In Mark’s Gospel it says (4:20 ), “And these
are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear
fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
This is the verse that caused us to stop calling the final
part of our worship, “the Dismissal.” Now we call the same part, “the
Scattering.” It was a deliberate act on our part to send each worshipper into
the world, with the seeds of faith firmly rooted, so that the seeds of our
faith can be spread (or scattered) throughout the world.
The testimony that is
really effective is not well crafted sermons but the actions of those who dare
call themselves Christians. If the journey each of us takes is scattered with
acts of love, words of affirmations and demands for justice then the people we
meet cannot help but notice. If on the other hand, we choose to be hateful, and
criticize and be complacent, the seeds of faith have shallow roots. The people
we meet will also take notice of our shallowness.
To be people of faith
means that we hold ourselves to high standards, we hold ourselves to Godly
standards. We will, from time to time, stumble and fall, but with the wisdom,
faith, love and mercy rooted in the community we will be welcomed and loved.
As we get on our Mark
(4:20), as we get Set… with a deeply rooted faith we are sent into the world, to Go…
to scatter seeds of love and mercy.
I heard a funny line once:
“if you win the rat race, well you’re
still a rat.” The race we are in is not about winning (Jesus already won
the crown of victory for us); it is about crossing the finish line together.
When the worship ends, each of us are told to Go and scatter seeds of
faith.
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