Pentecost 9; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23; July 13-14, 2008
Grace and peace to you from God our Creator, our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit our Sustainer.
Pastor Acer and I grew up on the Brooklyn-Queens border in neighborhoods barely five miles apart and yet they were very different worlds.  I lived in a single-family home on a quiet, tree-lined street with a nice-sized backyard (for the city).  Pastor Acer lived in a more urban setting in a walk-up apartment, the proverbial concrete jungle.  As a result he had a real—or played-up—aversion to lawns.  He’d walk extra steps to stay on the pavement rather than cut across anything soft.  He’d say to me, “Pastor Stechmann, if God wanted us to walk on grass, he wouldn’t have made sidewalks!”  He appeared to dislike lawns so much, I’ve decided instead of planting a tree in his memory, I’m going to put down the “Al Acer Memorial Stepping Stones” in my garden!
So it strikes me as odd that when I hear the “parable of the sower,” as it is called, I think of Pastor Acer.  For most of us the parable is fairly familiar.  And the explanation Jesus is alleged to have given—although scholars believe it was added later by the early Church—seems to explain the whole thing:  different people receive the Gospel differently and so the Gospel grows differently in each person’s heart—if at all.  Perhaps the parable should be called the parable of the soils.  End of story. 
Except that’s not the end.  And what does Al Acer have to do with it? 
One of the neat things about parables is the many ways they can be interpreted.  Each time we read them, a new way of seeing God’s kingdom comes to light.  So there must be more to this parable than only one explanation.   Take a look at Jesus’ story again. 
Ever planted a garden?  First, the ground has to be tilled.  Then rows plowed.  Finally, the seeds are placed in the rows, covered, fed and watered so they have the optimal chance of successful growth.  Not in Jesus’ story!  The farmer—or sower—is extravagant with the seeds, broadcasting them far and wide without regard to their landing spot.  The farmer isn’t afraid of running out or being skimpy or maximizing his effort in only the best soil.  He throws those seeds everywhere!  Imagine the farmer is God and those seeds are God’s grace—pure, unearned gift:  God’s love and salvation—and that grace is showered upon everyone, near and far.  Imagine the abounding generosity of our God to share love and mercy so readily, so generously, so inclusively!  Actually, we don’t have to imagine.  Because that’s the way it is.  Always has been.  Always will be.  God loves us so much, God’s grace is ever flowing, never ending.  And we, along with all people, are the lucky recipients of this eternal gift.  A rather overwhelming thought, don’t you think?  An overwhelmingly reassuring, uplifting thought, too.  So, we have another interpretation of Jesus’ parable of the sower, which could be called the parable of the seeds. 
But what does Pastor Acer have to do with it?  Perhaps another look may help.  Imagine the farmer is not God but a child of God.  Baptized into the Lord’ family, fellow workers in the Kingdom of God, we are all called to be the farmer.  Each of us is called to spread the Good News of Jesus the Christ far and wide in word and action.  Al Acer was wonderful at doing just that and he set a fine example for us.  In the twenty-two years I knew him and the sixteen years I served with him, he always was open and willing to listen to new ideas and try out different kinds of ministry.  He was amazingly welcoming with his invitation to “come and see”:  to join our worship, to become a part of our family, to extend the Good News.  Pastor Acer saw the possibility for ministry through word and action all the time, in every place.  Pastor Acer exemplified the parable of the sower.
So where do we fit in Jesus’ parable of the “soils, seeds, sower”?  Are we one of the soils?  Does the seed of God’s love grow or wither within us?  What about the seeds?  Are we seeds of hope and love for a forlorn world?  Are we the sower?  Are we generous or stingy with sharing God’s grace?  Are we something else—perhaps from yet another interpretation?  Or a combination? 
How ever we understand the parable for ourselves, there is always room to grow in the Spirit, grow in grace, grow God’s Kingdom, now and always.  Amen.

 

Matthew 11:28-30

As the body of Christ in this place we have suddenly lost our Senior Pastor, Pastor Al Acer,
our "communication central" for our ministry together.
We're in danger of becoming like a new restaurant with a new staff
that is trying to learn its roles and functions on the fly.
Like the staff that forgets to make the coffee and lay the place settings
and keep the food hot when it should be,
we'll likely have some problems.

And our grief will make it all the more difficult to respond to them.
We have all lost someone important to us, to our lives and ministry.
We will miss Pastor Acer badly and look to each other to help us in our grief.
But our grief may make us poor caregivers to each other
as we try to respond to each other's grief
which may mirror the grief we feel ourselves.

Matthew's Jesus reminds us that we do not face this time alone or without his help.

He comes to us offering his love and grace to help us carry the load.
With a carpenter as a father, Jesus knew about yokes
so he never asks more than we can accomplish.
The task of being God's people isn't easy or light.
The word is chrestos meaning well-fitting, good, gracious, kind.
Our task, our life is made to measure to fit us.
It is made to fit our needs and abilities.
Our yoke fits us so well the task seems light
because of the love of Jesus.

He comes to us giving us a new starting point, new life in his spirit
which empowers us to fulfill God's will out of love and gratitude
So the shared burden of life in Christ, given and carried in love,
is always light.

Peace,