Good morning Children of God!
Psalm 121:5 seems especially appropriate these days. “The LORD watches over you– the LORD is your shade at your right hand;” The Lord knows what you need and is faithful to provide.
Here is Sunday’s Message:
July 12, 2020
6th Sunday after Pentecost
Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, we thank you for planting in us the seed of your word. By your Holy Spirit help us to receive it with joy, live according to it, and grow in faith and hope and love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
First Reading Isaiah 55:10-13
Psalm 65
Second Reading Romans 8:1-11
Gospel Matthew 13:1-9,18-23
Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
What do seed, grain, water, fruit, faith, love, life, joy, peace, and God’s word have in common? They all come from God and are essential to the harvest God desires from God’s earth and from God’s people.
Psalm 65 gives thanksgiving for a good harvest. Because God has visited the earth and watered and enriched the soil, a harvest of grain has been made possible. The people are blessed because God “provide(s) the people with grain.” (v.9b) And there is an abundance in God’s provision.
“Your wagon tracks overflow with richness” declares Psalm 65:11b. This is a vivid picture of an abundant harvest. Imagine a donkey-drawn wagon leaving the field and heading toward market. There is so much produce from the land that it can’t help but fall from the overflowing baskets with each bump and jostle, filling the wagon tracks below. It calls to mind the overflowing cup of blessing celebrated in the 23rd Psalm. God provides enough and then some.
Jesus had a good harvest in mind when he told the story of “The Sower.” The watered and enriched soil that he called “good” is a receptive human heart, soul, and mind; the seed is God’s word; and the good harvest is faith, love, life, joy, and peace. And it all comes from God, the sower.
The seed of God’s word is planted and “shall accomplish that which God desires” and “succeed in the thing” for which it is sent. (Isaiah 55:11) The purpose of God’s word is to find a home in his children’s hearts and there take root, grow, and bear the fruit of salvation.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is at the center of God’s word to us. It is the life sustaining matter within the seed of the word. The Gospel teaches us that God loves us so much that his Son was given to die and rise from the dead for us. Because of Jesus we are forgiven our sins, released from the lurking grip of death and assured of eternal life. The planting of this seed within us transforms us. In growing and producing a harvest for God we fulfill our purpose as human beings. In other words, we “have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10b)
In Romans Chapter 8, St. Paul teaches that the planted word of God takes root, grows, and produces a harvest in amenable hearts because of the Holy Spirit. Think of yourself as a fertile and well-watered field of soil. The word is planted in you and becomes part of you, “since the Spirit of God dwells in you.” (v.9a) By the presence of the Spirit, God’s word accomplishes its purpose and bears fruit resulting in “life and peace” (v.6) both for you and for those blessed by you.
The harvest brought forth by God’s word is plentiful. God provides enough and then some. A world overflowing with a harvest of faith, love, joy, and peace is what we crave and what God desires. But before there can be a harvest there must be a season of growth. It is God who gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6) and brings forth fruitfulness in each one. By grace our cups overflow and our wagon tracks are filled.
Put yourself on top of the wagon today, facing to the rear. Study the blessing- filled tracks left behind and rejoice and give thanks for God’s abundance which has been showered upon you. Consider the many ways that God has blessed you in order that you may be a blessing to others. God’s word has been planted in you, the Holy Spirit dwells within you, and the Lord has cultivated you to produce a harvest of graciousness and kindness benefitting others. The overflowing wagon tracks left by your life’s journey reveal your purpose as a child of God.
God is still sowing the seed of his word in your heart. There is a season for planting and a season for growing; a season for harvesting and a season for sharing. Know that God is at work in you as you dwell in the word; reading and studying the Bible and devotional material. Know that you are good soil and that the Father is pleased to plant his word in you by giving you Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Know that God is eager to bring forth a harvest from you; empowering you to be a blessing to others.
Know also that, in the parable of The Sower, Jesus taught us that there are obstacles that interfere with the fruitfulness of God’s word. Beware of these three stumbling blocks: 1) failing to understand the word; 2) losing faith; and 3) the cares of the world and lure of wealth. Of first importance is to know about them, secondly, to identify them, and finally, to overcome them. Life teaches us that these obstacles have staying power and will never cease to challenge us this side of death.
Your wagon is still rolling. There are new tracks to be made, more blessings to be dispensed, and more obstacles to be conquered. As you continue to grow in God’s word and as God’s child you will most certainly be his instrument for doing good. Because of this, with the saints of all times and all places we can open our hearts to God saying, “Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed, O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come.” (Psalm 65:1-2) Amen.
Lord, Let My Heart Be Good Soil (Handt Hanson)
Lord, let my heart be good soil, open to the seed of your word.
Lord, let my heart be good soil, where love can grow and peace is understood.
When my heart is hard, break the stone away. When my heart is cold, warm it with the day.
When my heart is lost, lead me on your way.
Lord, let my heart, Lord, let my heart, Lord, let my heart be good soil.
Peace and blessings,
Pastor Bill