Dear friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Weeds are every gardener’s natural enemy. Comedian Doug Larson once said, “A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows.”  In fact, there is a basic gardening rule that one should honor: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it.  If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. Now, if you think gardening is all about planting pretty shrubs and flowers, I have some depressing news. Gardening is really about pulling weeds. How much time do you think the average gardener spends planting? And then how much time do you think they spend pulling, spraying, and cursing weeds?  I rest my case.

So it should be no surprise, that Jesus himself after telling the colorful and wistful story of the reckless sower casting precious seeds unto the wind, would turn to the sower’s natural enemy.  Weeds are every farmer’s enemy- except in the 17^th century New England, where the natural enemy was simply the lack of land.

In 1630, English Puritans settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and after initially struggling to survive, the settlers successfully established small farms. This forced the Puritans to look further afield for new land with more room, and more fertile soil. The territory west in Connecticut was inviting, but it was thought to be too dangerous, due to the threat of the Pequot Indians and the conflicting territorial claim with the Dutch who had already established a trading post on the Connecticut River.  This didn’t deter Thomas Hooker the founder of Connecticut.

Thomas Hooker was a powerful and popular preacher in his native England. While a student at Cambridge, he underwent a profound religious experience experienced both the wrath and love of God which focused his Puritan ideals.  He served first in a small village church just outside London and later in the large market town of Chelmsford. A neighboring vicar denounced him to William Laud, the Bishop of London and an ardent opponent of Puritanism. Although ordered to abandon his Puritan practices and beliefs, Hooker resigned his position in Chelmsford and took a job as schoolmaster. This did not end the threat of prosecution, and he eventually fled to Holland where there was already a large community of Puritans living in exile. Finally, in 1633, Hooker decided to emigrate to America, along with another prominent Puritan minister, John Cotton. Cotton would soon become the leading pastor in Boston, while Hooker would become the pastor of the newly founded community across the Charles River in Newton, a village which would be renamed Cambridge.

Similar to the servant in Jesus’ parable, the two theologians looked on the presence of the weeds amidst the wheat differently. Cotton took his role as an orthodox Puritan leader seriously disciplining  those who differed in belief and practice by declaring their thoughts heretical and exiling them from the Colony. This included such highly regarded leaders as Roger Williams of Rhode Island and Anne Hutchinson, and the leaders of New Hampshire who were once Cotton’s admirers.

Hooker took the more tolerant position\. In June 1636, less than three years after he arrived in Boston, he and one hundred members of his congregation, seeking better land and an escape from rigid Puritan orthodoxy, set off on the two-week overland journey, accompanied by 160 head of cattle, goats, and pigs. They followed a Native American trail west to the Connecticut River and then south to the future site of Hartford. Along the way, they were surprised to encounter small clusters of English settlements in the Connecticut Valley.

These river settlements were first governed by the Massachusetts Bay General Court. But in 1638 Hooker preached a sermon on the text, in which he argued that “the foundation of authority is laid, firstly, in the free consent of the people,” underscoring that the citizenry should not only choose their leaders but also limit their power. This sermon served as inspiration for the 1639 Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, the first constitution written by and for a colony in English America. Voting rights were not defined by Puritan Church members in good standing. They were defined by land ownership. However, all citizens had to pay taxes to the newly established Congregational Church, regardless of their religious beliefs. Surprisingly, the Congregational Church would remain the established state church of Connecticut until 1818, nearly two decades after the First Amendment to the United States Constitution banned Congress from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.”   As the founder of Connecticut, Thomas Hooker understood that you have to accept differences in community, even within the same faith tradition.

Of course, Jesus’ parable about the weeds among the wheat isn’t really about farming. It’s about life.  A good life, Jesus teaches us, begins with good seed, wonderful dreams and hopes, and some thoughtful planting.  With prayer, and the right balance of sunshine and rain, and a bit of healthy soil, the seed germinates and life begins to take off. Unfortunately, there are times when we may feel the challenges and hurdles around us, like the weeds, are preventing us from experiencing God’s good growth and abundant harvest.

Over the centuries theologians and preachers have offered different words of pastoral advice drawn from this passage. This morning, I would like to offer three simple thoughts.  First, Be vigilant and prepared; Second, Be cautious and careful, and Third, Be patient and ready.

The early Church Father, St. Chrysostom instructed his generation to be vigilant and watchful. I think it is important word of preparedness. He noted in Jesus’ parable that the enemy came to sow the weeds into the field when the farmer’s household was asleep.  No farmer can ever truly “kick back,” and let whatever happen in their field-happen. They must always keep a watchful, vigilant eye.  The same is true for you and your life.  You need to be prepared and vigilant in the lives of your children; you need to be aware of the health concerns of your parents, and you need to be aware of the visits of midnight strangers to your home.  Or perhaps, your own midnight visits to the other’s homes.  There are temptations in this world, and the evil one is always lingering not so far away.  In the early stages, we can’t recognize the good wheat from the weeds.  The same is true of the troubles in life.  It’s only afterward, when the grain appears, that we can recognize the problem.  And then, often, we can’t do anything to change the situation. My friends, be vigilant and prepared.

Second, the parable warns us to be cautious and careful.   Do not try to weed out the problems  from the community on your own- especially if it involves people.  God alone knows what is underneath the sheen and shine of your life and those around you.  Your actions, though well intentioned, may do greater harm than good.  This is especially true when you find yourselves with weeds that have thorns. You have to move slowly, otherwise you will inflict damage on yourself as well.  But ultimately, you must trust that devil’s promises are empty and will simply be gathered into bundles and burned on the last day.  Instead, let all who are gathered experience the joy and promise of God’s word today.  Christ will triumph.

Finally, be patient and ready.  I don’t know what weeds have infested your field, or what sorrows have caused you grief.  I don’t know what enemy or illness has caused you sleepless nights and tears, but let me assure you, where God has sown good seed, he will bring about a bountiful harvest- one day, but you must work at patience.  Perhaps, the treatments simply aren’t having any effect yet.  The classes aren’t  helping you find a new job.  The interviews aren’t bringing any results. Perhaps you have to be more patient with your children, your parents, your spouse, your friend, or your co-worker.  Perhaps, you need more time for growth and encouragement, more love and support.  Or perhaps, you yourself need the word of forgiveness and strength.  Be patient and remember, where God has sown good seed, he will bring about a bountiful harvest.

In our the little space in Stillwater, we call our cabin,  there is a carved wooden sign with a scripture from the prophet Jeremiah.  In the moments when it seems that the enemy’s weeds are getting the best of our time and energy, and true growth will never be experienced, it is the word of God that offers hope and assurance.   The prophet Jeremiah writes, “For surely I know the plans I have made for you, says the Lord, planned for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”

Thomas Hooker understood the message of Jesus’ parable and guided him as he led his congregation to a new land in Connecticut. My friends, the weeds may still be numerous, but a glorious harvest is waiting.  Where God has sown his own good seed, he will bring about a bountiful harvest. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.