A Cycle – 16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time 26

Mt.13:124-43

When we hear the parable of the Sower we automatically think of the problems the seed has in taking root. Last week it was the condition of the soil. This week it is an enemy sowing weeds choking out the seed’s ability to grow.  Jesus explaining the parable tells us we are the seed and the soil is the world we live in.  What we fail to consider is how the parable is more about the Sower and his reaction to us as we grow in our faith. Unfortunately for us our approach to spiritual growth centers on us doing things to grow spiritually.  The burden is on us to avoid things we know are unacceptable to God. While at the same time we learn there are things which are acceptable to God.  What we have failed to recognize is that we have become responsible for our spiritual growth.  Spiritual growth has become a do it yourself project.    

We do not deliberately ignore what God has done to equip us for holiness.  We do not realize how much we have become isolated from God’s grace because we feel unworthy.  We approach God in the same manner the prodigal son. We are willing to settle for less than what God wants to give us.  We do not understand God offers us total and complete forgiveness. 

We have doubts and those doubts cause us to wonder if we have done enough to deserve God’s mercy and His embrace.  King Hezekiah in the Old Testament was afflicted and near death when the prophet Samuel went to him. The prophet told him he was going to die. Hezekiah’s response shows us just ow much we depend on our own ability to be worthy of God’s embrace.  He said, “. remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight.”  Then Hezekiah wept bitterly (2Ki. 20:1-2.

I cannot tell you how many times I have visited people in hospice and heard them saying “they hoped they had done enough to deserve mercy.” We have totally ignored the lessons given to us in the scriptures. Words which tell us God is kind, merciful, forgiving sins and transgressions. We ignore allowing the Spirit to change our hearts and enlarge our ability to grow spiritually.  We have trouble believing God wants us to allow His grace to embrace us as he did the prodigal. We ignore He prepared the soil in which we were planted, to give us what we need to grow and produce fruit.

We ignore the words of Jesus Christ and what His sacrifice did to remove the barrier sin has created between us and God.  

  We ignore the fact Jesus said, “you see me you see the Father.”  Jeus never rejected anyone, He embrace the. Jesus never condemned anyone, He restored them.  Jesus chastised the Pharisees because they adhered to the law while ignoring the spirit of the law.  Where in the scriptures did Jesus ignore a plea for mercy?  How can we sit in church every Sunday and look upon the crucified Christ hanging over the sanctuary and ignore His words “forgive them for they know not what they do.”   

It is time for us to respond to the urgings of Paul as he encouraged us to “put away a childish faith” which is dependent on us.  It is time to adopt a mature faith in Jesus.  It is time for us to appropriate the gift of forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit who will teach us how to boldly pray as Jesus prayed.  Time to quit repeating words as we have prayed all our lives. It is time to pray with words that reveal the intention of our hearts.  It is time to realize and acknowledge there are things in this world which we have allowed to choke our ability to thrive and exercise mustard seed sized faith.  A faith where we know we can ask and receive, A faith where we believe in a miracle working God who daily baffles the medical world by healing what was unhealable. 

Try something this week and that is to pray from your heart.  Set aside those prayer aids and just talk to Jesus. Pour out your pain, your need for healing and your struggles with life. Allow Jesus to infuse you with His loving presence and restore your hope and ignite a fire in your soul. Acknowledge you have allowed the weeds to occupy our attention and stand before Jesus and say “Lord you know my heart, give me that living water of the Spirit and satisfy my thirst to know nothing will prevent your love from reaching my heart.