“Changing Seasons” (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)

If you are a “Deadhead” you will know exactly where this quote comes from: “What a long strange trip it’s been.”  A “Deadhead” is an ardent fan of the musical group The Grateful Dead.  The quote comes from the song Truckin’.  It was the second album, a double album, they released independently after they got out of their contract with their original producer.  It kind of summed up how they saw their musical career over the years.  The phrase is a part of a longer quote from the song: “Lately it occurs to me, what a long strange trip it’s been.”

When it comes to life, I think I must concur with the band, especially as a person of faith—a follower of Jesus.  It has been one long strange trip . . . as all of life is.  Life is not always what we hope it would be . . . it is not always as easy as we would like . . . and, it constantly is throwing us curve balls when we are expecting fast balls.

As people enter parenthood, we become familiar with “stages of development”.  There are stages for physical development, stages for psychosocial development . . . there seem to be stages in which children and people are measured and weigh in life . . . to see if they are where they are supposed to be.  Maybe you remember Benjamin Spock—Dr. Spock’s book on child development and care.  It was many generations development bible.  There was also Erik Erikson’s theories on how children and people develop psychologically and socially.  Even when infants and children are taken to the doctor, they are measured against some sort of stages of development chart to assure the parents that everything is normal.

So, it should come as no surprise that as human beings we use stages to measure and weigh how we stack up in where we are supposed to be and against other people.  Inquiring minds want to know.  The thing is . . . we all go through stages as we journey through life.  From “Point A” to “Point B” we go through stages.  For many that might sound a little too cut and dry.  Because of that we have soften the idea . . . romanticized it to the point that we see it more as the “seasons of life”.

We all know that seasons change . . . especially living here in Montana.  Seasons change in Montana sometimes producing all four seasons in one day.  Seasons change . . . and, as the seasons change, so do we.

I want you to consider that as we explore the parable Jesus shares in our reading this morning.

The Parable of the Sower should not be unfamiliar to any of us.  We have heard it many times.  It is the story of a farmer or sower who is scattering the seed for planting.  Some falls along the path, some on rocky places, other among the weeds, and some even made it to the good soil.  As the story goes on it seems that depending upon where the seed landed it all grew differently . . . some was eaten up by the birds, others withered due to the lack of resources like soil and water, and others were choked out because of the density of the weeds.  Only the seed that had landed in “good soil” grew abundantly.  That’s it!  The whole parable. And, Jesus tells those who are listening to listen well and heed those words.

We know from having heard this—what seems to be a million times—that this is not about farming, gardening, or sowing.  It is about how the message—the “Good News” of Jesus . . . about faith—is received and comes to manifestation for those who hear it.  Jesus pretty much explains it that way when he tells the listeners what the parable means.  He tells the people that some people never get it, some get it but lose it, others have it misdirected, and even others understand and flourish.  That my friend, says Jesus, is how the “Good News” is received as it is thrown out there for the masses to hear.

As I said, plain and simple . . . yet, we need to remember that nothing is as plain and simple as we think when it comes to the words of Jesus.  Because of that I want us to consider his words on a more personal level . . . a more spiritual level . . . than in the generally accepted way that it is presented this morning as a parable.  I want us to think about how these words fit us and our journeys, our development as people of faith, as the followers of Jesus.  I want us to do it because it explains a lot about ourselves, our development as spiritual people, and this long strange trip we call life.

As I hear this parable, I hear a story about individual faith . . . a story about how our faith develops . . . about how we grow into who God created us to be.  As we hear the story, we realize that Jesus is also talking about the stages of faith that we go through as we attempt to follow him in word and deed.  With perfect 20/20 hindsight we know that our faith and spiritual lives have not always been smooth sailing . . . that we have gone through lots of different stages of development . . . and, that the seasons change.  We are not the same people we were when we first dedicated our lives to following Jesus; no, we have grown into a deeper understanding of what it means to be a person of faith—a follower of Jesus.

To get there we have had to endure the changing seasons.

Earlier I mentioned all those theories and models about the stages of development.  I mentioned that there are stages of physical development . . . stages of psychological development . . . and even social development.  There seem to be stages of development for every aspect of life . . . and, not surprisingly, there are even stages of development for faith.  The most famous and popular one of these is James Fowler’s stages of faith theory.  His theory states that a person’s faith can be measured by the way that he or she lives his or her life and the words that either uses when talking.  Originally, he stated that there were five stages of faith . . . today that theory has been expanded to seven stages.  But basically, he is saying that people progress through stages, or seasons, working their way to “enlightenment” or a faith that embraces all of humanity as one to be loved and cared for as God loves humanity.

For example, in the first stage, God is like a parent . . . all-knowing, all-caring, and provides for every need.  This is where people refer to God as “Father” or “Mother”.  As small children our parents provide for our needs, and that is the understanding of God at this age—God provides for our needs.  From that stage children move into an understanding of God as shared by those who are important . . . as they learn the stories of faith.  Here faith becomes literal and as it has been told to them.  People in this stage usually interpret everything as literal and often preface their statements of faith with attributions from others.  When asked what they believe, instead of answering for themselves, they quote someone else like a pastor or Sunday school teacher.

In each of the stages of Fowler’s faith development the individual moves from the simple into the more complex in understanding the relationship between humans and God, and humans to humans.  In each stage there are challenges to the individual that push for deeper understanding and spiritual growth.  Each stage pushes towards the goal of “enlightenment”.  Which is a stage that few ever reach.  People who we know that have reached this stage . . . obviously Jesus; Mother Teresa; and, Martin Luther King, Jr.

So, what does all this mean?  Basically, it means that faith is not a static once-in-a-lifetime experience or gift that never changes.  Faith is a constantly changing experience and gift . . . a “living” gift that keeps growing if we have the determination and courage to follow its challenges through each changing season that we encounter.  If not, well we either get stuck back in a stage that we have already mastered, or we disappear . . . we die as Jesus said in his parable.

As Jesus tells his parable, we recognize what he is talking about.  We recognize it because we have been through it ourselves.  We know what it feels like to believe and have no support.  We know what it means to believe and be challenged by others who don’t believe the same we do.  We know what it feels like to be confronted, threatened, and challenged . . . to doubt and be doubted.  We know the struggles we have had when it comes to being faithful and following Jesus.  We know that it is not a garden party, but that it is a mysterious journey with lots of twists and turns.  It is one long strange trip.

In life there are changing seasons.  In faith there are changing seasons.  Faith grows if we choose to move through the changing seasons . . . if we choose to really follow Jesus where he leads.  Through each season we grow stronger.  Jesus tells us this morning that faith, following him, is not easy.  Yet, at the same time, he tells us it is worth it.  If we can do it, we will discover that the reward is “a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

On this long strange trip we call life, may traveling mercies guide us all safely home.  Amen.