4th February Trinity 2011, Listening

2^nd 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.

4th February Trinity

February 27, 2011

Luke 8; 14-18

Before a gardener plants seeds, he makes sure that the soil is fertile and well tilled. Otherwise the seed has no chance to grow, thrive, and bear fruit.

In today’s reading, the seed that is sown is God’s Word—not just those words recorded from two thousand years ago, but also His speaking now. We ourselves are the gardeners responsible for fertility; for it is the ground of the heart in which the word seeds are sown.

Christ’s words in this parable are themselves seed words. They give us a hint about how to prepare the ground to receive His word-seeds: pay attention to how you listen[1], He says.

There are many ways of listening. We may pay no attention at all, so that we forget immediately. We may listen without depth of purpose, so that when things get tough, we abandon what we have begun. We may be so overwhelmed by the intensity of other experiences that inner growth withers.

Spiritual and religious growth requires cultivation—preparation, watchfulness, the offering of fruits in thanks. Over and over again. It requires inner determination and steadfast endurance. A Japanese poet said,

Let a stalk of wheat

be your witness

to every difficult day.

Since it was a flame

before it was a plant,

since it was courage

before it was grain,

since it was determination

before it was growth,

and, above all, since it was prayer

before it was fruition….[2]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

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[1] Luke 8:18

[2] Ishihara Yoshiro, “Wheat,” translated by N. Koriyama and E. Lueders, in Like Underground Water