“Whoever has ears, Let them hear!”

“Whoever has ears, Let them hear!”

12 July 2020

St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church

Johnstown, Pennsylvania

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, [O]  Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

[Psalm 19:14 NIV]

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

The text for this morning’s sermon is the Parable of the Sower. Hear again these verses from a slightly different translation.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.  Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.  Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.  Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

[Matthew 13:1-9 NIV]

As I contemplated God’s Word set aside for this 6^th Sunday After Pentecost, and as I planned to lead worship today aware of the hymns which had been chosen to round out the worship service, a song which I first learned over 40 years ago came to mind. In fact, it is included in Lutheran Book of Worship – our green hymnal – in the “Canticle” section as #14 – “Listen! You Nations” and as we will discover fits nicely with both the Scriptures set aside for this Sunday, the Gospel text and the other hymns for this day.

Refrain:

Listen! you nations of the world: listen to the Word of the Lord.
Announce it from coast to coast; declare it to distant islands.

The Lord who scattered Israel will gather his people again;
and he will keep watch over them, as a shepherd watches his flock.

Refrain

With shouts of joy they will come, their faces radiantly happy,
for the Lord is so gen'rous to them; he showers his people with gifts.

Refrain

Young women will dance for joy, and men young and old will make merry.
Like a garden refreshed by the rain, they will never be in want again.

Break into shouts of great joy; Jacob is free again!
Teach nations to sing the song: "The Lord has saved his people!"

[Lutheran Book of Worship, Canticle #14]

The Old Testament reading from the prophet Isaiah appointed for today, the verses from Psalm 65 sung minutes ago and the section from Matthew’s Gospel devote a lot of attention to sowing and harvesting, the cycles of nature and the blessings that God pours out on us abundantly each and every day we draw breath on this earth. What are we really talking about today? What is the bottom line?

St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans reminds each of us that “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” And again, he writes “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

Since it has been over 21 years since I left active ministry, I have often been asked if there is anything I miss about full time ministry. There is one event that often comes to mind when asked that question. Can you guess what it might be? No, it is not the Advent and Christmas during which we build up to and celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Of course, that is a keystone of our faith and I do love Christmas. When in ministry, however, one is so consumed with the services and telling the story that there becomes a danger of missing the point for oneself.

Another guess? No, it is not the Lenten and Easter season when we remind ourselves of the sacrificial ministry, suffering and death of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We journey along with the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, while the palms waved, coats lined the path and the King of Kings humbled himself and rode on a colt, the foal of a donkey. In the garden at Gethsemane, we may even feel the strain on Jesus’ heart and mind as he pleads with the Heavenly Father and sweat like drops of blood runs down his cheeks. In fact, we may even be swept to tears at His trial, as a crown of thorns is set on His head and he is beaten and nailed to a cross – not for His own transgressions but for our own sins. Sometimes we even sing “Were You There”!

The climax of the salvation story is of course, the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning! Jesus is Alive! The baby born in Bethlehem, crucified on Calvary’s hill and laid in a stranger’s tomb is risen from the dead! So we say “Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!” Merry Christmas! Happy Easter! Because all of us know that we cannot have Christmas without Easter nor Easter without Christmas. The Christmas – Easter salvation story is not the end; it is only the beginning!

That is why the event that I miss most when asked is an event we heard something about in recent weeks. Every summer, I remember those great weeks of Vacation Bible School as a child, as a teacher or coordinator and later in the years of ministry. At a Vacation Bible School in a small town church in Minnesota, a church I was later married in and where my eldest child was baptized, is where I first learned Canticle #14, the song “Listen! You Nations”.

How well we undoubtedly know the exuberance and excitement of children attending Vacation Bible school. Of course, they are often eager for the crafts and the playtime but they are also excited to learn the Bible stories and songs. Children have a willingness to tell others which seems to dissipate as we grow older and weary of the world and its ways. I can still remember various groups of children singing out the lyrics with force and emphasis, especially the words of the refrain:

Listen! you nations of the world: listen to the Word of the Lord.

Announce it from coast to coast; declare it to distant islands.

In a world that needs to hear more than ever, would that we could recapture that childlike enthusiasm to hear the Word of the Lord and bear fruit. Jesus concludes His explanation of the Parable of the Sowers saying, “the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” [Matthew 13:23 NIV]

Depending on the translation of today’s Gospel, the rendition is “Let anyone with ears listen!” or “Whoever has ears, let them hear! Lest we miss the point and the words of Scripture go in one ear and out the other, our final focus is on what God means in the Old Testament when in Hebrew we hear “Shema, Israel!” or when Jesus says in the New Testament gospels “Listen!” Jesus Himself offers an explanation when He speaks about hearing the Word and understanding it. It is more than just simple hearing. “To listen” as translated from the original Hebrew and Greek means to perceive, to comprehend, to understand, to put it into practice – “to obey” the Word of the Lord.

At the end of this service, we will sing:

Spread, oh, spread, almighty Word,

Spread the reign of God the Lord;

Tell how his own Son he gave,
All from sin and death to save.

In other words:

Listen! you nations of the world:

listen to the Word of the Lord.
Announce it from coast to coast;

declare it to distant islands.

“Whoever has ears, let them hear!” Amen