Kahu's Manao
Keawala‘i Congregational Church
United Church of Christ (USA)
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The Rev. Kealahou C. Alika
“Abundant Possibilities”
Matthew
13:1-9 & Matthew 13:18-23
The plot of ground outside the Berkeley basement apartment where I lived for twelve years was no bigger than the office desk in my home in Wailuku. It measured around 2 feet by 4 feet.
It was in an area that was shaded from morning and afternoon California sun off of a small hardwood deck. From about mid-morning to mid-afternoon there was enough sun for vegetables to grow so I decided in the middle of a cold and dark winter that I would plant a garden in the spring.
I knew once the first signs of spring arrived that I had to prepare the soil before any seeds could be placed in the ground. As small as the plot was it took a bit of effort. It was overgrown with weeds and a thorny blackberry bush.
Once I was able to clear away the weeds and blackberry I noticed pieces of broken glass, nails, and other debris that had been dumped there years before. After I cleared the area, I sifted through the soil for any last remaining bits of debris. When that was done I mixed several bags of compost into the ground.
Given the size of the plot I decided that I would only plant tomato seeds. I watered the area and watched as green stems broke through the ground and leaves began to sprout and flowers blossomed.
In time the first bright red vine-ripened tomatoes began to appear – a few at first and then more and more and more. By the end of the season I had enough tomatoes for myself and more than enough to share with neighbors and with colleagues at work.
I was fascinated with what was possible given the right conditions – a combination of sun and water and soil that allowed for the tomato seeds to take root, grow, and flourish. I remember retrieving the packet of seeds I had bought. There were still enough seeds left for several more seasons.
How was it that from a single seed so much abundance was possible? I know many of you have your garden stories. Some of you may have grown up on family farms that were able to provide for all of your needs.
I know that planting, caring, and harvesting of what grew from a tiny seed requires hard work no mater how good the soil. And that is what is evident in our readings this morning from The Gospel According to Matthew.
“The Parable of the Sower” (Matthew 13:1-9) is one of those rare instances when Jesus not only tells the parable but offers an explanation (Matthew 13:18-23). Some biblical scholars say that the explanation was really the work of the early church as they sought to understand Jesus’ message.
Whatever the case may be the writer of Matthew compares the response of the seeds the sower has sown to the response of persons who hear the word of the kingdom of God. Those who hear the word but do not understand are like the seed that fall on the path and are eaten by the birds.
The ones who hear and receive the word with joy but when trouble comes falls away are like the seeds that fell on rocky ground where they sprang up quickly but because there was no depth to the soil they withered away. Others who hear the word but are overwhelmed by the troubles of the world are like the seeds that fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them. But the ones who hear the word and understand are like the seeds that fell on good soil and in time brought forth much fruit.
The comparison of the seeds of the sower to the disciples of Jesus is undeniable. It is one that we may also apply to our own lives. What do we say of the word of the kingdom of God?
Ua maopopo iā kākou? Do we understand?
We may wonder if the soil between us is hardened, rocky, arid, or covered with thorns. But if faith is to take root and if we are to understand all that God calls us to be and to do then we may well wonder not about the soil between us but about the kind of seed we may be.
Long ago the disciples came to Jesus privately and said that they were uncertain about their own abilities. Jesus responded by saying, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’” (Matthew 17:20)
I don’t know anyone lately who has been able to move a mountain. Illusionists on television move tanks and elephants but even they have yet to move a mountain. For me the emphasis is not on what one may be able to do but on what one is called to be. The emphasis is not on the soil but on the seed.
To have faith the size of a mustard seed is to celebrate the abundant possibilities God sows in our lives and in the lives of all people every day. We may lament why things happen as they do. Millions of children die every year from preventable diseases. Thousands more die every year in wars and armed conflicts that continue to plague the human family.
Those we love die – sometimes peacefully but more often there seems to be too much pain and suffering. Floods and earthquakes and other natural disasters wreak havoc upon people everywhere.
Yet we hold fast to our faith believing that God continues to invite us to love in the certain hope of God’s future. That has been so for generations here in Mākena.
All around us outside there are places where the ground is rocky and other places where it is dry and arid and still other places where there is good soil. There are numerous plants in our yard now growing in different places each thriving under the light of the Mākena sun and the water that comes to us from ‘Īao Valley – palapalai, kupukupu, laua‘e, ‘ōhi‘a, hala, noni, lau kī, pili, hau, pua aloalo, lokelani, and more.
The plants that grow here remind us that each of us in our own unique way is like the seed of the many different kinds of plants that grow here. If God is the sower of the seeds of faith that are to be rooted in this land then we must make certain as disciples of Jesus Christ that we prepare the soil.
Over the years there have been discussions about this area that we call Mākena. When the question is asked what does the name mean? Some have said that it means "a place of mourning" based on the spelling of the name as M-a-k-e-n-a. When Europeans first came to Hawai‘i as whalers and traders, they brought with them diseases that devastated the aboriginal Hawaiian population. Hundreds of thousands died.
Many died here in Makena. But others have said that Mākena means "abundant" when it is spelled with the kahakō or diacritical mark that is distinguished as a long mark above the first "a" – M- kahakō ā – k – e – n – a.
The meaning of Hawaiian words is significant and though it is true that for many years this was "a place of mourning" it is also true that it was and is a place of "abundance." Today we claim for ourselves the abundance not only of the sea but of the land and we offer to others the good news that he is the light of the world and the living water and that in him all will grow and flourish. We plant the seeds of faith for ourselves and for others so that, in due time, we may yield a fruitful harvest.