Abiding Challenge. Day 2. Seeds, Soils, Sower.

DWELL. Luke 8:1-15
Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him,as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them* out of their resources.
When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: ‘A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.’ As he said this, he called out, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’
Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets* of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak* in parables, so that
“looking they may not perceive,
and listening they may not understand.”
‘Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away. As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.

REFLECT

Do you ever feel like the time or the money or the personal resources you invested in someone or something were wasted? Like the result or the response you receive disappoints or fails to meet your expectations? That can be frustrating. We spend ourselves on people and things that sometimes don't bear any fruit. I've invested hours and hours of time in a person's life, only to have them walk away without any sign of growth or change. I've bought a thing, only to have it break within hours of bringing it home.
Sometimes, the investment that others have made in us doesn't pay off either. We waste time and the gifts we're given, too. We are worried and distracted by things that take us out of focus, things that prevent us from reaching the potential of becoming our truest selves. We choose easy and safe ways: comforts, pleasures, and entertainment that prevent us from experiencing the things that lead to real maturity. We have created a culture of perpetual adolescence in this way, avoiding hard things and the rich wisdom and deep compassion that often result.
The New Testament suggests that God has made an extravagant investment in our lives. God comes to us in the form of a servant, a teacher, and a friend. God takes on human flesh and the hardship that entails---including hunger, exhaustion, pain, and death. God does this to save us from ourselves. Only a God who digs into the human experience is a God worth believing in. A god that desires our worship and our offerings and sacrifices without any personal investment in our present and future well being is selfish and unworthy of the name. But we see a God who has come near.

The parable of the sower reflects on these things from the perspective of the one who sows seeds. (Jesus--teacher of sacred wisdom). It seems like a waste to scatter the seeds in this way. Usually, to assure growth and a good harvest, a planter selects only good soil on which to cast seed. But we see Jesus the Rabbi scattering the seed of God's mercy everywhere without discrimination. Unlike Gnosticism (believers in secret wisdom or knowledge that is revealed to a select leader and community), Jesus invites and challenges everyone to experience the abundant generosity of God.
Jesus acknowledges rightly that there are forces, both internal and external, that threaten the process of maturity in the human family. Though God's words and ways have become available to us, we do not always see or hear.
Jesus offers himself, giving us full access to God. We are invited to learn acceptance and gratitude. Good soil looks like patient endurance as we grow and mature into the people God intends for us to become; People that reflect the image of God, goodness and light and peace. People that remind others of Jesus.

PRAYER

Teacher, prepare the soil of my heart and mind to receive your words and your ways with acceptance and gratitude. Direct my thoughts and my actions toward the things that please you and bring more abundant life to others. Amen.