In today’s Gospel selection for the Daily Prayer of the Church we hear the familiar story of the sower and the seed from Luke’s Gospel. My guess is that at different points in our lives, you and I are rocky soil, sometimes we’re thorns and at other times, we are good soil. No matter what our soil condition is, God generously plants and replants over and over again:
Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them* out of their resources.
When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: ‘A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.’ As he said this, he called out, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’
Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that “looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand.”
‘Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away. As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance. (Lk. 8:1-15).
God was very patient with Israel. No matter how many times they messed us, and they did because they had ears but did not listen, God was always there to bring them back. In Jesus, God himself finally became one of us and one with us to plant the seed of reconciliation. For some of us, it takes a little time for that seed to take root. Today, be thankful that God is patient with each one of us so that we can bear fruit with patient endurance.
Let us pray: Gracious God we thank you for your patience with us as we blunder through life at times. We thank you for your Son, Jesus, who gave his very life so that we might live. Send your Holy Spirit to open our ears to your word so that we may let it grow and bear fruit in our lives. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
The 6th Annual Art Show, “Let There Be Light,” continues this week ending this weekend. Please be there for this event which reaches out to the community.
Blessing of the Animals for the Feast of St. Francis will be Saturday the 11th of October at 10 AM on the front lawn by the cross.
We will continue with our Adult Christian Education series, Islam in Focus, on Sunday, 12 October at 11 AM.
Trick-or-treat at St. Augustine. Please bring candy for our annual trick-or-treat for the neighborhood on All Hallows Eve (Halloween) on 31 October 2014.
Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Matt, the Putmans’ nephew and Godson.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
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