"Planting Seeds" - John 12:20-33 - April 2, 2006

Every year at this time my wife plants seeds for her flower beds. She places them in containers that sit under fluorescent lights. She adds water every day and waits for them to sprout. She will plant them in her flower beds when they begin to bud. A few weeks later they will flower and by the end of the summer, depending on the variety, the flowers will have many blooms and eventually they will spread and fill her flower gardens.

It’s amazing that tiny seeds can transform the landscape around our home from bare ground to beautiful flower beds. Botanically, we know quite a bit about seeds and how they germinate. We know that a seed consists of a protective seed coat, some kind of storage tissue with nutrient reserves, and a dormant plant embryo. We further know that under the correct conditions the dormant embryo can be "awakened" to germinate and grow into a mature plant. Some Botanists say that in every seed there is an on/off switch will lets the seed grow.

So at some point the seed is turned "on" and it begins to sprout. In time, what was once a seed is transformed into a flower, fruit or grain. Jesus used the illustration of wheat being buried in the ground. For Jesus, planting seeds is what it means to be faithful.

I like Eugene Peterson’s interpretation of this passage in his book, The Message. It reads, "Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is, destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal."

One thing we often overlook in this story is its context. Jesus is at the Passover. Thousands of people are milling about. It was a celebration, not unlike our Fourth of July. Everywhere you would see many flowers and all kinds of fruit. No doubt people were selling flowers in the market square. Passover happened during the time of Easter, about the time flowers begin sprout after a long winter’s nap.

They (the Jews) celebrated Passover which commemorated their liberation from the Egyptians. I believe Jesus wanted his listeners to see the Passover differently. He wanted them to experience liberation in the present. He wanted their lives to be free of the status quo. Life could be totally different by understanding why the faithful must be planting seeds and ultimately bear fruit.

First, I believe that by burying them in the ground he meant, dying to self. We bear fruit for the faith when we focus on others instead of ourselves. It is not our agenda which has priority, it is the needs of those around us. Jesus wants us to flip the "on" switch and plant seeds which requires personal sacrifice.

One time an elderly couple was traveling and they were seeking lodging. It was a stormy night. The wind blew in all directions; the rain came down in torrents. The elderly man and his wife sloshed up to the desk of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Half in apology he asked: "Can you possibly give us a room? All the big hotels are filled." "Every room is taken, sir," replied the clerk, "But I can't send a nice couple like you out in the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Tell you what: you can sleep in my room." "But where will you sleep?" asked the guest. "Oh, I'll make out," replied the young clerk, "don't worry about me."

The next morning as the guest paid his bill he told the young man who had given up his room: "You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe some day I'll build one for you." Two years later the young clerk received a letter with a round-trip ticket to New York and a note from the guest on that stormy night asking the clerk to meet him in the big city. The old man led the young man to the corner of 5th Avenue and 34th Street. Pointing to a towering new building, the old gentleman declared: "There is the hotel I have built for you to manage."

Almost speechless, the young man, George C. Boldt, stammered his thanks. His benefactor was William Waldorf Astoria. The hotel was the most elaborate of that day, the original Waldorf Astoria. (from Jerry Fuller, OMI)

By planting seeds, great things can happen. Jesus also said, "If anyone wants to serve me, then they must follow me." But, why follow Jesus? Who wants to go down the road of suffering and dying to find fulfillment. We would rather take an easier path, one that involves comfort, security and happiness. Certainly Jesus doesn’t expect us to follow in his footsteps?

I believe that Jesus was talking about transformation. Following him requires us to make changes in our lifestyle. He announced that he would be resurrected, transformed from death to life, and so can we. We can be like a grain of wheat, growing, expanding and being productive.

One time I was counseling a woman who had an on-again, off-again relationship with her boyfriend. She said things would be okay for awhile but then he would become psychologically abusive. She said that recently they had broken up. This was about the fifth time it happened. This time she asked him to leave. I then asked her how it felt for her to have him gone. She replied, "I felt relieved." She had undergone a transformation by letting go and this was the first time that anyone had affirmed how she now experienced life, no longer dependent on a man who was abusive. Now she is free.

I’d like to share another story. Cheryl continually complained that she didn’t make enough money, couldn’t afford the things she wanted, and therefore, wasn’t ever going to amount to anything. Her counselor said to her, "You’re throwing your energy away complaining instead of using it to get ahead." "But you don’t understand. The job is the problem, not me," Cheryl countered.

Her counselor then said, "Your low-paying job may be a problem and your boss may demand too much, but if you are continually that upset, you are causing yourself more harm than either the job or the boss." "What can I do?" she asked. The counselor said, "You can’t control your boss or your job, but you can control how you feel about them. What you need is a change of attitude."

Cheryl took the counselor’s advice. When she stopped whining about her life, people around her noticed. She got a promotion, and with her new job status, she was more marketable. Within several months, she was transferred out of the department into a position that had higher pay and a supportive boss. (from God’s Little Lessons for Graduates, Honor Books)

Transformation can take place in a variety of ways. Perhaps we just need to change our attitude, planting seeds instead of just harvesting them for ourselves. Perhaps we need to change where we plant seeds or what kind of seeds we plant.

My wife also plants Morning Glories. She tells me that when you plant their seeds you have to nick them, then soak them in water in order for them to germinate. Sometimes we have to use more energy when planting seeds. There are times when planting seeds requires more effort and more nurture.

For me, planting seeds in ministry requires more than the things that I do. For me it means empowering others to be in ministry also. On the one hand it is necessary to teach people the skills they need. But on the other hand it is also empowering them by letting go and giving people the opportunity and authority to do things themselves. When we enable others to do what we do we experience new freedom.

God wants us to be liberated from the drudgery of life. God wants us to plant seeds and experience the joy of abundant growth. God wants us to be faithful, by putting others before ourselves. For when we experience liberation, when we participate in the planting of seeds, we honor God and Jesus is once again glorified.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio