WHERE IS GOD LEADING YOU?

Jann Martin July 17, 2005

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Romans 8: 12-19 Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43

Gospel Lesson

²⁴ Here is another story Jesus told: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. ²⁵ But that night as everyone slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat. ²⁶ When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. ²⁷ The farmer's servants came and told him, 'Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds!'

²⁸ "'An enemy has done it!' the farmer exclaimed.

"'Shall we pull out the weeds?' they asked.

²⁹ "He replied, 'No, you'll hurt the wheat if you do. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds and burn them and to put the wheat in the barn.' "

³⁶ Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, "Please explain the story of the weeds in the field."

³⁷ "All right," he said. "I, the Son of Man, am the farmer who plants the good seed. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. ³⁹ The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.

⁴⁰ "Just as the weeds are separated out and burned, so it will be at the end of the world. ⁴¹ I, the Son of Man, will send my angels, and they will remove from my Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil, ⁴² and they will throw them into the furnace and burn them. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the godly will shine like the sun in their Father's Kingdom. Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Here we have another parable from Jesus. Jesus told many parables to those who came to listen to Him speak. The stories He was telling them were "secrets of the kingdom of heaven" only those who were given the gift of understanding from the Holy Spirit would understand His message. Later when the disciples and Jesus were alone, Jesus explained the meaning behind the story of the wheat and the weeds. Even then, they didn't really see the whole picture and completely believe that Christ was the Messiah. The crowds heard and were interested in what Jesus was saying, and many kept following Him to learn more. They were not really convinced that He was the Messiah; they expected someone much different, someone more of royal blood than just a commoner.

When Jesus explained the parable to the disciples, He told them the sower or the landowner represented in this story was Himself. That He was planting the good seeds or the people of the kingdom of Heaven in the field, which represents the world. The weeds are those who follow Satan, and he plants them alongside the followers of Christ to try to sway them away from following Christ. Satan has been there from the beginning to try to stop or put roadblocks in the way of God. When the day of harvest comes, the angels will separate the good from the bad. They will carry the burden of separating; we only have to concentrate on following Christ and living our life as He guides us.

The seeds are planted in each of us, and God can make them grow if we accept His guidance. I have a story from the book "Messy Spirituality" by Michael Yaconelli titled "Reluctant Growth is Still Growth"

"No matter how much we've grown, we still need to grow more. No matter how mature we are, we never stop maturing. And, no matter how unspiritual we are, as long as we want to grow more, Jesus will show up in the life of even the messiest of disciples. Take Daryl, for example.

Every month, the youth group at River Road Church visited Holcomb Manor, a local nursing home, to hold church services for the residents. Daryl, a reluctant youth group volunteer, did not like nursing homes. For a long time, he had avoided the monthly services. But when a flu epidemic depleted the group of sponsors, Daryl agreed to help with the next month's service, as long as he did not have to be a part of the program.

During the service, Daryl felt awkward and out of place. He leaned against the back wall, between two residents in wheelchairs. Just as the service finished and Daryl was thinking about a quick exit, someone grabbed his hand. Startled, he looked down and saw a very old, frail, and obviously lonely man in a wheelchair. What could Daryl do but hold the man's hand? The man's mouth hung open, and his face held no expression. Daryl doubted whether he could hear or see anything.

As everyone began to leave, Daryl realized he didn't want to leave the old man. Daryl had been left too many times in his own life. Caught somewhat off-guard by his feelings, Daryl leaned over and whispered, "I'm... uh... sorry, I have to leave, but I'll be back. I promise." Without warning, the man squeezed Daryl's hand and then let go. As Daryl's eyes filled with tears, he grabbed his stuff and started to leave. Inexplicably, he heard himself say to the old man, "I love you," and he thought, "Where did that come from? What's the matter with me"

Daryl returned the next month and the month after that. Each time, it was the same. Daryl would stand in the back. Oliver would grab his hand, Daryl would say he had to leave. Oliver would squeeze his hand, and Daryl would say softly, "I love you, Mr. Leak." (He had learned his name, of course.) As the months went on, about a week before the Holcomb Manor service, Daryl would find himself looking forward to visiting his aged friend.

On Daryl's sixth visit, the service started, but Oliver still hadn't been wheeled out. Daryl didn't feel too concerned at first, because it often took the nurses a long time to wheel everyone out. But halfway into the service, Daryl became alarmed. He went to the head nurse. "Um, I don't see Mr. Leak here today. Is he Okay?" the nurse asked Daryl to follow her and led him to room 27.

Oliver lay in his bed, his eyes closed, his breathing uneven. At forty years of age, Daryl had never seen someone dying, but he knew that Oliver was near death. Slowly, he walked to the side of the bed and grabbed Oliver's hand. When Oliver didn't respond, tears filled Daryl's eyes. He knew he might never see Oliver alive again. He had so much he wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come out. He stayed with Oliver for about an hour, when the youth director gently interrupted to say they were leaving.

Daryl stood and squeezed Mr. Leak's hand for the last time. "I'm sorry, Oliver, I have to go. I love you." As he unclasped his hand, he felt a squeeze. Mr. Leak had responded! He had squeezed Daryl's hand! The tears were unstoppable now, and Daryl stumbled toward the door, trying to regain his composure.

A young woman was standing at the door, and Daryl almost bumped into her. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't see you."

"It's all right, I've been waiting to see you," she said. "I'm Oliver's granddaughter. He's dying, you know."

"Yes, I know."

"I wanted to meet you, she said. "When the doctors said he was dying, I came immediately. We have always been very close. They said he couldn't talk, but he's been talking to me. Not much, but I know what he is saying. Last night he woke up. His eyes were bright and alert. He looked straight into my eyes and said, 'Please say goodbye to Jesus for me,' and he laid back down and closed his eyes.

"He caught me off guard, and as soon as I gathered my composure, I whispered to him, 'Grandpa, I don't need to say goodbye to Jesus; you're going to be with him soon, and you can tell him hello.'

"Grandpa struggled to open his eyes again. This time his face lit up with a mischievous smile, and he said as clearly as I'm talking to you, 'I know, but Jesus comes to see me every month, and he might not know I've gone.' He closed his eyes and hasn't spoken since.

I told the nurse what he'd said, and she told me about you, coming every month, holding Grandpa's hand. I wanted to thank you for him, for me... and well, I never thought of Jesus as being as chubby and bald as you, but I imagine that Jesus is very glad to have had you be mistaken for him. I know Grandpa is. Thank you."

She leaned over and kissed Daryl on the forehead.

Oliver Leak died peacefully the next morning.*

If a reluctant follower like Daryl can be mistaken for Jesus, maybe you and I can too.

We may be like the Daryl in this story and may have a seed planted in us. It may be to visit someone or give a hand to someone in need. There are many different gifts that God has given to His people; we just have to be open to them and allow them to grow in us. There are many ways to use these gifts, in our homes, where we work and at our church. At home, being there for support and caring for those we love are ways to show Gods love. At work, we can help someone who is overwhelmed. At church, we can serve in many ways, such as singing, leaning, taking care of the gardens, helping with the bulletins and newsletter, visiting the sick and shut-ins, teaching Sunday school or being a Stephen Minister. The gifts God has given to each of us can be used in many different ways.

God speaks to us in the reading from Romans this morning:

¹² So, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. ¹³ For if you keep on following it, you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. ¹⁵ So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children, adopted into his family-calling him "Abba! Father!" ¹⁶ For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children. ¹⁷ And since we are his children, we will share his treasures-for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. ¹⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. ¹⁹ For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are."

Since we are chosen as His children, we will come up against Satan as he tries to make us stumble and puts the weeds in our way. If we don't stand firm in our faith and do things that aren't pleasing to God, then Satan will leave us alone because he has already won by keeping us from doing what is pleasing to God. So, we need to stand firm in our beliefs and rely on God and the Holy Spirit to guide us in what we do and say. We need to leave the weeding to God, for only He knows what is best for the world. If we do leave the decisions up to God, then we can bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Where is God Leading you? What gifts has He planted in you? My prayer for you is that you find ways to nurture these gifts and to use them mightily.

Amen.

*   This Authors note was at the end of the story: "Not an actual story but a composite of many nursing home experiences during my tenure as pastor."

©Jann Martin 2005