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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
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
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]
