Sower of Seeds -July 21

Today’s Readings - AM Psalm 41, 52; 1 Samuel 24:1-22; Acts 13:44-52; Mark 4:1-20

Yesterday was my day to preach. I never take for granted that my message will hit home with anyone. The preacher does his or her best to find a way of making the scriptures from that Sunday relevant, include as much teaching as they think they can get away with and all the while hoping that someone, anyone will somehow hear something that draws them closer to God. The reality is, that you never know whether your efforts will resonate with someone or not.

Every summer part of our front yard becomes one huge patch of brown-eyed Susans. They began several years ago as one or two plants and every spring they reemerge, having multiplied into more and more. This past Spring I divided them, moving several big clumps to the backyard. I planted some in shallow spaces between rocks, careful to try to add as much soil as I could so they’d have a place for their roots to take hold. To my delight they’ve all taken root and already have begun to spread.

Being present to those around us can be a bit like that. We try to say those words that are thoughtful, helpful and perhaps, meaningful but we’re not always successful. I said something this past week that I didn’t think through, that wasn’t thoughtful or patient and wished afterwards I’d been more careful. I’d hate to know how often I put words out there, without thinking them through. Thanks be to God for the grace I’ve been shown.

Building the Kingdom has a lot to do with being thoughtful and kind with our words, and spreading the truth of the Gospel, as best as we can understand it. Unfortunately, we probably rarely hit the mark. Jesus knew this would be the case. His parable of the Sower creates a wonderful visual of how difficult this can be. Some seeds take root, some thrive and are fruitful, spreading more seeds. Some don’t. I wish there was a formula for getting it right, but there’s not. However, we can look to Jesus as an example of patience, of perseverance and of compassion and good will.

As a gardener I know some soil is better than others, some plants thrive, and others don’t and sometimes no matter how hard we try even our best efforts don’t take root. I have also learned that the efforts that are fruitful, those rare moments when we do hit the mark, are God’s way of saying don’t ever give up, keep spreading the seeds, don’t ever give up sharing the word.

Faithfully,

Sally+

Questions for Reflection –Who is someone who has planted “seeds” for you? How did they do it? What are some “seeds” that you might plant as you work to spread the Kingdom?