Parable of the Sower

What is a seed?

A seed can be many things, from the tiny little true seed that is placed in the ground that grows into a plant, tree, shrub, or bush to something as obscure as a thought. Seeds start out small and they grow and blossom into something that is bigger than it began. If you’ve ever grown a plant, you know that seeds can take time to germinate and grow into tiny seedlings. It’s often the same with thoughts or ideas; they start out small and blossom into a full-grown plan, dream, or vision. Today we’re going to talk about some seeds, but not just any seeds, we’re going to talk about Scattered Seeds Still Bloom and why you are a seed from the Parable of the Sower.

The Parable of the Sower Transformed

The Parable of the Sower is found in Matthew 13:1-23. It tells about 4 different kinds of seeds that have been scattered on paths, in rocky places, among thorns, and in good soil. As the Lord worked on my heart over the past several years to bring Scattered Seeds Still Bloom to life, one of the visions that He gave to me was a retelling of the Parable of the Sower.

As I would sit at our Pastor’s Breakfasts, listen to other churches, hear the struggles from other leaders in the church, listen to Podcasts, and read books & magazine articles, the problem is the same … by and large, Christians are leaving the Church. Why? Reasons are varied, some for reasons of time & engagement, but most … because they feel hurt by the church, pastors, and the people inside it. The word ‘hypocrite’ gets thrown around an awful lot by those who are hurting. It’s not wrong … we inside the church do hurt people. Why? Because we are all human, we are all flawed, we all need Jesus, and we all suffer from Original Sin.

How God Transformed Me

But as I listened, as I understood, as the Lord worked on me and my heart I wanted to be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem. If people wouldn’t come to the church anymore because they had been hurt, then I wanted to help them heal, to relearn what the church was or should be. But this also meant that I had to tackle another problem … to reteach the church and her people how to be, turn the church away from rules and back to what Jesus taught, love. This wasn’t going to be easy. But as the Holy Spirit worked on my heart, He kept bringing me to the Parable of the Sower.

The Holy Spirit reworked this parable for me in terms of Christians who have been scattered. The Christians in ‘good soil’ are those who are still in church, working, toiling, serving, and actively a part of the Church as the Bride of Christ. But what about the others? There are so many people who identify as Christians but who lack a church foundation or church home. Those who have fallen among the ‘thorns’ are those who have been hurt and wounded so badly that they say they can ‘never’ go back to church, but they still profess to believe in Jesus. Those who have fallen into the ‘rocky places’ are those who have fallen out of the habit of going to church, perhaps it doesn’t fit with their current lifestyle, they don’t see the church as necessary, they don’t believe in the church because of their politics, or a variety of other reasons, and yet they still profess to believe in Jesus as their Savior. And that lastly leaves us with those who have been ‘scattered on the paths’; these are the people who truly want to go to church and believe in Jesus, but for whatever reason can’t seem to make it to church except on major holidays or events like Christmas or Easter.

Our Responsibility

If we, disciples of Jesus who are in the church, don’t do something to heal the hurt that we or others who are in the church have caused, the Church will fail. I have caused hurt, it has never been intentional, and yet it has happened. Small churches in America are disappearing at a rapid rate and that number isn’t slowing down. I believe in the church and in the small church. I also believe that there is a church home for every Christian, but in order for that to happen, wounds must first be healed.

Scattered Seeds Still Bloom is a faith community where like-minded Christians can gather, where we can come together to heal from our wounds, where we can learn about the Word of God and what He has in store for us and for the Church, and it is where we can grow into what God has called each of us to be. Hopefully, through this journey, you will find yourself on a path of healing. And during that time find your heart reconciled and prayerfully on a journey back into the church of your choosing.