C. SUMMARY ... As Jesus visited villages he was accompanied by the 12 disciples and several women who financially supported this itinerant ministry. When crowds gathered he taught then via connected short statements (i.e., the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes) or by Parables (short stories with a message). Here he tells "The Parable of the Sower", about a farmer who scatters his seeds with mixed results. The seeds that fall on the dirt path get eaten by birds; the ones that land in the rocky soil start off okay but never mature. Some seeds get tossed among other plants, and the competition for water, sun, and nutrients choke them. The seeds on fertile soil take root and produce a giant crop. Verses 11-15 explain the parable. Verses 16-18 conclude this whole lesson on learning, and the need to listen well, share what we know, and build on our knowledge.

1. "GOD'S FROZEN CHOSEN" is a popular putdown of New England Christians. We don't show emotion; we are raised to not talk about religion or politics; religion is a private thing; we don't want to offend anybody. So, we're not big on evangelism. Which may be why many New England/Northeast Churches are dead, closed, sold. Jesus knew farming. If you don't plant, nothing grows. So, he tells us to plant seeds. EVANGELISM literally means sharing good news. Why wouldn't we do that? But we do! We tell people our favorite restaurant, a new book, a popular movie, a political candidate we support, causes we believe in. In each instance we think we have something that others will benefit from knowing. The key verse is #16, "No one lights a lamp and hides it. You put it on a stand so that people can see." The idea of Christianity is that we have some light, what Jesus calls "a way, a truth, and a life" (John 14:6). Everybody I have ever known wants some light, way, truth, life. Our challenge is to present it in a way that connects. Christianity has a 2,000-year history of evangelism, plenty of proof about what works, what doesn't. Just because some have done it badly or poorly or ugly does not mean we withdraw from the world. We do have something worth sharing.
2. NOT easy to grow. In Jesus' time farmers did the old scatter-throw approach, like Johnny Appleseed tossing in an arc. Which is just like parenting, teaching, or coaching. We toss out our pearls of wisdom every which way, hoping some sink in. Jesus describes four types of people who are in a position to hear or learn. The first type just isn't interested, they're like a hard path that the seed cannot penetrate at all. The second type may show some interest, but that interest is too shallow to take root. Stuff happens, and they don't have the spiritual depth to stay strong. The third group has real potential. They are sincere and interested, they believe, they want it and mean it. BUT. Life is complicated. Jesus lists "worries, pleasures, distractions... choke out" the very real faith that was there. But we let our faith be overwhelmed. To endure, faith, like seeds, needs to be nurtured, cared for, pruned of other invasive threats to our strength.
3. Some people, churches, groups, DO NOT want to grow. We forget that the opposite of growth is not status quo, it is stagnation. And stagnation is the early sign of decay, then death. The alternative to death is to be dynamic, alive, growing.