A sower went out to sow.

MATTHEW 13:1-9

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  Let anyone with ears listen!”

the below is not written by me... but it is a helpful prayer for today...


A sower went out to sow.

Father, every time
I hear this parable,
I am struck by how
unbelievably generous you are,
and how full of optimism and hope.

You don't hoard seed and drop it
only in the warmest, richest soil.
No, you toss the seeds of the kingdom
everywhere, equally,
with no fear of running short.
No matter how poor the conditions,
you give every one of us,
every part of us,
a chance to germinate and grow.

And, Father, every time
I hear this parable,
I am struck by how
unbelievably patient you are.
I know that it can take
150,000 years or more
for rock to pulverize,
mix with organic compounds,
and become top soil just a foot deep.
And just as you wait patiently
for rock to become soil,
so you wait patiently
for my stony heart
to become fertile ground
for your kingdom.

Father, no matter how stony
my heart might be,
thank you for never holding back
the seeds of your life and love.
Thank you for giving me so many
chances to share in your divine life--
in each Sunday's worship,
in prayer, in Scripture,
and in every opportunity
life gives me to be
your Son's disciple.

And just as that the seed
falling on rocky ground
is part of the process--
sprouting in the cracks
to help break open the rock
and leaving organic compounds behind
(rock can't become soil without them)--
so help me to realize, Father,
that each time your life
sprouts in me,
even if it fades,
it is part of your process
of slowly transforming me
into the image of your Son.

Thank you, Father,
for your generosity,
for your patience
for your hope in me,
for your love,
for your life.

Amen.