Have you ever noticed how often Jesus uses agricultural references when he talks about our spiritual lives? He does it all the time he talks about seeds and soil, sheep and goats and shepherds, fruit and the harvest. None of us are very far removed from the farm when you think about it. These passages are rich and full of depth and meaning.
This week we looked at Matthew 13:1-9. In this passage Jesus tells a story about a farmer sowing seed one day out in a field. He describes the different types of soil the seed lands on and what the result typically is. Many times we assume this teaching is a talk about certain types of people. But what Jesus is actually teaching the disciples about is how they need to watch and guard over the soil of their hearts.
Soil contains things that lead to great plant health and vitality and other things that will kill your seed almost immediately. A few years ago I began my journey into organic gardening and I really knew very little about soil and the vital relationship that we have with it. I knew it grew grass, fed beef, and could produce a garden but that was about all I knew. This came to mind as we planned for this next series so I set my mind to study something as simple as the dirt.
To help in this effort, I enlisted the help of Jere Gettle president and founder of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company and author of The Heirloom Life Gardener. Jere is an expert in organic gardening and heirloom seeds. We didn’t ask Jere to teach us the Bible, just to inform us about the soil and some common problems that soil tenders face. The more I studied the soil, the more completely I understood Jesus metaphor.
So I invite you to join us the next few weeks as we take a deeper look at Ag-GROW-culture. Take a look at the video below and please feel free to download the talk sheet that goes with it for further study for you, your family, or a group. You can also download and listen to the podcast for this message here.
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