Feb 12 , 2023: Worship Service Family Worship Series No.2  ,"Rich Soil” 

Bible:

Matthew 13:8
“Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Family Worship No.2

 

Grace:

"Dad and Mom, what are you doing?"

 

Mom:

"We are feeding nutrients to the sifting soil."

 

James:

James: "Wow, I've never seen your father gardening before."

 

Dad:

"Hahaha. I usually depend on mom. I have not helped her out.”

 

Sophia:

"I want to help too! What can I do?”

 

Mom::

"Thank you, you know, there are some dead flowers. Can you pull them out?”

 

Sophia:

“Sure!”

 

Tools for Gardening

 

Dad:

"Let's watch a video of the story about a farmer who sowed seeds.”

 

Mom:

“Dad and Sophia helped me to give nutrients to the soil the other day. It helped me a lot. Thanks.”

 

Sophia:

"I know that story! The farmers sowed the seeds in many places.”

 

Dad:

"Very good. Do you know how many different kinds of land he sowed on?

 

Sophia:

" Let me see. There were hard roads, thorny land, and I don't remember another one, but the last one was rich soil.

 

James:

"It was stone, right?"

 

Dad:

"Yes, it was. Let's watch the video and talk about it.

 

Prelude:

 

Video:

 

Dad:

"Now, let's hear some thoughts from Grace, shall we?"

 

Grace:

"Four kinds of land are people, right? Seeds don't have a will, do they? I am sad that the seeds sown by the farmer happened to fall on land that doesn't grow."

 

Mom:

"I agree! You felt the same way when you were a little girl, and it didn't feel right. But for a long time, I didn't have an answer. Today, I would like to hear everyone's opinion.

 

James:

"What exactly do you mean by a rich land?"

 

Dad:

"This is a good question. Let's make a list and write it down.

     

Dad: 

"I think knowing the condition of the soil is so important.

Plants take in carbon dioxide and produce nutrients such as starch and oxygen through photosynthesis with the sun, but we also have to dig up the soil to give it oxygen.

Fertilizer needs to be applied from time to time. Water definitely, but too much water can rot the roots. Even if we take good care of the flowers, many flowers died because it suddenly snowed at night a few days ago. There are times when weather and disasters come along that we have no control over.

I talked a little off-topic, but I wanted to share how important soil is for the growth of plants.

Grace said that seeds have no will and cannot choose where a farmer sows them. I think it is good to notice.

Some people may say it is fate or destiny, but I do not think so.

The four types of land are not destinies. If there is hard soil, we can dig it up. If there are stones, we can remove them. If there are thorns, we can cut them. If we do that, I am sure that God, the farmer, will help us and change us so that we will have good soil, flowers will bloom, and we will be able to harvest fruit.”

 

Mom:

"It is a good point. Another thing I thought was that the rich land is also the heart of Jesus. Also, I think the seed has life, and while they are in the rich soil, it can sprout and bloom, and bare fruit 30, 60, or even 100 times more than before. Even though we do our best, sometimes we face many difficulties in our lives that we cannot solve by ourselves. For example, the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. However, even when things seem hopeless, we should trust God and ask for help.

There are many ways to understand the parables Jesus talked about. We try to have an open mind, and if you have any new thoughts let us share.

Now, James, could you please pray?

 

James:

"Yes, I will. Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to reflect on the sowing of seeds and other things today. It is not easy to become good soil, but we will not give up and will do our best. Please help us through Jesus Christ, Amen.”

 

<Prayer Requests>
On February 6, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria, killing many people. Kushimoto Town has a history of helping each other, especially with Turkey, and has established friendly relations. Please pray for us. We are not donating a chapel this time. As a resident of Kushimoto Town, we have participated in the donation drive set up at the town office. We ask everyone to cooperate in your way.
Prayer Request
 I will have cataract surgery on my right eye this week on Feb. 14 (Tue). 
I will need to rest my eye for a while, so I will not be able to deliver next week's message. Please pray for me as well.

  Thank you.

Postlude:

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