May 18 2020 Matthew 13:1-16

A sower went out to sow.

Today’s appointed reading from the Gospels is Jesus’ parable about the man planting seeds. Some seeds land on rocky soil, some fell where a bird promptly ate the seeds, other seeds met unfortunate demise, and some lucky seeds sprouted, rooted, and grew undisturbed to result in a harvest. 

This is a poignant story for me this year. After two summers in a gardenless apartment, I have a yard. It’s not a large yard, more like a city lot. But it’s green, and the previous owners clearly were gardeners. And for the preceding five summers, we lived on an acreage that produced great food crops, and had immense pink and purple rhododendrons that were nearly 20’ tall. I was not as engaged in that garden, as it felt too large; my efforts to plant, or weed, or prune, or tend seemed wasted, or at least out of scale to the need. 

So this year, I have a tidy, small city-lot garden. And this year, I have lots of time to plant, weed, prune and tend. I’ve bought a weeder, so I can go out and contemplatively weed. And I can see a difference, because the yard is tiny. I have new pruners, and I’ve been carefully taking off the old blooms of the iris, and deadheading the rhodies. It’s not a chore. It’s a brief respite outside. I’ve spent lots of time watching things grow, day by day. I’m home during the day, where I haven’t been – ever, or at least not since summer breaks in school days. I am feeling sentimental about things that grow. Or maybe just closer to them this year. And I like it. 

I, too, have planted things that have been ravaged by birds, or more likely squirrels. Things that have been burnt out  by sun, or choked out by weeds. When something takes root and thrives, it is truly a wonder-full thing. We’ve planted some beans and they’re unfurling their crumpled first leaves in little rows. It’s a little, persistent, magical miracle. 

If I can be this awed by Kentucky Blue beans, how much more should we be awed by God’s gift of faith. Yes, sometimes, my efforts at faith feel like the ill-sown seeds. But when it roots and grows, my faith is like a little, persistent, magical miracle. 

This morning, I’m thinking about all of the green and growing things around me. About what a miracle it is that seeds germinate, and the spectacular colors of the flowers around me. In these days when I’m home and can literally see things grow, I’d like to be reminded of Jesus’ parable about the sower. When I’m out tending, and watering, and pruning, I want to be as amazed at God’s grace and gift of faith.

There’s a lot to learn from the growing world around us. I want to pay attention to what they have to teach us about persistence, grace, and faith.