Thursday, February 20, 2014

2nd February Trinity 2009, No Simple Gift

2nd February Trinity

Luke 8:14-18

And as a great crowd had gathered, and ever more people streamed to him out of the cities, he spoke in a parable:
A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell on the path. It was trodden upon, and the birds of the sky (air) ate it up. Other seed fell upon the rocks, and as it sprouted, it (the sprouting green) withered, because it had no moisture. Still other seed fell under the thorns; the thorns grew with it and choked what came up. And some fell upon good soil, grew, and brought forth fruit a hundredfold. When he had said these things, he called out:
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
His disciples asked him what this parable might mean. And he said:
To you it has been given the gift of being able to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God; but to the others it is given in pictures and parables, for they see and do not yet see, and hear, although they do not yet understand with their thinking. The meaning of the parable is this:
The seed is the Word of God. That which fell upon the path are those who hear it; afterwards the tempter comes and tears the Word out of their hearts, so that they cannot find healing through the trusting power of faith working in them.
Those on the rock are those who, when they hear the Word, take it up with joy; but they remain without root. For a while the power of their faith works in them, but in times of trial they fall away.
What fell under the thorns are those who hear the Word from the spirit, and as they go on their way, the sorrows and the riches and the joys of life choke it, and they bring no fruit to maturity.
And the seed which fell in the good soil are those who hear the Word, and take it up into their hearts, feel its beauty, become noble and worthy and patiently keep it alive, tending it there until it brings forth fruit.
No one lights a light and hides it under a vessel or under a bench; instead he places it on a lamp stand so that all who come in see the light. For nothing is hidden which shall not be revealed, and nothing is secret which shall not be known and proclaimed.
So attend to how you listen. For he who has enlivened in himself the power to bear the spirit, to him more will be given. He however who does not have this power, from him will be taken that which he thinks he has.

2nd February Trinity
February 15, 2009
Luke 8: 14 – 18


In the garden we are approaching a time of year when a lot will need to be done: earth turned, tested, amended in preparation; seed chosen; watchful tending of sprouts, so that they will eventually flower, set seed, bear fruit. This is especially important for food crops, for fruit and grain are the whole point and purpose of a season’s work.

God and his angels worked long to prepare the earth for humanity. God has planted us on the earth. And on the fields of earth, in the midst of his crop of humanity, He planted one particularly magnificent, potent and fruitful seed—His Divine-Human Son. This Son ripened on earth, and has offered Himself as seed, as a potential voice, to every human heart.

His abiding voice is a gift to us from the Father. We don’t have to accept the gift. For the rules of the game, established by God Himself, are that we must have the possibility of choice. So it is quite possible that we allow modern life to drown out the voice of the divine as it whispers to our heart. We can fail to open our heart’s listening. We can fail to cultivate the necessary depth and fertility of soul, so that what we hear and inspires us cannot grow and thrive in us.

This gift of the seed-word from God is no simple gift. It is a gift that requires our participation. So we have to make time and space to work with it. We plough the earth of the heart through suffering and learning. We listen, paying attention to the qualities of heart-earth we may need to amend, so that the seed from the Gardener of the Heart can be received at just the right time. We tend to His words, patiently helping them grow there in loyalty and trust. And then in time the seed-word of God, which bespeaks of human development and inner growth, produces a beautiful nobility of soul. It grows into a fruit that enlivens, a grain that feeds and nourishes. Our heart becomes banquet that feeds and nourishes our fellow human beings and the world.


In time we will have grown something to offer back to God and His angels; the gift of a matured and fruitful soul. In time, with labor, our souls themselves will become bread and wine, which we can offer to the angels, as support in their work with us. 

No comments:

Post a Comment