By Liz Lennox, SUSUMC Director of Communications
In a sermon delivered during the opening worship at the 2024 Susquehanna Annual Conference, Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball inspired the congregation with a message that not only reflected the Annual Conference scripture from Matthew 9:37, but also spoke to the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13:18-23.
She challenged the common interpretation of this parable, proposing a thought-provoking question: “What if this parable isn’t so much about the soil as it is about the seed and the sower?” She argued that solely focusing on ourselves as the soil and focusing on the condition of the soil can lead to many centering themselves, rather than God. She reminds that in the gospel of Luke, where this story can also be found, Jesus clarifies that the seed is the word of God.
“The seed is the good treasure that has been entrusted to us,” she said. “Why? Because the word of God is the only thing that has the power to change the human heart.”
Bishop Steiner Ball questioned whether excessive programs and activity can obscure the true purpose of the church. “It’s possible to mistake business for godliness, activity for spirituality,” she said. “The church should not be about programs but about ministry.” She underscored the necessity of a word-centered ministry, which alone can cultivate lasting growth and yield a meaningful harvest. She reminded the congregation that while preaching and programs are valuable tools, they are ineffectual without the core message of the Gospel.
The parable of the sower, as Bishop Steiner Ball emphasized greatly, teaches that the outcome of sowing cannot be predicted— some seeds will fall on rocky ground, others among thorns, and some on fertile land. The key is to sow indiscriminately, for the sower does not know in advance which seeds will flourish. This indiscriminate sowing mirrors the grace of God, who disperses his gifts without regard to the condition of the terrain.
Bishop Steiner Ball passionately called on all believers, not just clergy, to engage in this act of sowing. Every Christian, she asserted, has a role in spreading the Gospel—through words, actions, and by living out the faith authentically.
She drew a vivid picture of a sower who, despite the odds, continues to spread the seed, knowing that while not all will take root, some will thrive and produce abundantly. “We can’t know in advance where all will fall- so just sow. Just sow! Sow the good seeds of God’s word and trust God to bring life to the seed we cast!”
“Cultivate good soil wherever you discover the possibilities,” Bishop urged. “It’s easy for church leaders to be sidetracked into a thousand urgent things, keeping them from engaging in what matters. We’ve been disengaged and sidetracked and distracted for many years now.”
Acknowledging that while it seems like good soil is hard to find, she once again encouraged all to be the sower that pays little attention to the condition of the soil. “God is the sower,” she proclaimed. “We are made in God’s image and God is reckless with goodness. God tosses life giving word upon the fields of our lives, landing on saint and sinner alike, wildly sowing the seeds of the kingdom without an eye to the condition of the soil.”
Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball’s sermon serves as a powerful reminder of our potential and responsibility in responding to God’s call. It is a call to sow with generosity and faith, trusting in God to do the rest. She concluded her message with an optimistic entreaty, saying, “I hope and pray that you are sowing God’s word, the good treasure entrusted to us… sowing generously and extravagantly so we can indeed stand up proudly and show the world who we are.”
Hearkening back to the overall theme of this Annual Conference, she closed with the reminder that “The harvest begins with seed, and there will be a glorious, abundant, and extravagant harvest in God’s time, by God’s grace, and for God’s glory.”
View the Opening Celebration of Annual Conference 2024 here. (Sermon begins at 32:45)
