Mark 4 26-34
We have a large patch of ground in our back garden that lies under the shade of several trees, one fir tree, a huge old walnut tree, and some small fruit trees.
When we moved in the ground lay under a thick cover of pine needles and fir cones, it looked like it was completely barren ground. In a fit of madness, not being gardeners, we decided to clear the ground of pine needles and to see what would grow in the spring. We didn't expect much and were planning to plant something.
To our astonishment all sorts of things appeared, first daffodils and crocus, then poppies and bluebells, followed by aquilegia, lupins, hollyhocks and various other cottage garden plants...even some strawberries pushed their way through the soil...
Those seeds and plants had laid under their pine needle blanket and waited for the right moment...
The plants weren't there by chance, one of the former ministers who had lived in this manse was a keen gardener, the rest of the garden is evidence to that and I feebly attempt to keep things in order...
So how is the kingdom of God like the seed?
A seed needs to be sown, and needs ground to be sown into; the kingdom is sown by word, those words are received and processed .... so it is very important to consider what our message is, and how we speak it- words are powerful things and can be very destructive...but they can also bring healing...
As a child I was told I was fat (I was chubby) ugly and stupid, my parents who had wanted a boy didn't really know what to do with me.....when my younger sister was born she was accepted and we were constantly compared to one another- I usually came out worse.
It has taken years to outgrow the effects of those words, to some extent I am still affected by them... I struggle with study for fear of failure (though I have never failed anything and usually come in the top 10% in what I do)! I would dress in baggy clothes as a young woman to hide a figure I was convinced was awful- now five pregnancies later I have oddly found confidence in what I look like!
Words had a powerful influence on me...
So did Jesus words, it is in and through these words I have found freedom, the soil of my life which was buried under a thick blanket of both criticism from others and self defence mechanisms I had developed was gradually uncovered ...
Weeds grew which needed pulling out, but more importantly as Gods word was sown in my life a new kind of growth started to take place, his kingdom began to grow in me, and as it grew in me the words spoken have produced fruit.... and from that fruit new seeds have been sown- I am very careful not to insult my children- and woe betide anyone who tries it in my hearing!
Growth can be slow- then overnight sprouts appear and progress can be seen...
If God's kingdom is to be sown into our lives we need to receive the seed of his words into our lives, into our souls, we need to tend to the soil lest it becomes covered and impenetrable by new seeds and smothers the freshly planted ones... we can do this by keeping a check of our own attitudes and responses, dealing with hurts and pains and criticisms...
Well tended ground will produce good growth and from even the smallest seed a tree will grow that will be able to sustain new life...
God of the elements bless us,
breathe on us
wash us clean,
warm us
root us in your good ground
and nourish our living with holy joy...
Amen.
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