Party Pack Jesus

On God's extravagant generosity and joy.

This sermon was preached on July 12, 2025 at St. Brendan’s Episcopal Church. The readings for the morning can be found here.

A few years ago I found myself hosting some friends unexpectedly for New Year’s Eve. They had floated the idea of visiting at the end of the year and I didn’t think they were serious until they appeared on my doorstep. I will admit, we are not big New Year’s Eve people in my house. But with guests I felt the need to celebrate a little more than usual so while I was at Costco, I picked up the New Years Eve party pack.

The party pack was created in anticipation of a much larger party than I was about to entertain. It came with 10 party hats, 10 necklaces, confetti poppers and several confetti canons.

This was far more party supplies than four adults needed. The night of New Year’s Eve my friend insisted we use ALL of the confetti. It was… a lot of confetti.

A lot of confetti.

I was reminded of this confetti this past week because despite our very fancy vacuum, a small glimmer caught my eye as I was cleaning the living room. Upon closer inspection it was a tiny piece of 2024 New Year’s Eve confetti! I could not believe it, this tiny reminder of our joyful celebration.

Looking back, I realize that ridiculous Costco party pack has become one of the best images I have for today’s Gospel. Because Jesus tells a parable that is every bit as extravagant.

Jesus often teaches in parables. Parables are stories that invite curiosity and wonder. They challenge our assumptions and expectations. We often think a story is going to go one way, and then Jesus flips it upside down in one of his parables. They challenge our sense of tradition, power and class. They often make us uncomfortable because they attempt to loosen our grip on our beliefs.

Jesus is on a boat by the shore, and tells us this parable. A sower went out to sow and some of the seeds fell on the path, only to be eaten by the birds. Others were on the rocky ground, where there was no space for their roots and they died. Some seeds fell among the thorns and were choked out. And finally, some seeds fell on the good soil and led to a bountiful harvest.

If you have spent any time with this parable, perhaps you have been invited to focus on the soil and to focus on cultivating yourself as a faithful follower of Christ. I don’t want to be inhospitable to Jesus, I want to be the “good” soil!” This anxiety can leave us wondering if our faith is good enough. Do we know the Bible well enough? Are we praying hard enough? I don’t think that we are wrong to consider the soil in this passage, and Jesus certainly speaks to it in his own interpretation, but remember what this parable is called. It is the parable of the “sower.”

Jesus tells us a parable about a sower who has so much seed that he doesn’t care where he throws it. His hands overflow as he tosses the seeds all over the place, making no note of where they fall. This is a generous and extravagant sower! This is a message about the kingdom of God, a place where there is enough to go around. This is a story about JOY! Before we ever learn how to be good soil, we discover that we are loved by a God who never stops sowing. God delights in being generous!

I taught Sunday School for many years and one of the lessons on The Parable of the Sower invites children to wonder about the story. Some of their reflection questions unlocked this passage for me when they ask, “I wonder if the person was happy when the birds came and ate the seeds?” and “I wonder if the birds were happy when they saw the sower?” These questions help offer me a new perspective.

If only we focus on the soil, we miss some of this parable’s message. The birds were probably thrilled to find all of these seeds! They flapped their wings as they picked up the seeds in their beaks. The sower didn’t suddenly become stingy with the seed when he noticed the birds eating it. I imagine the sower laughed in delight to see the birds eating the seeds, he was happy about this!

I am captivated by the joy of the sower, and seek to follow his example in my own life. So often I approach situations with tight fists, carefully calculating how, when and where to share. I wonder who deserves my forgiveness, I worry there will not be enough time, I hold back. But Jesus invites us to loosen our grip and throw the seeds of justice, love, and mercy all over. Even places where it might seem foolish.

The thing about the confetti is that it is extravagant, over the top. And it keeps showing up in places I least expect it, in ways I could not have imagined. It does not fit my plan. It is more work than maybe I would like. It gets all over the place. But it is joyful.

Back in Genesis God creates us and says we are very good. From the beginning of time God has loved us and wanted the best for us. The extravagance of the sower reminds us that we serve a loving God who delights in our joy.

So perhaps this week we can live a little more like the sower. Scattering encouragement freely. Scattering forgiveness generously. Scattering kindness where it seems unlikely to grow. Trust that God has already scattered grace over your own life in just the same way. Don’t be surprised if, like that tiny piece of confetti, signs of God’s joy keep showing up long after you thought the moment had passed. Amen.