Sexagesima

Text: Luke 8:4-15

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

You’ve all heard this familiar passage from the book of Proverbs, 

Train up a child in the way he should go;
                      even when he is old, he will not depart from it. (22:6)

But what does this mean?

Well, the first thing we need to wrestle with is the first two words of the verse, “Train up.”

You see, there are times when definitions, words, and concepts can get lost in translation as they are translated from Greek and Hebrew into English. Some say this is one of those times because, in other instances, this Hebrew construct used for “Train up” is translated as consecrate.  

And if you were to translate this verse of Proverbs with this understanding, then it reads,

Consecrate a child according to the way he should go,
and even when he becomes old, he will not turn from it.

So, what does this mean? Well, to consecrate here means to dedicate or set aside a child.

How does the Church then dedicate or set aside a child so that as they grow, they will indeed follow the path set before them and not turn away from it? It’s Baptism. 

As Baptism is the means by which the Christian is brought into the Church, it becomes the manner in which all children of God, no matter their age, are set on the way they are to go so that, as they continue to grow and mature in the faith, they will not depart from it but cling to it until the day our Lord gathers us into His eternal kingdom.

But here lies a challenge: clinging to the Word and faith of Christ from birth through old age.

And here is where our Gospel today enters into the equation. Clinging to the Word of God begins with hearing His Word.

The parable in the Gospel today speaks of four varying types of soil and ultimately reflects how one hears and receives the seed or Word of God.

The first type of soil Jesus mentions in the parable is the bare road. Seeds sowed or tossed freely upon this road fall and yield no reward. In fact, they do not even have the opportunity to implant themselves or germinate. Instead, the birds of the air come down as seagulls look to feast upon breadcrumbs scattered along a body of water. They are little devils who swoop down to snatch the Word of God that has entered your ears before it will ever even reach your heart.

The Christian asks, “How so?”

Well, what is the first thing you do when you depart the Divine Service? What happens when you reach your vehicle and prepare to drive down LaGrange Avenue? Do you promptly turn on the radio and catch a sports score, or is it decision time- where will we eat?

Or do you discuss the readings, the Gospel, and the sermon with your family (children) or among friends? Do you take time to meditate upon the Good News the Sower just sowed into your ears? Or do you permit the little devils of the world the opportunity to snatch it away?

Well, at least with the rocks, the seed has a chance, right? Here are those individuals who hear the Word of God and receive it with great eagerness and joy. But, with just the right balance of carelessness and temptation, the roots of the seed never take - the rocky soil leads to a quick death.

This is a scary situation; how many congregations have young people who are brought up in the Church and no longer possess faith? For the children of the church, the seed was planted in a safe environment, but when the times of temptation and tribulation approached outside the home, they fell away.

The question of life is not “if” temptation comes but when.

Jesus said to His disciples before His arrest on the Mount of Olives, “Pray not to come into temptation.” (Lk. 22:46). Yet, we all succumb to temptation, just as the disciples all fell asleep while the Lord prayed.

For some, the temptations of life lie in the people they associate with, their friends and co-workers, or the doctrines of false churches that allure them. What lacks for seed sowed upon the rocks is proper and sustaining nutrients for the life of man - what is required and needed is the water of life found in the daily drowning and rising of Holy Baptism.

But the person who has entered temptation has turned from this life-giving water; they are like Judas, who believed for a little while but fell away and succumbed to the allures of the world.

Judas is an excellent segue to the third type of soil, the soil of thorns. Judas believed for a little while before turning to his heart’s desires; one of the causes of his fall and death was the desire for riches and pleasure.

You see, the soil of rock is of no benefit, as is the soil of thorns. In verse twelve of our Gospel, we learn that seeds sown in either of these settings will survive “for a time,” but eternal death is inevitable apart from good soil.

Over time, the thorns will suffocate and impede any growth of the plant you wish to grow.

Here is an image of competing worldviews. The child is prepared throughout their youth, but as they depart the home and enter the uncontrolled environment of the world, their schools, or a college campus, the cares and pleasures of this world, the desire for riches lead them astray and choke the very life of God from their veins.

Saint John wrote in his first epistle, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15)

This is not easy for any of us, though. We come to church once a week and then depart back into the world. What do you believe stands a better chance at forming us, our ideals, and our faith? The Church or the world?

Well, what about that fourth type of soil?

Jesus said in the Gospel today, “‘But other [seed] fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.’ When He had said these things He cried, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear!’”

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

To be one who “hears” is to be a catechumen - the word catechumen derives from the Greek word “one under instruction” and often refers to a young person or adult participating in the ongoing instruction of the Christian faith. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

This ongoing instruction and hearing of the Word of Christ creates faith, makes you a catechumen, and, as we heard from the Proverb, sets you on the way you are to go so that when you become old, you will not turn away from the seed of faith planted within your hearts by the very voice Christ Jesus Himself.

Therefore, the process of tending to the soil of one’s heart, being conformed to the Christian faith, and being brought into eternal life begins and ends with the continual hearing of God’s Word, the seed of the Sower.

And the Sower is none other than Jesus, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

You know, it’s easy to reflect and recall the date of your Baptism as a historical marker by saying, “I was baptized on February 4, 2024.” Which is true of Judah today.

But the words of Luther, which form a recurring pattern in our opening hymn today (God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It), confess a great comfort to the Christian as we sang, “I am Baptized.”

Just listen to the words of the final stanza of “God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It” once more,

There is nothing worth comparing
To this lifelong comfort sure!
Open-eyed my grave is staring:
Even there I’ll sleep secure.
Though my flesh awaits its raising,
Still my soul continues praising:
I am baptized into Christ;
I’m a child of paradise!

This is the joy delivered to Judah today, and this is his song and confession. While this world and life will present obstacles to the faith or even attempt to silence and choke the Word of God from creating and sustaining faith within him, he can sing with great joy the ongoing reality, “I am Baptized!”

And this is your song and confession, too.

Like Judah, your Baptism has joined you to Christ Jesus – His death and resurrection, His life and forgiveness. In this way, Baptism defines you. It anchors and reveals to you the way you are to go, the way of eternal life. For this reason, it becomes a present and lifelong reality no matter the challenges or obstacles you now face.

There’s no greater joy than this!

As we prepare for yet another season of Lent, return to your Baptism, hear and be formed by the precious seed of God’s Word so that as you grow throughout this life, as difficulties arise, you might be kept in the narrow way and path of Jesus Christ. +INJ+