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While driving along one of the St. Catherines' "Garden City" streets a few years ago, I saw a sign outside a Church which boldly stated, "Thinking Seeds. The appointed Gospel reading for that particular Sunday was The Parable of the Sower as told in Matthew's Gospel.
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That Church sign got me to thinking thoughts about “seeds” and recalling
a wonderful story of how we often sow seeds and never know the outcome.
a wonderful story of how we often sow seeds and never know the outcome.
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H.L. Gee, a prolific English writer, in one of his books relates this story. In the Church
where Gee worshipped there was a lonely old man, he was known as “Old Thomas”.
Thomas had outlived all his friends and hardly anyone knew him. Thomas died.
H.L. Gee had the feeling that there would be no one to go to the funeral so he
decided to go, so that someone might follow old Thomas to his last resting place.
There was no-one at Old Thomas' funeral; and it was a wild, wet and windy day. The funeral procession reached the cemetery; it was during the war; and at the gate there was a soldier
waiting. He was an officer, but on his raincoat there were no rank badges. The soldier
came to the grave-side for the ceremony; when it was over he stepped forward and standing
before the open grave he swept his hand to a salute that might have been given to a king.
.
H. L. Gee walked away with this soldier, and as they walked the wind
blew the soldier’s raincoat open; and now H. L. Gee saw the shoulder
badges of rank. The soldier was nothing less than a brigadier.
.
The soldier said to H. L. Gee: ‘You will perhaps be wondering what I am doing here.
Years ago Thomas was my Sunday School teacher; I was a wild lad and
a sore trial to him; he never knew what he did for me; but I owe him everything
I am or will be to old Thomas; and today I had to come to salute him at the end.”
William Barclay tells this story in his commentary on Matthew’s Gospel, and it gives one an insight into the importance of sowing seeds. Old Thomas, all those years ago, had no idea that he was even sowing seeds, but then no teacher or preacher ever does. It is God, the Holy Spirit, who takes the
seed and makes it grow, and the sower often has no idea of what may grow from that little seed.
.
Now, on a personal level, this story speaks to my heart, for I remember my Sunday School teacher whose message was very straightforward and also very simple. He encouraged us to always remember that "God loves you." I was about 8 or 9 years old. Mr. McDowell is the reason I am a preacher
today and my message is his message from those years ago” Remember God loves you.”
THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER ~ MATTHEW 13:1-9
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop —
a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
where Gee worshipped there was a lonely old man, he was known as “Old Thomas”.
Thomas had outlived all his friends and hardly anyone knew him. Thomas died.
H.L. Gee had the feeling that there would be no one to go to the funeral so he
decided to go, so that someone might follow old Thomas to his last resting place.
There was no-one at Old Thomas' funeral; and it was a wild, wet and windy day. The funeral procession reached the cemetery; it was during the war; and at the gate there was a soldier
waiting. He was an officer, but on his raincoat there were no rank badges. The soldier
came to the grave-side for the ceremony; when it was over he stepped forward and standing
before the open grave he swept his hand to a salute that might have been given to a king.
.
H. L. Gee walked away with this soldier, and as they walked the wind
blew the soldier’s raincoat open; and now H. L. Gee saw the shoulder
badges of rank. The soldier was nothing less than a brigadier.
.
The soldier said to H. L. Gee: ‘You will perhaps be wondering what I am doing here.
Years ago Thomas was my Sunday School teacher; I was a wild lad and
a sore trial to him; he never knew what he did for me; but I owe him everything
I am or will be to old Thomas; and today I had to come to salute him at the end.”
William Barclay tells this story in his commentary on Matthew’s Gospel, and it gives one an insight into the importance of sowing seeds. Old Thomas, all those years ago, had no idea that he was even sowing seeds, but then no teacher or preacher ever does. It is God, the Holy Spirit, who takes the
seed and makes it grow, and the sower often has no idea of what may grow from that little seed.
.
Now, on a personal level, this story speaks to my heart, for I remember my Sunday School teacher whose message was very straightforward and also very simple. He encouraged us to always remember that "God loves you." I was about 8 or 9 years old. Mr. McDowell is the reason I am a preacher
today and my message is his message from those years ago” Remember God loves you.”
THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER ~ MATTHEW 13:1-9
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop —
a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
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