Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the 6th Sunday after Trinity. Our Church Service this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11 am at St Thomas'.
If you're unable to be with us in person, you can find the Gospel reading, a reflection, and prayers below.
Our first hymn this morning is "Brother, Sister, Let Me Serve You"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 13:1-9. 18-23 The Parable of the Sower
Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”
“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Reflection
On the face of it, there is not much explanation needed about this parable as Jesus has already explained the meaning in verses 18-23.
In the parable Jesus is not comparing us to the seed, but rather the soil. It is the soil where the seed lands that is likely to determine whether seed grows, thrives and bear new seed or fruit.
For the soil to be in the best condition it has to be cultivated and nurtured over many years. In nature this will happen by years of plants growing and dying to replenish the soil or by leaves falling and decomposing to feed the ground. This is then worked over by all worms and bugs to produce rich fertile land ready to nourish the seeds of new plants. Alternatively, the soil can be tended by farmers or gardeners who work the soil and add the required nutrients to sustain life or repair the damage caused by erosion.
But even with good soil we need to ensure that constant care is taken to ensure that the land does not quickly become overgrown with weeds which will use up the goodness in the soil or shade the plants we want from the light. This is probably our biggest challenge as Christians. If we are to grow in faith and discipleship, we need to ensure that we too get our share of the goodness of God’s word and are not shaded from the light of Christ.
A healthy plant will spread its roots far and wide seeking more nourishment to grow otherwise it will remain at best, a spindly and weak specimen.
So the question is, how much effort do we put into allowing God to spread out roots within us. If we picture God as the gardener wanting to nourish our spirits, how much of our time are we willing to allow to absorb His goodness?
Of course we have to go out to work to earn a living and look after the kids. We have to do the chores of cleaning and cooking and the other mundane things that go with day to day living. But what about the rest of the time? Have our lives become choked with things that don’t help us grow as Christians?
What proportion of our free time do we spend doing things which add little value to our spiritual lives? Be that watching TV, Instagram, facebook or whatever? Is the light of Christ being shaded too much by other distractions and are we letting our spiritual needs wither because we forget to feed and water ourselves with the Holy Spirit?
But here is the good news……
Here is a picture of a tree that I can see from my window. It’s an old mill chimney in Austerlands and I suspect it should qualify as the biggest plant pot in the world!
It’s been there as long as I can remember and has continued to grow and mature, despite being in a desolate and windswept environment with all the odds against it. I often wonder just how deep the roots must go for it to survive, maybe right to the bottom of the chimney or even below.
This tenacious and determined tree reminds me that God’s kingdom will continue to find a way to thrive no matter how hard conditions are. For with the power of God, even barren soil can be transformed in fertile ground.
Despite how much we may have neglected the soil of our spirit, God is waiting to replenish and tend us with the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we can let His word flourish and bear fruit in each of us. Paul
Our Prayers
Holy Father,
Forgive us when we pack our lives with so much
That we let your presence and good news blow away unnoticed.
Forgive us when we are so self-centred
and consumed with the worries of daily life,
that we fail to let the seeds of new hope take root within us.
God of Love,
We pray for the patch of fertile ground that is each of us,
we need your help nurturing the good soil,
that we know we can be and we know you see in us,
so that we can grow your good news.
We pray that we will find time to be nourished by your Word.
