In the Spring of 2017, while still living in South Florida, the phone rang. On the other end was Eric Carlson. At the time Pastor Eric was an Assistant to the Bishop for the Southeastern Iowa Synod of our Lutheran denomination, the ELCA.  He also happened to grow up here at St. John’s, and now serves down the road at Faith Lutheran in Clive. A bit of a plug – he’ll be here the weekend of September 23 and 24 as part of our Alumni Preaching series. Keep an eye out for that fun reunion 😊.

During our conversation, Eric, trying to sell this big-city Floridian suburbanite on a state I’d never been to, asked plainly, “what do you know about Iowa?”

I replied coyly, “You mean besides the corn?”  Realizing the foot-in-mouth potential this response created, I quickly attempted to recover. “Not much. Tell me more.”

Eric did, and it got me curious enough to consider what might be. Six years, and two congregations later, well, here we are. Iowa continues to surprise.

I soon learned why Iowa can produce that great corn we know and love. It can be summed up in two words:

Good soil.

Much of the soil here is of a certain type called Chernozem, or black soil. Black soil is known for its dark, rich color. It is filled with organic material, able to hold on to moisture well.

Black soil primarily exists in just two parts of the world; the Great Plains we live in is one of them. Before becoming farmland these prairie fields were filled with plants with root systems going up to 15 feet into the ground. Starting from seed, they build deep roots underground while flourishing aboveground. All while growing side-by-side with other deep-rooted plants that help keep the soil strong.

And when their time is up? The valuable nutrients these plants contain return to the soil. Prairie plants participated in this circle of life here for millions of years. Each plant life, each plant death made the soil richer, deeper, more resilient for future generations of plants to come.

Because of all this black soil can produce high agricultural yields for all sorts of things. It is why Iowa is the top producer of corn in the country, and a close second in soybeans. Iowa soil is good soil, indeed.

Soil
Our parable from Matthew 13 and the explanation of it also asks us to consider the conditions of the soil where we have been planted.

The story begins with Jesus getting out of the house, sitting by the sea. With all the –
Teaching,
Preaching,
Praying,
Healing –
that Jesus had been up to crowds began to form.

To make space Jesus got in a boat, preparing to give a message to the crowd gathered on the beach.

Wait a second –
Preaching from a boat?
Is that a thing?
Can we do that here?
Sign me up for that 😊.

Jesus then began to share about four different types of people who hear God’s word, and what happens next.

The first person is like a seed fallen on the path. A path has no soil. It gets walked on. The person hears God’s word but does not understand. God’s call on their life simply flies away into nothingness. The message never makes it from ear to head to heart.

The second person is like a seed that falls on rocky ground. There’s a little soil, sure, but not enough. The seed germinates, grows quickly, but the hot sun bears down. This person hears God’s word and understands. The message makes it from ear to head to heart. They are excited about this new life in Christ, oh the joy! But then comes trouble. The soil is limited, the roots are shallow. Their potential to help bring God’s kingdom here on earth shrivels up and fades away.

The third person is like a seed that falls among thorns. There’s plenty of soil. The seed germinates, grows, even bears some fruit. But those thorns! They keep getting in the way. They keep choking out great potential for the plant. God’s message makes it from ears to head to heart to impacting the kingdom in Christ-honoring, meaningful ways.

But the person is distracted by the pursuit of wealth. They busy themselves always acquiring more. What might be possible without these thorns that hold them back? God knows.

But the fourth person? This one is different. They are like a seed that falls on good soil. No rocks or thorns get in the way. The seed germinates, builds deep roots. Here there are optimal conditions, enough sun, sufficient rain, just the right nutrients to thrive. They blossom. God’s message makes it from ears to head to heart to impact. They live out God’s call for them on the regular. They grow and grow and grow. They are a bumper crop for Christ, a bountiful yield that keeps multiplying their impact in incredible, God honoring ways.

And it all begins, for this person, by being planted in good soil.

Jesus concludes the parable by saying, “Let anyone with ears listen!” The takeaway is clear. God wants us to –

Listen: move the message from ears to head.
Understand: move it from head to heart.
Blossom: act on our beliefs.
Produce: do it again, and again, and again.

Today
This good Iowan soil extends far beyond what we use in our gardens and farms.

In many ways we Iowans follow the greatest commandment well. At our best we love our neighbor in some pretty amazing ways.

– Our public school graduation rate is 94%, one of the highest in the US.
– We were one of the first states to legalize same gender marriage, years before others.
– We have a long history of resettling refugees, from Vietnam to Ukraine and beyond. Iowa governor Robert Ray, who advocated for resettling refugees in the 1970s, quoted the Golden Rule to explain why we should extend help. Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you. Now that’s a leader.

With all of this we Iowans love our –
– Neighbors with children, empowering them to learn.
– Neighbors who are gay, helping them to marry who they love.
– New neighbors from other lands, welcoming them with arms wide open.

In Christ-honoring ways this is what good soil looks like. We can be proud of that.

And yet sometimes rocks and thorns pop up that get in the way.

– In March our state government limited transgender rights, including banning them from entering public school bathrooms that correspond with their gender identities.
– In May, our state government instituted a book ban, limiting what our children in public schools can read, learn about, seek to understand.
– And two days ago, on Friday July 14, Iowan women largely lost safe access to a medical procedure they had a legal right to for fifty years. What on earth is going on?

Despite all this our call as people of faith is the same. We are called to love our –

– Neighbors who are children,
– Neighbors who are teachers,
– Neighbors who are transgender,
– Neighbors who are parents,
– Neighbors who are women.
– Neighbors, period.

This is Christ’s greatest command.

We have good Iowan soil. Our roots here run deep. Even with these recent challenges we have much here to celebrate. But when it comes to love of neighbor, I need to be honest with you. We as a state are falling short. As a people of faith we need to get back to it.

We are called to more than hearing.
We are called to more than belief.

We are called to act. To actually go out and love our neighbor. We are called to help our neighbor thrive. Not to limit them in ways that cause harm.

That is the call.
That’s what the good soil is.
And we have that here at St. John’s.

We are called to blossom where we’ve been planted.
Caring for all our neighbors. Without exception.
Until God’s work is done.  Amen.