Sermon for 7th after Pentecost, 12th July 2026

Welcome brothers and sisters and peace be with you. MAY the words on my lips and the meditations in our hearts be acceptable in your sight O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. <Amen>

There is a story told in the farming villages of Northumberland, in the far northeast of England. An elderly farmer had spent more than sixty years working the same fields that his father and grandfather had worked before him. One spring morning, his young grandson asked why he spent so much time walking through the fields before he even started sowing.

The old man knelt down, scooped up a handful of earth, and crumbled it between his fingers. “This,” he said, “is where the harvest begins.” The boy looked puzzled. “But don’t the seeds make the harvest?”

The farmer smiled. “The seed matters,” he replied, “but the soil decides what happens next.” He pointed across the field. Some patches were hard from tractors travelling over them. Other places were full of stones hidden beneath the surface. Along the hedgerows weeds had already begun to grow.

“If I scatter seed without preparing the ground,” he said, “I’ll have a field full of disappointment. Before I worry about the seed, I must care for the soil.”

Years later, that grandson would say those few words taught him far more than farming. They taught him about life, relationships, and eventually about faith. “The soil decides.” <PAUSE>

In Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23, Jesus tells us a remarkably similar story.

Standing beside the Sea of Galilee, He watches a farmer scattering seed. Some falls on the path. Some lands among rocks. Some among thorns. Some on good soil.

The crowds probably expected a lesson about agriculture. Instead, Jesus gives them a lesson about themselves.

In this parable, the problem is NEVER the seed. The seed is always good. It is God’s Word - living, life-giving, filled with promise.

Nor is the problem the sower. The sower spreads the seed generously, almost extravagantly.

The difference lies entirely in the soil. Jesus is asking everyone one simple but searching question … “What kind of soil are you?” <PAUSE>
The first soil is the hard path. Years of footsteps have packed it down, hardened it until nothing can penetrate. The seed simply sits on top until the birds carry it away. There are hearts that hear God’s Word but never truly receive it.

Sometimes life does that to us. Disappointments harden us. Broken relationships harden us. Repeated failures harden us. Even years of ‘routine’ religion can harden us. People hear the Scriptures every week, but they simply ‘bounce off the surface’. The truth of the words never sinks in. A heart can become familiar with “church” while remaining untouched by Christ. <PAUSE>

Then there is the rocky ground. At first everything looks wonderful. The seed sprouts quickly. It promises great things. But beneath the surface lies solid rock. There are no deep roots. When hardship comes, the plant withers.

Jesus reminds us that enthusiasm is not the same as maturity. Many people begin the Christian journey with excitement. Everything feels fresh. Prayer is joyful. Worship is inspiring. Faith seems effortless.

However, eventually, every disciple experiences difficult seasons. Questions arise. Prayers seem unanswered. Life becomes painful. It is then that shallow roots are exposed.

Deep faith is not formed during easy days. It grows slowly through trust, perseverance, and dependence upon God, especially during the hard times. <PAUSE>

The third soil contains thorns. The seed grows. The plant survives but so do the weeds. Eventually they compete for light, nutrients, and space until the crop becomes unfruitful.

Jesus identifies these weeds as the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth. Notice He doesn’t say these things destroy the plant overnight. They simply crowd it and slowly overwhelm it.

That may be one of the greatest dangers facing Christians today. Very few people consciously reject Christ. Many simply become too busy. Schedules become crowded. Phones constantly demand attention. Careers consume energy. Finances create anxiety. Entertainment fills every spare moment.

I am not saying that any of those things are necessarily sinful or evil; but together they can quietly squeeze the life out of faith.

A crowded heart often becomes an unfruitful heart. <PAUSE>

Finally, Jesus speaks of the good soil. This is the heart that hears the Word, understands it, receives it, and allows it to take root and the harvest is far beyond what anyone expected.

Notice that Jesus never says the good soil is perfect. It simply remains open. Soft enough to receive. Deep enough to grow. Clear enough for fruit to flourish.

God has never required perfection … God simply asks for a heart that is willing. <PAUSE>
To finish, may I say that one of the beautiful truths of this parable is that soil can change.

A hardened path can be broken up. Stones can be removed. Weeds can be pulled. Every gardener knows this. Every farmer knows this, and thanks be to God, every Christian knows this.

Our hearts are not fixed forever.

Through prayer…
Through repentance…
Through worship…
Through Scripture…
Through the quiet work of the Holy Spirit…

God continually prepares the soil of our lives.

The Prophet Ezekiel records God’s promise:

“I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

That is still God’s work today, working on the soil of our hearts.

Remember when God sees our lives, He does not merely see what we are today. He sees what His Word can produce in us. He sees kindness where there is anger. Hope where there is despair. Faith where there is doubt. Generosity where there is selfishness. Love where there is fear ….. God always sees the harvest before we do.

So today Jesus does not ask us how much seed we have received, He asks about the condition of our hearts.

Are there places that have become hard? Are there hidden rocks that prevent deeper faith? Are there weeds that are quietly choking our spiritual life?

Or are we allowing God’s Word to find rich, open soil?

The wonderful news is this: The Sower has never stopped sowing. God’s Word continues to fall upon every heart … and so …

May we allow the Holy Spirit to prepare the soil within us, so that the seed of God’s Word may take deep root and bear fruit - not just for ourselves, but for the blessing of our families, our communities, and the Kingdom of God.

For in the end, as that old Northumberland farmer wisely said, “The seed matters - but the soil decides what happens next.”

I runga e te Ingoa o te Atua, te Matua, te Tama me te Wairua Tapu. <AMEN>