how does that happen?

He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.” He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” (Mark 4;26-32, NRSV)

Have you ever wondered how that little seed planted in the soil forms into the vegetable you eat?

I mean sure there is the nutrients in the soil that work with the water and the sun to make the plant grow and produce the fruit of the seed, yet that doesn’t explain how it happens…

Farmers plant seeds, and then rest. They sleep and let nature take its course. Sure they do their work, and water and fertilize, but there are things they just have to trust and know they don’t know about the process.

That is how the kingdom of God is, as if someone scattered seed and then it just sprouted! That is you the seed scatterer and it sprouts with out your help!

You just spread the seed of the kingdom by living a kingdom life in this world that needs the influx of God, and by being who God created you to be, you are spreading the seed of the kingdom and allowing God to work in and through this place and this time!

So keep spreading His love and mercy by being His hands and feet in this world!

Parent to child

If you follow my statutes and keep my commandments and observe them faithfully, I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall overtake the vintage, and the vintage shall overtake the sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full, and live securely in your land. And I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and no one shall make you afraid; I will remove dangerous animals from the land, and no sword shall go through your land. You shall give chase to your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. Five of you shall give chase to a hundred, and a hundred of you shall give chase to ten thousand; your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. I will look with favor upon you and make you fruitful and multiply you; and I will maintain my covenant with you. You shall eat old grain long stored, and you shall have to clear out the old to make way for the new. I will place my dwelling in your midst, and I shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people. I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be their slaves no more; I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect. But if you will not obey me, and do not observe all these commandments, if you spurn my statutes, and abhor my ordinances, so that you will not observe all my commandments, and you break my covenant, I in turn will do this to you: I will bring terror on you; consumption and fever that waste the eyes and cause life to pine away. You shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down by your enemies; your foes shall rule over you, and you shall flee though no one pursues you. And if in spite of this you will not obey me, I will continue to punish you sevenfold for your sins. I will break your proud glory, and I will make your sky like iron and your earth like copper. Your strength shall be spent to no purpose: your land shall not yield its produce, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit. (leviticus 26:3-20, NRSV)

You can almost hear the parental voice coming out here…

If you follow the rules then all will be good, but if you don’t it will not be good for you…

I was raised in a home that was that way. You feared the spanking for not following the rules. You feared the punishment that would come if you stepped out of line, sothe house line was walked…

And yes this is God speaking to us through His word. But much like most of us as parents want our children to fear us, we also want that fear to not be the dominate fealing they have for us.

Fear is a good motivator, but love more often than not gets us much further. So God is speaking to you, just like you would or will or could speak to your child, as one that wants their offspring to live within the guidelines they have set for their lives, know that if they can do that their lives will be good.

So do not fear God, but follow where He is leading knowing it will be better for all of us in the long run!

extravagant risk

That same day 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.” (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23, NRSV)

How many of us hear this and go, “Yes I know I need to allow God to work in my life to allow His word to better take root in me…”

We hear this parable and think we know what it is about. Yet do we?

We think it is all about soil. And we sing on this day, “Lord let my heart be good soil.” Allow my life to be a good place for your word to take root.

But I think we miss the point of the parable by saying it is about soil. Now don’t get me wrong, soil has a lot to do with it. But the first line of a story usually has impact on the meaning of the story…

Like ATale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.” This tells us about the story.

Or the story of the prodigal son from Luke 15, the first line of this parable of Jesus is, “There was a man who had two sons…” The story is about the father, not the sons. If it were about the younger son, Jesus would have started the parable, “There was a man who had an older brother and his father…”

So how does our parable for today start, “There were different types of soil…” No that is not how it starts.

The parable starts, “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed…” There was a sower who sowed.

You see the story here is about the risk taking of the sower who extravagantly throws seed everywhere. Wasteful some would say. Yet all of the seed thrown by the sower did something. The first fed the birds, the next broke up rocks, the third fed the vines/thorns and the last produced the fruit of the seed. All of it had impact on the world. And isn’t that just like grace?

I mean God risked giving His grace to you. Shouldn’t He be as extravagant with all of creation?

So be willing to cast His seed far and wide, because that is what God would do, and He needs you to go and do likewise!

confidence

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken. How long will you assail a person, will you batter your victim, all of you, as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence? Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence. They take pleasure in falsehood; they bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them. Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work. (Psalm 62, NRSV)

Have you ever been faced with oppression of power?

Controlled by someone with wealth or power?

The Israelites would sing this psalm to foster their confidence in God as they were faced with oppression from those with wealth or power. They could despair in their situation or follow after the power or wealth. None of these choices are the right choice though. We should always have confidence in God who has promised to always be with us.

Just as the little kitty looks in the mirror and sees a valent lion, God sees us as warriors able to do complete the battle, because He is always with us, and despair, nor powers, nor wealth can take His place. They will only fool us into a state of hope, when the only true hope comes from God.

strive

He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. (Luke 12:22-31, NRSV)

How many of you can add an hour to your life by worrying?

I do not know of any one who is truly productive when they are worried. They are focused on somethign that is consuming them and they can not completely give them selves to somethign or someone else.

We get caught up in worring about our clothes, our looks, the food we will eat, the little details of our lives…

God will provide all we need and more, if we will stay focused on Him and what He is calling us to do. Strive for the kingdom, keep working to Him and trying to follow and stay focused on Him, and everything else will just fall into place.

tomorrow

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:25-34, NRSV)

We worry about a lot of things and by doing that what does it help?

It doesn’t make the thing go away, it usually fixs our attention on something we can’t change.

Jesus tells the disciples and us here, not to worry about the liitle things like clothing or food, as they will be provided.

And do not worry about the future becuase it isn’t here yet, and the past is already gone, focus on the here and now, because it is truly a gift. That is why it is called the present!

One of my favorite songs is by a man named Steven Courtney. It is called Tomorrow Today will be Yesterday. The just of the song is that we need to look at today because like Jesus said Tomorrow isn’t here and yesterday is gone. And the end of the song is yesterday today was tomorrow, which means what Jesus said, tomorrow will bring it’s own worries, so focus on the here and now and give God and those around you all your attention!

refreshed

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Once more they shall use these words in the land of Judah and in its towns when I restore their fortunes: “The LORD bless you, O abode of righteousness, O holy hill!” And Judah and all its towns shall live there together, and the farmers and those who wander with their flocks. I will satisfy the weary, and all who are faint I will replenish. Thereupon I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me. (Isaiah 31:23-26, NRSV)

Have you ever woken up feeling completely refreshed?

The sleep you just had was complete and rested your body wholy?

You actually woke up without an alarm and did not need to run and grab a cup of coffee. (OK no morning is actually complete without a cup of coffee, but you know what I am saying!)

Here we hear about Israel’s refreshing sleep. We hear how the Lord blesses his habitation and him.

We see in this the refreshment we can have in the Lord if we but trust Him and rest in His control.

God has promised that He will give us rest and refresh us. All we need to do is trust Him!

rest

At that time, says the LORD, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus says the LORD: The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall take your tambourines, and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy the fruit. For there shall be a day when sentinels will call in the hill country of Ephraim: “Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.” (Isaiah 31:1-6, NRSV)

Do you feel like you have to be doing something in order that the kingdom of God will come?

We feel like in order to be serving God we have to go go go and never stop or rest.

But did you see it in the reading, when Israel sought rest…

Israel the man sought rest, or Israel the country sought rest, and The Lord appeared, and gave him rest!

God loves us with an everlasting love, and so will always be looking out for our best. Sometimes that means He will give us rest, and if we don’t take it, it will be given in a way we won’t refuse, or maybe can’t refuse.

Working in God’s kingdom could be like being physically fit. If you are constantly moving and working out, you will not build muscle or endurance, you will actually wear yourself out and make yourself sick. Youhave to rest and allow your body to heal, so it can grow and develop. That is what God does for us by giving us rest, He allows us to heal and develop into who He created us to be.

Plus God rested after He created everything, so If He rested, why do we think we have to go go go? Just rest in Him!