This week we hear in Matthew Jesus’ parable of the sower, in which a farmer scatters seed on rocky ground, thorns, and good soil. The seed in good soil comes up and bears fruit, while the others are eaten, scorched, or choked out. What strikes me about this parable, which Jesus explains is about those who hear the word of God, is how haphazard the farmer is. Surely any decent farmer would know where to plant seed to give it a shot at surviving, much less thriving. What could this parable tell us, not about us as soil, but about God?
Perhaps God is less planful and more playful than we might first assume. Perhaps there is abundance in how God casts the Gospel into the fields — trusting that somehow and somewhere it will grow. Perhaps God is delighted to see what comes up in the cracks of sidewalks and casts seed there just to find out. Perhaps God is less like a watchful farmer and more like the birds and insects, whose quiet yet consistent seed-spreading and plant-pollinating keep our habitats in balance.
Where do you see abundance in your midst today?
With you on the journey,
Liesl
Three Holy Days
In our tradition, we make space on Maundy Thursday to remember central parts of our faith story. We hear about the...
