Good Soil

In the gospel lesson for Sunday, Jesus tells a story of seeds being sown. Some seed was planted too shallow, some seed was planted where it did not have room to grow, some seed did not reach the soil at all and fed the birds, but the seed that fell into the good soil produced a great harvest.

When we explore this parable we realize that the word of God is the seed and we are the soil. In order for the word of God to grow in us to the point that we are truly one of Jesus’ disciples, we must have our soil prepared. I am reminded of the fruits of the spirit that are found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When we purposefully pursue these Fruits of the Spirit in our lives, the seed of the word of God will flourish within us.

We have some challenging times ahead of us. We have decisions to make about returning to the church building safely; schools are making some of the hardest decisions they have ever had to make; people have complexities with their professional life; and there will still be more people who will become sick, and possibly die, of COVID-19. Now more than ever, we need our soil to be good for the word of God to grow. The word of God helps us discern what is wise and what is foolish in the world.

I am reminded of words of advice that a former parishioner of mine would always share: “When you are ready, you don’t have to get ready when the time comes.” How is your soil? Is it ready?