SERMON | SEEDS

Sermon Title: Seeds

Scripture: Matthew 13:31-32

31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

Questions

  1. Do you have a favorite type of tree or fond memory related to a tree that you can think of

  2. Have you ever tried to plant a tree or any type of greenery? What was that experience like?

  3. What do you think “the Kingdom of Heaven” means? What does that look like to you? Are there any issues in calling it a kingdom? What metaphor would you rather use?

  4. Lucas talks about the metaphorical seeds that have been planted in various stories. Can you think of any seeds you have had experienced, planted, or seen?

  5. Why do you think Jesus speaks to his disciples in parables?

  6. What opportunities exist for us individually and communally to plant seeds in the hopes of Gods coming kingdom?

Prayer

Read this quote as a closing prayer:

What you do in the Lord is not in vain. You are not oiling the wheels of a machine that’s about to roll over a cliff. You are not restoring a great painting that’s shortly going to be thrown on the fire. You are not planting roses in a garden that’s about to be dug up. You are—strange though it may seem, almost as hard to believe as the resurrection itself—accomplishing something that will become part of God’s new world. Every act of love, gratitude, and kindness. Every work of art or music inspired by the love of God and delight in the beauty of creation; every minute spent teaching a child to read or walk; every act of care and nurture, of comfort and support, every deed that spreads the gospel, builds up the church, embraces and embodies holiness rather corruption and makes Jesus’ name honored—all of this will find its way into the new creation that God will make.


-N.T. Wright,  Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

DTC