Today’s readings are all about sowing or planting. Sowing is not something all of us are familiar with in our urban environments. In fact, even planting one seed in a small pot can be stressful for some. How deep? How much water? How long until there is a plant? How do I keep it alive? To the people of the Bible, sowing was much more familiar.
Isaiah (55:10-13) relates his prophetic word to the sowing
of seed which leads to making bread. The word of God shall not return to me
empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing
for which I sent it.
The Epistle to the Romans (8:1-11) does not specifically
speak about sowing and planting, instead speaking about life and death
depending on whether we choose God or not. When we plant ourselves in God we discover,
those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the
Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the
Spirit is life and peace
Jesus speaks directly to the process of sowing and
harvesting in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew13:1-19, 18-23). He talks about
a farmer who tosses his seed widely. Jesus says, 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!”
Like the word of God in Isaiah, some of the seed is fruitful
and some is lost to birds and weeds. By keeping our mind on things of the
Spirit as advised in Romans, we are more likely to be the fruitful grain
bearing a hundredfold what was planted.
The Psalm gives us a beautiful image of God who supplies the
water needed for fields to grow. God will water it abundantly; you make it
very plenteous; the river of God is full of water. You prepare the grain. The
Psalmist ends by proclaiming, in the words of the International Children’s
Version The desert is covered with grass. The hills are covered with happiness.
The pastures are full of sheep. The valleys are covered with grain. Everything shouts
and sings for joy. It is a joyous hymn of praise to God who provides as
needed, giving a good harvest.
This image from our recent British Island cruise is, in fact, a lovely green pasture full of sheep--the very image of what the Psalmist is talking about.
The Psalmist is talking about real crops. We also produce a crop, as Jesus alludes to in the Parable. We might ask ourselves, What sort of field am I? What crop am I producing? Where is God watering my soil so that I can produce more fruitfully?
For a meditation on how our words are like seed, read this post by Debra Asis: The Seed of God is in Us: Do we choose to let it grow? | by Debra Asis | Jul, 2023 | Medium
This year so many in the US are struggling with oppressive
heat, while others are overwhelmed by floods. In the heat of the summer, many
areas are praying for the rain so that the hills and valleys can produce
abundantly. Other places are overwhelmed by too much water from storms and
floods and mourning lost crops. Let us pray for those dramatically affected by
weather on both ends of the spectrum and for the crops planted.
|
Psalm 65:9-14 (Book of Common Prayer) |
You take care
of the land and water it. You make it very fertile. The rivers of God are full
of water.
(International Children’s Bible) |
