Monday, July 14, 2008

Today’s text

Matthew 13:1-9

[Jesus] put another parable before them, 'The kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, then the darnel appeared as well. The owner's laborers went to him and said, "Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?" He said to them, "Some enemy has done this." And the laborers said, "Do you want us to go and weed it out?" But he said, "No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn."


Prayer

Ever-Present Grace, this is how I shall name you this morning. I have no names suitable for you. The best I can do is to speak what you are to me, and thus to know you in the speaking. And you are Ever-Present Grace.

You also are a sower. Every second you sow seeds of faith and love in our lives, yielding a harvest of freedom and joy. But our moments also sow seeds of cynicism, fear and hard-heartedness.

In the supremacy of your divine freedom, you create us to bear the seed of your life to fruition, growing into the full harvest of what you intend for us. We do not know what that is. It lies hidden in the seed. We know only that we will bear resemblance to our brother, Jesus, glistening with the compassion of your divine grace.

And this is all your doing, Loving Mystery. You are the mysterious power of the seed, and I take courage I this.

For, I look at the tangled snarl of my life, unable to determine with confidence what is good and what is not, what is your seed and what yields the foul fruit of cynicism and fear.

But I will not worry, since you command me to turn from anxiety and rest in hope. The seed you sow in love and freedom will yield the loving joy you are.

Pr. David L. Miller