Prepare Ye

Here is my sermon for the Preaching & Technology class. For the setting of this sermon, I placed myself in Nebraska by this July. Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23  In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus talks about sowing seeds, and reaping bountiful yields from some places and absolutely nothing from other places. This gives me a perfect opportunity to show off my lack of knowledge of agribusiness and farming. That’s what you get when you call a city boy from Michigan out to the farmlands of Nebraska. Jesus talks about the bounty of crops planted in good soil, with yields of thirty, sixty, even one hundred times the yield of what was planted. Having done some research into crop yields, these are not the types of yields that would allow farmers of today to stay in business. From what I have been able to figure out, it is the sower, the subject of this parable, who did not do such a good job. For example, the sower sows seeds on four types of ground. Some of the seeds he sowed and scattered...

DISCLAIMER : The resemblance of this outline to the finished sermon is purely coincidental. Sermon Setting - I have decided to place this sermon at a congregation in Nebraska. Text - The main text is Matthew 13.1-23 (I have decided to include the verses omitted (10-17) by the Lectionary. The other lessons are Genesis 25.19-34, Psalm 119.105-112 & Romans 8.1-11. Sermon Outline Farm Yields    The yields mentioned by Jesus are good for the time, but not for modern agribusiness    Attributable to the poor sowing practices in the parable       Never sow on the path, nor on rocky ground, nor in thorns A way to read a parable    Someone/something will represent Jesus    Someone/something will represent us The seeds = the word of the kingdom of God   Jesus unpacks that in the explanation to the disciples   Seeds = Jesus & his Gospel So who are we?   The sower?      If...

I'm reviewing some of the commentaries previously listed. One author says that the parable is all about the seeds. Another author says that the parable is (obviously) about the soil. A third says that the parable is about the sower. And they all write for the same source. Thank you New Proclamation dot Com!!

This has been updated and tweaked a few times.  From Working Preacher dot Com    http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching_print.aspx?commentary_id=106 Sources from from Text Week Text Week    A sermon preached on this parable (but from Luke's telling ) by Martin Luther             http://homepage.mac.com/shanerosenthal/reformationink/mlsower.htm   Exegetical notes from Seattle's Grace Lutheran Church             http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_a_the_sower_and_the_seeds_GA.htm   Exegetical notes from CrossMarks           http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/matt13x1.htm   An article by John Dominic Crossan in the Journal of Biblical Literature through EBSCO ATLA   An article by Stanley Toussaint in the Bibliotheca Sacra through EBSCO ATLA   The Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary's Exeg...

From Working Preacher dot Com    http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching_print.aspx?commentary_id=106 Sources from from Text Week    A sermon preached on this parable (but from Luke's telling ) by Martin Luther             http://homepage.mac.com/shanerosenthal/reformationink/mlsower.htm   Exegetical notes from Seattle's Grace Lutheran Church              http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_a_the_sower_and_the_seeds_GA.htm   Exegetical notes from CrossMarks           http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/matt13x1.htm

Some questions I have from the assigned readings for the class: 1) How do you reference commentaries in a sermon? For this sermon, I have read 5 commentaries that I have, plus another 5 or 6 articles online on this text. I have gained some insights on the text from these. Since these ideas were not mine, how do I cite them? The article ETHICS AND THE USE OF SERMON RESOURCES : from the October 2007 issue of The Clergy Journal is focused on the "borrowing" of whole passages or entire sermons from online sermon resources. But how do we credit others for that spark that jump starts a sermon. 2) The set of articles arguing a pro-PowerPoint and anti-PowerPoint perspectives put up false, straw men type arguments. The anti article feels that anything beyond the preacher's voice is distracting. I would assume he is in favor of removing children as well. However, the PowerPoint proponent actually agrees with him in terms of using text. The pro argument is to find visuals that c...

Here is the NRSV version of Matthew's telling of the Parable of the Sower (Matt 13:1-9, 18-23) 13.1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears listen!”  18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not underst...

I have chosen the texts for July 10, 2011, the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time in Year A, this year also known as the 4th Sunday After Pentecost. I picked this text because I will hopefully have a place to preach this text, and that I may be called somewhere by then. The lessons for that Sunday include: Genesis 25:19-34,  Psalm 119.105-112, Romans 8:1-11 and  Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23.    The Genesis text includes birth of Jacob and Esau, and Jacob stealing Esau's birthright.    The Psalm includes " Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. " and " I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law. "    The Romans text includes "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit." and "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead d...