanation. It was an inspiring and troubling line, “Anyone who has will be given more; but from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Jesus is talking about faith, your faith! You have to work at your faith, work at being Christian, work at being a member of this family. Let me say right now how proud I am of all of you in this parish, the work you do. How privileged I feel to be able to live my ministry among you. This is a vibrant and growing parish, an active church that is an example for parishes in communion throughout our diocese and country.

But I also want to challenge you to do more, to learn more, to put yourself in a place to be given more by God.

As we grow as a community we should do more for this church and for the wider community it is part of. As we do more God will show us the needs of the community and ask us to minister to them. We need to be involved we need to be looking for things to do. We need to be willing to step outside of our comfort zones and risk disappointment, criticism, embarrassment and pain.

As you might guess I work with the leaders of many of our church groups, both here and across our communion of parishes. I have seen shy and scared people volunteer for roles they were scared to take on. I have seen them grow, like little saplings to mighty oaks.

A man who had never spoken in public volunteered to give a lecture to new Christian’s at the RCIA meeting. A lady with no leadership experience volunteered to be on the committee of the CWL. A young man terrified of reading aloud in front of other people because he couldn’t read well and wouldn’t make sense, gave in and agreed to read at Easter.

The first man now leads regularly in the RCIA and teaches with an authority and knowledge that inspires those attending the group. The lady went on to hold multiple positions and even campaigned for the roles of nation president. The young man found that with practice he could read and he is now standing here giving this homily.

I don’t know where my journey will end, God is still giving me more to do, and I am still terrified about the next thing I will be asked to do. I understand that you have many demands on your time. I understand that you may be scared about doing something you have never done before. I understand being comfortable and not wanting to change. But while I understand all those things I still believe you can do more, I still believe you should do more, and I know, I know with absolute certainty that by doing more you will be given the gifts to grow and thrive. God will support you and help you grow.

I challenge and implore you, to be the seed that moves to rich soil. Be the seed that grows, be the seed that produces a crop a hundredfold. If you do, no when you do, you will be amazed at what you can do and the joy that comes from serving God.

---

About the Author - Deacon John Scanlon
Homily Index

Homily 16th Sunday Ordinary Time Year A - End of Times

Homily (Sermon) - End of Times

I don't always get to preach but I always get to listen to a homily, often more than one. This week I was chatting to a good friend about the homily she was preparing and was really interested in what she was preparing. She is a great preacher and has kindly agreed to let me publish her work here. I am particularly grateful as this weeks gospel follows on directly from last weeks, and I think this homily is a good lesson for us all and follows on well from my homily from last week. So here is Christine Butler's wonderful homily on this Sunday's Gospel. If you have any comment's please let me know and I'll make sure they get get back to Chris.
Thanks Chris.

The Readings for the Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A:
Matthew 13:24-43
[All these readings can be found at www.universalis.com for the next few weeks. Remember to scroll down for the readings of the day.]

Many of us are not happy about talking or thinking about judgement and end times, it seems to have gone out of fashion, a bit too uncomfortable maybe, but today's reading asks us to do just that and it is not something we should shy away from debating and discussing.  This is the second parable Jesus told using a pastoral theme – because Jesus knew his audience, many of them would have been workers in the field and would totally understand the example – but maybe not so much the meaning.

Unlike the last parable of the sower there are 2 sowings in this parable, the good wheat sown during the day by the good sower and the bad weed which is sown under the cover of darkness when all were asleep, by his enemy. Both grew up together and were not distinguishable from each other.  It is likely that the weed was Darnell, weeds that at first looked just like wheat and were impossible to separate until the ears of the wheat appeared – just as we cannot always tell good from evil until the fruit is seen.  Darnell is poisonous and leads to symptoms of drunkenness and possibly death if ingested, but it is not a disaster, it won’t ruin the whole crop, there is hope.

Jesus says the weeds will be collected and ultimately be destroyed before the good grain is harvested.  The weed will be burned, evil will be defeated and removed. Only then will the good fruit be harvested and stored.

We do live in an imperfect world and we can’t prevent that, we can’t rid the world of evil, indeed we cannot always see which is evil.  If we watch the news how many of us can understand the crisis in Israel and Palestine, people try and blame one side or the other and declare that they are evil, but the conflict is so deeply rooted how can we decide who is the protagonist and who the defender, who is wheat and who the weeds.

If we look closer to home who can claim our church is perfect, it is not the shining example we would wish to be, nowhere is, but Jesus is making it clear it is not up to us to judge, whether that is world issues or things happening in our local church.  But we can live as faithfully as possible and produce good fruit, Jesus promises there will be a harvest, evil must pay the price for it actions.  

So this parable is not comfortable but it is an important reminder to continue to produce good fruit, Jesus promises hope for the future, the harvest is secure.  WE can trust the Jesus is good, our king and continue to follow him but we shouldn't try and tame him as Mr beaver says in the Lion the witch and the wardrobe when Lucy asks isn't Aslan safe.

 “Safe?” said Mr Beaver; Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn't safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

We can trust that Jesus is good, the king, our role is to follow him, produce good fruit and continue to trust.

---

Homily Index