Sexagesima | Luke 8:9-13 | The Sower Gives Life to the Soil of the Earth

Sexagesima Luke 8:4-15 February 8, 2026     The dirt and soil of the earth are where sin and death reside.   In the beginning, “The LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”   Martin Luther wrote in a commentary regarding the creation account that God formed man from a “Lump of earth.”   Of course, we know that in man’s fall into sin, God said to Adam, Because you have listened to the voice of your wife                         and have eaten of the tree              of which I commanded you,                         ‘You shall not eat of it,’              cursed is the ground because of you;                         in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;             thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;                         and you shall eat the plants of the field.             By the sweat of your face                         you shall eat bread,              till you return to the ground,                         for out of it you were taken;              for you are dust,                         and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:17b-19)   In many ways, I believe it’s important to remember how man was formed from the earth and how sin and death will lead him back to the dust and soil of the earth.     In fact, this provides us with a lens to view the Parable of the Sower in today’s Gospel.   For life to emerge from the soil, the seed of God’s Word and the breath of His voice had to penetrate it. Apart from Him, the dust of the earth would have remained just that, dust.   But with the seed and breath of God’s Word spoken into it, Adam received life.   Now, if man is made from the “lumps of earth” or the soil where the Sower is sowing the seed of God’s Word today, what does it mean to be dust and dirt of the earth in a fallen world?    Well, to be “dirt” or “dirty” often means, in popular culture, that a person is unclean, morally corrupt, vile, contemptible, or promiscuous.   While what God creates is good, man’s sins corrupt and lead to death, bringing you back to the dirt of the earth.   With this understanding, the seed of the Sower is intended to give you life.   One reason you hesitate to give the seed of God’s Word its proper place is that it will convict you and first call you to repentance.    Jesus doesn’t hide this in the parable today as He describes the soil of man’s heart, saying, The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.   In other words, those of you who are on this path have completely turned away from God. You have allowed the devil to silence your ears, ignore God’s Word, and in many cases, leave the church.    You can see yourself here as Adam and Eve, who were led to completely disregard the Word of God through the temptation and speech of the serpent in the Garden.    You don’t even recognize a need for confession.   But then Jesus says, And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.   Some people happily accept God’s Word here, but when challenges arise during the week, they forget His Word and that He said there would be trouble in this life. As a result, they depend on themselves instead of God, essentially making themselves their own gods.   Is this you? If you paused and reflected on the past week, did you turn to God’s Word and peace when troubles arose? Or did even thinking of prayer arise?   Of course, there are those whose faith is choked by the cares, riches, and pleasures of life, too.   Jesus says, And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.   We Lutherans are often guilty of minimizing works, but as we read in the book of James, “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26)   The good works of the Christian are the maturing fruits of faith.   One reason we allow the fruits of faith to be choked out is that they require control over a restless spirit. It’s hard to love difficult people, it’s challenging to remain joyful in times of grief, and how do you find peace when chaos surrounds you? What about patience, kindness, and goodness for those who attack you? Or faithfulness when others seem or appear disloyal, or gentleness as your brother breathes down your neck? In moments like this, self-control over your emotions and temper can feel like fleeting thoughts.   And if you think about it, to produce this kind of faithful fruit, the soil of your heart must be well cared for...   Here are these words of Jesus again, As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.   Having an honest and good heart means possessing a repentant heart. A forgiven heart.   And for this reason, the hearts of faithful Christians must be cultivated through hearing and receiving God’s Word, which brings about repentance and confession of sins.    But, to be honest, this is the part you simply do not enjoy: admitting guilt, confessing sin, and putting away idolatries. You hold on to them, often until your graves, until the day when your bodies return to the dust of the earth.   But that’s why the health and well-being of the soil of your heart, where death and sin dwell, are so vital, because receiving the seed of God’s Word is the difference between eternal life and eternal death.    Look, the prophet Isaiah wrote,             “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven                         and do not return there but water the earth,              making it bring forth and sprout,                         giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,             so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;                         it shall not return to me empty,              but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,                         and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)   Whether you understand the ways of the Lord is irrelevant; what matters most is that you receive and trust in His Word, because this word will do as God wills. It will grant you His forgiveness, feed you with His forgiveness, and accomplish its purpose: to raise you from the dust of the earth to live with Him forever.    This is why the Sower is called to sow the seed so generously and recklessly…. Because the Sower is generous and gracious, He wants you to grow in your faith, to be forgiven, and to be with Him forever.   As Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, “For [My father] makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45b)   He is a gracious God, bestowing upon all of creation more than it could ever deserve.   As the season of Lent approaches, permit the seed of God’s Word to enter your ears, to cultivate your hearts, preparing you to faithfully love and care for one another, and be led in the path to eternal life.   If you have allowed your heart to become hardened against setting aside time to read the Scriptures or, for some reason, believe you don’t need to practice this part of your faith, please use the upcoming days to establish a new routine focused on hearing God’s Word. Set aside time during your breakfast to read a paragraph, a chapter, or a page of God’s Word. Use the Good Shepherd at Prayer sheets to lead your family at home or listen to the Bible on your phone as you drive to work.   If you need guidance or want more structure, ask for help, and I’ll assist you in finding a devotion book or program to help you cultivate the soil of your heart.     Trust me, nothing is so urgent in life that it diminishes the need for God’s Word and forgiveness—nothing. In fact, if you think you’re too busy to spend time with God’s Word, that’s a clear sign you need it more than ever.   Look, in the end, your bodies will most certainly follow in the steps of Adam, returning to the dust and dirt of this earth. But for you, who not only hear and receive God’s Word but also permit it to grow within you... You can face the grave unfearing, knowing you won’t remain a lump of earth, but be raised to new life, because this Word of the Sower, of Jesus, has been planted into your heart. +INJ+     Rev. Noah J. Rogness Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Tomah, WI   www.goodsheptomah.org