Sacred Rhythms (Rhythms of Health)Matthew 13:1-9 (ESV)The Parable of the Sower13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, [a] let him hear.”Matthew 13:18-23 (ESV)The Parable of the Sower Explained18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.[stumbles] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”In this week's Gospel, Jesus employs one of the most famous allegories ever used. The Parable of the Sower. This parable tends to be turned into the Parable of the Soil... not just the Sower. Being aware of where we sow seed... & understanding that we have life (seed) to spread into the world. Seed represents life. Healthy patterns of living will enhance our world little by little. Our art, craft, and voice, when properly calibrated, will yield fruit and harvest on many levels; In some ways we can see and others, we cannot. In a wonderful phrase from the section of Psalm 119 from this Sunday says ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’... beautifully capturing one way in which faith can navigate us.... But it applies only if casualness, complacency, distractions, or worries & anxieties have not prevented the 'seed' of God’s word & truth from taking root in us. If it can be properly rooted and regularly nourished, there is hope for life of a quite different rhythm.As Paul says in this week’s reading from Romans “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.” Our task is to make our worship and liturgy the healthy avenue to be the Spirit's dwelling place.
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