Midweek Lent Sermon - Mark 4:26-29 - J.D.Roekle
26 He said, “The kingdom of God is like this: A man scatters seed on the ground, 27 and while he sleeps and rises, night and day, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28The ground produces fruit on its own: first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29When the crop is ready, he swings the sickle without delay, because the harvest has come.”
The Garden of Proclamation
Dear Friends in Christ,
It was just after Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden that God gave his first promise of salvation. Through that disobedience a partnership with Satan had been formed. If God were to allow that partnership to stand, we would all be headed to eternal suffering. But it didn’t take long for God to promise that he would break up mankind’s partnership with Satan and instead restore a relationship with God. God’s promise, which he expanded throughout the books of the Old Testament, was a promise to send a Savior. To send someone who would rescue us from sin, death, and damnation.
Clearly, the promises of the Savior were fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our Savior. By his innocent sufferings and death on the cross, he has saved us from everything that would keep us out of heaven.
But how does God bring us salvation from Jesus? How does he give us rescue from death and damnation and make it ours? That is what we will focus on this evening in The Garden of Proclamation.
God proclaims his promise of salvation in Jesus to us. He tells us what he has done for us. As he tells us, he is also giving it to us. How does he tell us? Well, he doesn’t tell us by whispering directly in our ear. Rather, he gives it to us in a very simply way. He had it all written down on the pages of the Bible. It is through the Bible that he speaks his Word of salvation.
And in order to get his Word of salvation to people, God uses his agents, his representatives to do that. For one, he has established the holy ministry and publicly calls certain individuals in the church to speak to us on his behalf. He appoints pastors and teachers for that purpose. Parents also are to be proclaimers of salvation as they bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Finally, every believer is to proclaim the Word of salvation to whoever will listen. Mark said it in his Gospel: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
As we proclaim the Gospel, we have the promise of God: “Whoever listens to you listens to me.” In fact, the Apostle Paul even reminds us of the urgency to proclaim the Good News: “So then, how can they call on one in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in one about whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without a preacher?”
It all boils down to this. Whenever God speaks to us through his representatives who speak his Word, he is planting the seed of salvation in us. We, who were created from the dust of the earth, are his soil. And when God plants his Word in us, new life emerges by the power of the Holy Spirit. And the new life that emerges is never ending!
So the power is in the Word and not in the one who proclaims it. That is Jesus’ main point in the words before us today from Mark 4: “[Jesus] said, “The kingdom of God is like this: A man scatters seed on the ground, 27 and while he sleeps and rises, night and day, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28The ground produces fruit on its own: first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29When the crop is ready, he swings the sickle without delay, because the harvest has come.
Jesus’ words remind us of the Second Petition “thy kingdom come” and Marin Luther’s explanation of it: “How does God’s kingdom come? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and lead a godly life now on earth and forever in heaven.”
As God’s Word is proclaimed, the Holy Spirit is at work. Now this is certainly a mystery how the Holy Spirit works. We can’t see the Spirit. We don’t feel the Spirit at work in us. But he plants that seed of life and salvation and he makes it grow.
Even though we can’t see or feel the Holy Spirit working, we can witness the result of his work. These results can be seen whenever and wherever the Word of salvation is proclaimed.
When you were 12 years old, someone, perhaps your pastor, planted a tiny seed in you. It was so small that you didn’t think anything of it at the time. That seed seemed to lie dormant in you for so long. But then, the Holy Spirit warmed it and it immediately sprang into full bloom when you were 20 years old and your significant other said, “Let’s move in together. We love each other. We’re eventually going to get married. Besides it’s much cheaper and more practical to do it this way.” From out of nowhere, you recall something your pastor said so long ago, and you respond, “I can’t betray my Savior that way.” When your significant other persisted, you carefully explained why it was wrong. That’s an example of the Garden of Proclamation blossoming.
There’s a small mission congregation that for 2 decades has remained relatively small – about 30 or 40 souls. But in that time, it served hundreds of members with the gospel. It reached 1000s through fliers. And it broadcast to many, many more through the radio and then the internet. Just think how that is true in your church’s situation. How many individuals have been served through this church as you conducted regular worship services? How many are being served as you stream your services? How many are served as you invite your friends here? Think about the souls that are actually reached, just by proclaiming the Word! We can say that when we readily speak God’s Word, the Garden of Proclamation spreads like ivy.
You speak with your pastor privately. You unload to him what you’ve been hiding for so long. You wouldn’t dare tell another soul. You’re half afraid that the pastor will think differently of you. But to your surprise, he smiles reassuringly. He reminds you that you are baptized and there your Savior washed all your sins away. He says: “You are forgiven!” Your guilt is lifted away. You are restored. Your emotions start to settle and your stomach no longer feels queasy. Here, the Garden of Proclamation is being watered and nourished.
You are 90 years old. You’re so frustrated because you just can’t seem to get your thoughts together. When you talk, it makes sense to you, but others have trouble understanding what you are saying. You feel like a stranger in a foreign land. But when your pastor visits you, you pray the Lord’s Prayer together, and you feel like you are in the comfort of home again. He’s talking your language. You can say every word with him clearly. The Garden of Proclamation is evergreen.
You didn’t see that car speeding through the intersection. The next thing you know, you are wondering: Who are these people in uniforms all around me, talking and working so frantically? Their voices fade. You can’t feel a thing. Everything goes dark. And then you hear a voice: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” And so, the Garden of Proclamation is harvested.
Thank God for his powerful Word. Thank God for the Holy Spirit that works through that Word. May we pay close attention to the Word of salvation as it is proclaimed to us. May we then take every opportunity possible to proclaim the salvation of our God to others! Amen.