SMB 03-07-05
NR 10-07-05
Story: In the 19th Century (before radar was invented) ships avoided each other by looking out for beacons or lights on other ships.
And they communicated with each other by flashing messages to each other by light in a sort of Morse code.
One day a battleship was out on manoeuvres and the captain of the battleship saw a beacon on the horizon.
He realised that his ship was on a collision course with it. So he called his signaller and told him. "Flash the following signal over there”We are on a collision course, advise you change course 20 degrees."
The reply came back "Advise you to change course 20 degrees."
The captain signalled back, "Who do you think you are - telling a Captain in the Royal Navy what to do."
The response came back "I’m a seaman second class, you’d better change your course 20 degrees.”
By this time the captain was furious. He signalled back "I’m a battleship. I have no intention of changing my course. Change your course 20 degrees."
The reply came back: "I’m a lighthouse. Be my guest."
For the Christian, Jesus is the lighthouse in the storms of life. And it is at our peril that we ignore him.
The Bible is God’s manual for life. It tells us how to live our lives as God the Creator designed us to live. And in it we find the marvellous teaching that Jesus has given us by which we can live our lives.
Jesus gave much of his teaching in the form of stories that we call called parables
In this morning’s Gospel, we see Jesus down by the sea.
And he used a boat to go out from the shore so he could speak to the mass of people more easily.
Your voice travels better on water than on land – unless there is a storm!
Jesus used simple everyday metaphors to explain complicated theological ideas.
He put complicated things simply.
And the thrust of this morning’s parable is simply that it is not enough to simply hear Jesus’ fine words.
He wants us to put them into action
For many the distance between the ear and the heart is a mighty long one!
In the Parable, the various soils signify that there are four possible reactions when we hear the word of God.
1. The first ground of Jesus’ parable is the path
The seed doesn’t grow because the path has been so trodden down that the seed can’t penetrate the ground. So it les on top and the birds pick it up.
This ground represents the hearts of people who hear Jesus’ words and are just not interested in them. They can’t be bothered and think Jesus’ teaching is foolish .
And for such people, Jesus’ words are soon forgotten.
Story: One such person was Joseph Stalin, one of the great mass murderers of all time. But Stalin as a young man went to a theological college, but rejected the wonderful teaching of Jesus to embrace the harshness of communism.
2. The second type of soil in Jesus’ parable is the rocky ground with shallow soil.
The seed starts to grow and puts down roots but because there is not sufficient soil for the roots to grow.
This soil signifies people who would like to be disciples of Jesus, but don’t put in the effort needed,
They don’t find regular time for prayer and Bible Study.
They come to church at Christmas and Easter – and think this is enough.
But the word of God doesn’t take root deeply in their hearts and they soon drift away from Christian living. If you asked them they would say they are Christian – but they are only so in name
The sun comes along – and they are off on holiday and Jesus teaching is soon forgotten
3. The third type of soil is good but the environment is bad and chokes the seed.
The seed falls on soil that is deep enough for the corn to take root but the thorns spring up.
The seed does spring up – but its choked by the cares of life.
This signifies people who earnestly want to follow Jesus teaching, but the worries of life crowd Jesus’ teaching out.
They get sidetracked. Often they worry about money. They just want to make enough to be comfortable and spend more and more time working – and have less and less time for God and family.
Story: I have never heard of anyone - on their death bed - saying: I wish I had spent more time in the office”
Yet many people live as if they believe that .
The ground might be good but the environment is bad.
4. And the final ground of Jesus’ parable is the good soil, where the seed produces a wonderful crop.
Following Christ is more than simply listening to Jesus words.
We need to be committed to the cause.
We need to make following Jesus our major concern in life.
That doesn’t mean that we can’t be interested in our jobs and family.
But it does mean that we bring Jesus into our daily lives.
We set aside time for prayer and Bible Study and spending time worshiping God in Church and in our house group.
Story: As many of you know, before becoming a vicar I was a senior manager in Reckitt and Colman.
One day a couple of senior scientists came into my office to discuss a new patent application.
At the end of the discussion one of them asked me how I had come back from Switzerland to England.
So I told them the story.
On a Saturday in May 1994, I had been at a German speaking Christian conference and I got talking to a Texan., Harold Fox.
I asked him what he did for a living and he said he was a prophet. So flippantly I asked him
“Well have you got a word from God form me?”
He said “Yes, you won’t be in Switzerland much longer”.
I looked at him and thought: This guy is out to lunch – and everything else going!.
I had two houses in Switzerland, a holiday house in Austria and what’s more we’d just built a swimming pool at home. And I sure wasn’t planning to move.
As I drove home that evening, I told Maddy how crazy this prophecy had been.
The next Wednesday, the phone rang and a lady asked me if I was interested in a job in Hull. I was just about to put the phone down when I remembered the prophecy – and said “Where’s Hull”
Eventually one thing led to another and I went to be Head of the Group Patent Dept at Reckitt and Colman. People at Sandoz told me I was crazy to go to Reckitts and not stay with my safe Swiss job.
However within six month Sandoz spun of the Chemicals division and everyone in that part of the patent department that I had worked in, was on tenterhooks about their jobs for about six month.
A year later Ciba and Sandoz fused and the rest of the patent department was worried about their jobs.
When I went back to see friends in the Sandoz patent Department they asked me if I’d had “inside knowledge”.
I said yes, but a bit higher than the MD!
The two scientists didn’t know quite what to say – as I was a very senior manager on site – they didn’t tell me I was crazy!
Not a good career move.
That evening in the pool car going home , they talked about it and one said: Was he serious or was he taking us for a ride!
It happened that one of the Reckitts Bible Group, Rachel was in the car and told them.
“Yes, it’s true. Martin has told me the story too.”
And for one of the scientists, that story was the beginning of his search for Christ. Rachel was able to bring him to her church and there he became a committed Christian.
Conclusion
For the seed of God to be of any use in our lives it has to germinate in our hearts.
Our heart is the soil that Jesus spoke about in the parable.
It becomes good soil when we spend time in prayer – speaking to God and when we read his word – the Bible.
These are all things that the parents and godparents of the three children who have been baptised today have promised to encourage
Let us also resolve to do this as well today.
