From our Rector

Whenever people hear the word about the kingdom and don’t understand it, the evil one comes and carries off what was planted in their hearts. This is the seed that was sown on the path. As for the seed that was spread on rocky ground, this refers to people who hear the word and immediately receive it joyfully. Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away. As for the seed that was spread among thorny plants, this refers to those who hear the word, but the worries of this life and the false appeal of wealth choke the word, and it bears no fruit.

Matthew 13:19-22 (Common English Bible) 

I am glad that our Sunday Gospel readings are moving from the discipleship commentary to the parables. Not that I don’t appreciate Jesus’ directions to his followers (in which we are included), but in light of our summer vibe, the responsibilities that he is assigning can feel overwhelming. It’s vacation time: Sunday school is on vacation, many are travelling, and the hot days make it difficult to get motivated to do much outside our air conditioned living and working spaces (if you are fortunate enough to live and work in places where you can control the temperatures!).

Still, as comfortably familiar and reassuring as the stories Jesus told may appear to be, there are times when we read them and something unexpected jumps out at us. This is certainly true for me this week as I dove into the Parable of the Sower and Seed. You know this one: the planter is tossing seed out on the ground, some falls on the pathway which not prepared for it to have seed planted in it and birds eat it; some on the rocky ground, where roots cannot take hold; some tossed among thorny plants where it doesn’t receive sunlight and rain to help it grow.

Normally this story grabs my imagination in reminding me how challenging it is for the Word of God to be received. The hearers have to be open to hear it. When they do hear it, they have to be helped to focus on the Word, without distraction. And if the hearers are in the midst of worry or self-centeredness, then they have to be cared for and nurtured so that those concerns and preoccupations don’t take over the Good News. This of course underlines the challenges that the world has to accepting the guidance and teachings of Christ – not much has changed in two thousand years!

This year, as I engaged the text with a new clergy group formed in our deanery (thanks to Mother Ann Tillman from Saint Matthias, our regional dean), we were both astonished (and I don’t use that word lightly!) by the revelation of other perspectives. One I will share with you in my homily on Sunday; the other was one of those “ah-hah” moments that we hope come to us always as we are engaging God’s Word. It was also a reminder of responsibility – as Tony Randall’s Felix said to Jack Klugman’s Oscar on an episode of THE ODD COUPLE, “Remember when you point a finger there are three more pointing back at yourself.”

Here I was, judging both the sower and the birds, rocks, and briars, I had this nudge from God knows where…what if I am not the sower or the seed or the hearer, but the obstacle? How often have I seen Jesus’ words fall on someone eager but not prepared to hear it and flown in, snatching Christ’s words from them and carting them away? How often have I attacked someone with the difficult teachings of Christianity, knowing that those who heard it were more likely to turn away because they were not open to it, maybe never coming back to hear it? How often have I dove into deep debate with those who are so hardwired that they are more likely to combat the message and eat it alive?

Each of these situations indicates a very important reality that Jesus is also asserting: know your audience! Just as farmers take days and weeks preparing the soil for spring planting, so we must also take the time to prepare our families, friends, and neighbors to hear the Good News of God’s love for us, God’s invitation for us to love one another, and God’s hope that we will always treat each other as we ourselves wish to be treated. The world around us is mostly not open to this message of acceptance, care for the other, hospitality, and radical welcome. It wasn’t open when Jesus was with us, either – but that didn’t stop him from making his way into the places were people struggled, feeding them and telling them stories. He certainly didn’t throw Isaiah scrolls at them; he met them where they were and helped open their eyes, ears, and hearts so that they could listen to his powerful message.

I feel challenged to be more sensitive to those who are new to the Message of the Way – I wonder if you might feel that way, too.

Peace in Christ,

Father Shawn