People Are Like Dirt

Scott McFarland
03/01/20 - Sun AM Worship

Scripture Reading: Mark 4:1-9

People Are Like Dirt

My dad worked for the county health department when I was growing up, testing people’s wells and issuing permits for drilling new wells for houses.  I always remember him talking about the different kinds of soil in Carroll County, Maryland, the county I grew up in. Some of it was what he called, “hard pan,” meaning it didn’t drain very well.  This caused problems for well drilling at times, depending on the location they were trying to put the well. It caused issues for septic systems too. Every new septic system was required to undergo a “perc test” before it could be installed.  This test measured the amount of water the soil could absorb in a certain amount of time. If the soil had a lot of hardpan, it would usually fail a percolation test and a new location for the septic system would need to be found in better draining soil.

So what do wells, septic systems and dirt have to do with today’s sermon?  People are like dirt. There are different kinds of people, just like there are different kinds of dirt.  Your approach with one person won’t work with everyone. If you’ve ever tried to work with a group of people of any kind, you know that often you need to switch approaches depending on the individuals in the group.  Just like my dad would often had to find a different location for the well or septic system of a new house depending on the type of soil available, we often need to find different approaches for working with people in life.  This morning, we’ll talk about one particular aspect of working with people: sharing the good news of Jesus with them. How does Jesus talk about sharing the gospel with different kinds of people? Let’s talk about it!

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