Parable of the Sower - July 19
Today’s Lessons: AM Psalm 41, 52; PM Psalm 44; 1 Samuel 24:1-22; Acts 13:44-52; Mark 4:1-20
Just last week, I was commenting about how it finally felt like summer and now we are accelerating way too fast towards the fullness of the fall. Our family is planning to put a large calendar on the left side of our refrigerator to help us keep up with everyone’s schedules. I’m guessing we are making up for last year filling the school year with cello and banjo lessons, travel soccer, ballet, girl scouts, cheer, and choir. I seriously wonder how it is all going to work.
In today’s Gospel lesson, we hear the familiar parable of the sower. One image is of grain that falls among the thorns and the thorns sprout up and choke the grain, keeping it from growing. One of the more provocative ideas I have heard in reference to this Scripture was a sermon fifteen years ago or so from a priest in East Tennessee that suggested that thorns might be all the really good stuff that we fill our schedules with each year. The preacher was talking about the same dilemma I am cautiously considering. Funny how things haven’t really changed.
Over the past year and a half, many have commented how the forced opportunity to slow down has been a gift in their own life. Activities were postponed, camps canceled, and soccer games were missed. We wouldn’t have asked for it in a million years, and I am grateful for those moments of enjoying a family meal that would have been a practice, of working on a few more puzzles, of knowing my neighbors better than I could have imagined.
I’m not sure how to navigate parenting, how to say no to some of the things that my family has been looking forward to doing. I’m guessing we are going to go back to pre-pandemic participation in the smorgasbord of child development. But today’s reading is a reminder to focus on what really matters. A relationship is more important than making all of the soccer practices. Cultivating fertile soil for our spiritual growth is not doing more, but instead the quality and intentionality of what we set out to learn and do. There is a big difference. And I have some work to do.
John+
Questions for Self-Reflection: What are the most meaningful practices in your life? What are the activities that fill you with joy and purpose?
Daily Challenge: Is your calendar overbooked? If it is, open your calendar and find one thing that you can let go of that can help provide some relief in your day-to-day life? If your calendar is more open, find one thing to add that is meaningful and life-giving. Some ideas could include scheduling a trip to the Birmingham Art Museum or Botanical Gardens, attending one of the formation opportunities at Saint Stephen’s, or going to lunch with a friend.