Thursday 3, September 2026

After the summer we experienced here in Europe, we are very familiar with intolerable heat. The impact on agriculture was noticeable, although we haven’t yet fully experienced the extent of the damage. We can anticipate food scarcity for some crops and reduced quality for others. It is likely that some farmers are grieving the economic fallout caused by the extreme heat. Speaking of farmers and heat … consider Today’s Holy Nougat

Mark 4:5-6 NIV

[5] Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. [6] But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

The Sower’s Dilemma 2

Had we not known that a parable is a metaphorical story, we would wonder whether the farmer knew anything about farming. His methodology isn’t aimed at making profit. Every good modern farmer knows that it’s wise to invest in greenhouses to preserve the crops. Greenhouses can control the amount of sunlight a seedling gets. The farmer in the parable did nothing such. He simply scattered seed. Maybe that was his instruction: scatter seeds. If it was, he completed the task admirably – to the seedlings’ detriment.

Point to Ponder

Can we see merit in the sower’s actions? What could the sower do differently to protect the seedlings?

Digging Deeper

Again, we note that the sower sowed seed, but needed others to assist with the work in the vineyard. What if God has commissioned us to be the workers in the vineyard? God shares the Word with everyone without prejudice. Yet some of us, having seen the ‘scattered seed’, fail to put measures in place to protect the future crop. We simply expect God to add increase.

We ought to trust God for increase. Yet, inasmuch as seedlings need protection from the elements, so do young believers. This is approved by God. God sent Philip to an Ethiopian eunuch on the hazardous Gaza road for that very purpose (see Acts . There in the heat of the day, Philip offered God’s greenhouse to shelter and protect the inquiring seedling. It is believed that very same eunuch was instrumental in taking the Gospel to first-century Africa.

Presently, Google AI estimates the attrition rate among new church members in the first two years is at 25-50%, and 40-70% among youth during their late high school/college years. Google AI, also citing findings from nickblevins.com, states that about 71% of early [church] dropouts drift due to changing life habits, lack of deep community integration, or unaddressed personal doubts. The dropouts are our sun-scorched seedlings. We have an obligation to protect them.

This is not a call for a watered-down, diluted Gospel. But we note that Y’shua kept the message relevant and contextual to His audience. We ought to do likewise. When I couldn’t grasp earth geometry in high school, my teacher used an orange to explain the hemispheres and a world map to help me see the necessary calculations. He didn’t dilute the science of earth geometry; he made it accessible for this seedling.

Like Philip, we are called to make a difference wherever God sends us. We must ensure that the seedlings placed in our section of God’s vineyard can flourish. That requires intentionality on our part. Thus, our protective action as a greenhouse can include post-baptismal follow-up. Many good programmes are available globally. Two that readily come to mind are the Alpha course and the Kerygma series. These are intentionally written for journeying with new converts.

Let’s make the necessary investment by determining the cause of the problem and putting measures in place. God desires no less from us

Self-Check

God’s vineyard is vast, and the labourers are few. Are we God’s chosen commissioned workers who will ensure the seedlings’ safety?

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May all we seek be found in Christ