When Is It Good To Be A Liberal Church?

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In a peaceful valley, there lived a gentle farmer who carried with him ten little neat seeds, each a treasure of promise. Instead of scattering them carelessly, the farmer chose a special plot of lush, dark soil—a bed that had been tenderly prepared with water, sunlight, and love.

With deliberate care, the farmer planted each seed at just the right depth in this rich black soil. He nurtured the earth, ensuring it was ready to embrace every seed with warmth and nourishment. Soon, as the sun rose and the rains fell, the seeds stirred to life. Their tender shoots emerged gracefully, stretching eagerly toward the light.

Time passed, and the seeds grew into robust trees, their branches strong and welcoming. Each tree bore an abundance of fruit—sweet, nourishing, and plentiful. There was no struggle or strife in their growth; every plant flourished with ease and delight. The trees became a blessing to the valley, their bountiful harvest feeding the community and drawing neighbors together in joy and unity.

Now… doesn’t this story sound delightful? Doesn’t it sound peaceful?  Oh, I wish this is how it could work for the church.  How nice would it be for Christ’s Church to sow seeds of the Gospel – that is to preach and share the message of Christianity – and then people would receive the Gospel like lush dark soil, and then grow into mature Christians of great service and good deeds!  But, dear friends, this is not how it works in the world.  It is not how it works in this veil of tears.  It isn’t how it works with Christ’s Church.         

Consider our reading from the Gospel of Luke.  In the Gospel of Luke, we heard that a farmer went out and did not just plant 10 neat little seeds into special plots of lush dark soil, but instead, he liberally cast handfuls of seeds far and wide.  Some of the seeds fell on the road and were tramped down, and the birds ate it up.  Other seeds fell in the gravel; they sprouted but withered because they did not have good roots.  And finally, other seeds fell into the weeds; the weeds grew with them and strangled them out.  In other words, today’s parable is one gigantic mess!  It seems chaotic; seeds are flying everywhere.  Some are gobbled up, some are choked out, some wither, and some bear fruit.   

And yet, do you want to hear something crazy?  When we consider the story from the Gospel of Luke, the farmer doesn’t seem to care.  In other words, this farmer reaches into his bag, grabs large handfuls of seed, and then scatters the seed far and wide – almost in a wasteful manner.  Unlike other responsible farmers who carefully plant seeds in designated plots, this farmer has no regard for where it lands.  He also doesn’t care about wasting the seed.  He just casts it everywhere. We get the impression that He does this all the time – as if it were normal for him.     

So, what’s the meaning of the story?

The meaning is that the Word of God – the Gospel – is the seed that is cast far and wide into the ears of a bunch of different people with different circumstances, and only a little bit of the seed produces fruit.  

Now, let’s make this very practical to explain it a bit more.  Here at St. Paul’s, the Gospel is cast out to an average of 188 people every single Sunday at two church services, one Adult Bible Study, and several Sunday School classrooms.  Besides the attendance here on Sunday Mornings, the Word of God goes out on our Sunday LiveStream to approximately another 500 people on Facebook and Youtube.  Then, the services go out through Audio Podcasts and a Blog to another approximately 500-800 people.  In the end, every week, at a minimum, the seed of the Gospel is cast out through St. Paul’s to over a thousand people.  That is right, the Word of God is scattered from the hymnals, the liturgy, the sermons, the Sunday School rooms, the Fellowship Hall, Facebook, YouTube, iTunes, Pandora, and Twitter – for everyone to hear.  And this happens week after week after week.  We don’t limit who can listen and hear.  We do not have special subscriptions.  We do not charge money for this – we just share it far and wide. 

I might also remind you that this is not just happening at St. Paul’s.  Consider the other 6,000 LCMS Churches in the United States – many are doing the exact same thing.  Also, consider all the other thousands of our sister churches across the globe and the hundreds of missionaries.  The seed of the Gospel is being cast far and wide.    

Now, may I dare say it – we are a liberal church?  Yes, we are liberal in sharing the Gospel with as many people as we can.  We are liberal in sharing the Word of God over and over and over again.  Please understand me.  We are not theologically liberal but we are liberal in that we don’t keep the Gospel for ourselves.  We aren’t restrictive with the Gospel.  We don’t conserve it; instead, we want everyone to hear it.  We broadcast it, proclaim it, and share it from this church again and again and again – week after week after week.  

But this begs the question: why was the farmer so liberal in casting the seed?  Why are we so willing to speak the Gospel to as many people that might hear it?  In a word, the Gospel is the power of God unto Salvation.  That is to say; when the Gospel is cast into your ears, you hear the good news that for Christ’s sake and on behalf of the work of Christ, all of your sins of yesterday, today, and tomorrow are entirely and totally forgiven – free of charge.  No conditions.  No requirements.  No spiritual huffing and puffing – just the atoning blood of Christ and an empty tomb for you.  This good news is intended for you and everyone in this world of every generation – to hear.  

And so, take a moment and listen to the seed of the Gospel that is cast from this pulpit into your ears as you sit in holy pews:  

No matter how deep the stain of your sin, the Lord will wash it away. Even if your past is as crimson as blood, He will make you as pure as fresh snow.     (See Isaiah 1:18)

There is no condemnation hanging over your head anymore. None. For in Christ, the accusations are silenced, the guilt is gone. (See Romans 8:1)

You are in Christ, the old, broken, guilty, you is dead and buried. The new you— the one washed clean in Christ — is alive, breathing, and free.        (See 2 Corinthians 5:17)

You were dead in sin, buried under the weight of your failures, but Christ erased the record against you. He didn’t just forgive it—He nailed it to the cross, never to accuse you again. (Colossians 2:13-14)

Now, as you all have heard this wonderful Gospel proclaimed into your ears, Jesus is clear in the story today that when the Gospel is cast upon the soil, the devil, the world, and the sinful nature are quite active.  And so, mark this right now - the soil is not without threat.  You – as soil - have just heard the Gospel.  It has gone into your ears like a seed going into the soil, which means that the devil, the world, and your sinful nature are going to do just about everything they can to gobble up, wither away, or choke out that beautiful message of the Gospel.  They are going to try and strip it from you, which is why Jesus calls you and me to seize the Gospel – to hold on to it, no matter what… to not let it go.  

But let’s be honest, how many of us can be successful in doing this, for we all know that we are easily susceptible to the devil, the world, and our sinful nature? Furthermore, we are prone to wander; we are prone to leave God that loves us.  

Baptized Saints, listen up!  The Lord your God, is not content to let us go so easily, which is why He has chosen to cast the Gospel continually into your ears, week after week after week.  And so, when the devil snatches the Gospel from your mind, when the world chokes you with endless worries, and when your sinful nature pulls you into empty pleasures leading to darkness, the Holy Spirit calls you back to the Holy Ark of the Christian church so that the seeds of the Gospel might freely and unconditionally be cast into your ears again.  Indeed, you are graciously invited to come to your church home week after week to hear the Lord say to you: 

I have taken your sins and flung them as far as the east is from the west—forever beyond your reach, forever beyond My memory. (See Psalm 103:12)

Indeed, hear the Gospel seed afresh and new again right now, 

The Lord delights in showing mercy. He takes your sins and hurls them into the ocean’s depths, never to be fished up again. (See Micah 7:18-19)

Baptized Saints, you are soil.  The Gospel is the seed.  It is cast into your ears again and again and again – week after week after week because the Lord your God desires for you to be saved, for you are His soil, His possession today, tomorrow, and for eternity.  

The Gospel is for you to hear; you, who have ear, hear!  

In the name of Jesus. Amen.