Jesus & Teaching

SERMON TITLE:   “Jesus 101:  Jesus & Teaching”
SERMON TEXT:    Mark 4:1-20
PREACHER:           Rev. Kim James
OCCASION:           September 9, 2018, at First UMC
 
 
INTRODUCTION
 
                My earliest memory of gardening isn’t planting seeds or pulling weeds or even picking vegetables.  My earliest memory is that my mom, my maternal grandmother, and I were sitting at a picnic table in the yard of my great uncle, and we were shelling peas.  That was the summer I turned five.  I have many more memories of gardening after that:  using sticks and strings to lay out straight rows, hoeing trenches at various depths for different kinds of seeds, moving the sprinklers around to water everywhere, and picking the produce.  I remember that when my brothers and I grumbled about having to pull weeds, Dad said, “Quit complaining.  I used to have to eat those dandelions.”  I remember that our usual motivation was that Mom wouldn’t let us go swimming in the creek until after our gardening chores were done.  I learned a lot about gardening from my parents and grandparents.  Reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic were the subjects of September through May, but my summer education was largely about how to turn tiny seeds into nutritious food. 
                I’m telling you this because, for several weeks, we’ve been progressing through the Gospel of Mark and focusing on the basics about Jesus.  And today, as we come to Mark chapter four, we begin to encounter Jesus’ many parables.  With the Parable of the Sower at the center of our attention, let’s see what we can learn about “Jesus & Teaching.”

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