A Famine Not of Bread

"Christ and the Storm" by Giorgio de Chirico Click here to listen to this sermon. "And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and sea obey Him?’” (Mark 4:41). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Put yourself in the disciples’ sandals for a moment. It’s still early in Jesus’ ministry. They have not yet been away from the region of Galilee where Jesus called the first of them. But they’ve already seen a lot! They have been astonished by His teaching. Amazed by His casting out of the evil spirits. They’ve seen Jesus heal multitudes, including Simon’s own mother-in-law. They’ve watched Jesus heal a paralytic and forgive sins. They’ve heard Jesus skillfully answer the questions about fasting and keeping the Sabbath. They’ve been sent out by Jesus to preach and given authority over demons. They’ve had Jesus explain the meaning of His parables about the kingdom of God. That’s a lot to...

"Parable of the Sower" by Pieter Bruegel Click here to listen to this sermon. [Jesus] said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” And He said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” With many such parables He spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to His own disciples He explained everything (Ma...

"The Sower" by James I Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. “And [Jesus] said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come’” (Mark 4:26-29). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Look around you. Right here. Here is the kingdom of God! It may not look like much. Then again, it may be a lot more than you think. To begin with, it sure doesn’t look like a kingdom. Not you. Not me. Surely not a kingdom worthy of God. Well, that’s the way it is. The kingdom of God can be quite a letdown. We know that we live in God’s kingdom. But when we look around, what do we see? Empty seats. (Empty seats tending to be concentrated in the front pews!) And t...