The Collect
O LORD God, who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we do; Mercifully grant that by thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle (2 Corinthians xi. 19)
YE suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.The Gospel (St. Luke viii. 4)
WHEN much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way-side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way-side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Sexagesima - Message in a Minute
Our gospel today uses an image taken from planting to describe the different sorts of responses people make to God's word. It is not the most difficult story in the world to figure out in the first place, and, as he does only rarely, Jesus goes on to give an explanation of what the parable means.
The fundamental idea is that the word of God is like seed. A sower would go out with a bag of seed and toss the seed on the ground as he walked along. He did not place the seed carefully, he broadcast it instead. That meant that the seed would fall onto different types of ground, different in their likelihood of being a place where the seed might take root and grow. Seed that fell by the wayside, or fell on dry rock, or fell among thorns and weeds would be lost. Seed that fell on good ground would spring up as fruitful plants.
Jesus is telling us that that is exactly the way God's showing himself in the world plays out. God sows the seed of his word in various different ways. He shows himself to us through the things that happen in our everyday experiences -- both in the dramatic and in the not-so-dramatic. He sows his seed quite specifically through the church -- in sermons and in the sacraments and in prayer and in Bible study and in our relationships with our fellow Christians. The seed which is God's word has a purpose. And the purpose is to help us grow up into fully mature human beings -- to grow up into Jesus -- what St. Paul calls "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Wayside, rock, thorns, or good ground? It is all up to you.
Sexagesima - Message in a Minute
Our gospel today uses an image taken from planting to describe the different sorts of responses people make to God's word. It is not the most difficult story in the world to figure out in the first place, and, as he does only rarely, Jesus goes on to give an explanation of what the parable means.
The fundamental idea is that the word of God is like seed. A sower would go out with a bag of seed and toss the seed on the ground as he walked along. He did not place the seed carefully, he broadcast it instead. That meant that the seed would fall onto different types of ground, different in their likelihood of being a place where the seed might take root and grow. Seed that fell by the wayside, or fell on dry rock, or fell among thorns and weeds would be lost. Seed that fell on good ground would spring up as fruitful plants.
Jesus is telling us that that is exactly the way God's showing himself in the world plays out. God sows the seed of his word in various different ways. He shows himself to us through the things that happen in our everyday experiences -- both in the dramatic and in the not-so-dramatic. He sows his seed quite specifically through the church -- in sermons and in the sacraments and in prayer and in Bible study and in our relationships with our fellow Christians. The seed which is God's word has a purpose. And the purpose is to help us grow up into fully mature human beings -- to grow up into Jesus -- what St. Paul calls "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Wayside, rock, thorns, or good ground? It is all up to you.
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