In today’s Gospel, Jesus is sitting by the sea, presumably having some quiet reflective time, when a great crowd gathers around him. He doesn’t turn them away, he never turns people away who are following him, but he gets into a boat and tells a parable to the crowd on the shore. To quote Frederick Buechner “He never approached from on high, but always in the midst, in the midst of people, in the midst of real life, and the questions that real life asks”, and he does this in the form of parables. 

Why does he speak in parables? Parables invite us into mystery, into wondering and pondering, into the messiness of life which often doesn’t have clear answers or easy resolution. We must work at understanding, of applying what we are hearing to our own situations. Jesus makes his message clear but he doesn’t make it easy; he wants us to wrestle with it, to figure out for ourselves what it means for us, here and now. 

So, let’s consider the parable we have just heard. Jesus is speaking of a Sower who doesn’t seem to be too concerned about where his seeds land.  

The seed Jesus refers to is of course, the Word of God. A typical response is to consider the type of soil where the seed lands, and like my gardener dad, to consider whether some amendment is need for the seeds to flourish and grow. 

Of course, the parable invites us to consider what kind of soil we are, whether the soil of our lives and our hearts is open to receiving the Word of God and on what level. But I think we miss the point if we focus mainly on our own readiness to receive the word of God. The parable at its deepest level is really about the nature of God; God’s Kingdom and God’s extravagant generosity towards all of his creation, including each one of us. 

The Sower goes out to sow and as he sows, he casts the seed abundantly and he casts them everywhere, he is unrestrained, he doesn’t hold back. What does that say about how God is with us?   

Imagine the Sower wandering throughout Victoria, casting his seeds here on the property of St. Matthias, but also on the rocky outcrops, in the shopping malls, in the bars and restaurants, throughout the hospitals, and perhaps especially abundantly along Pandora Avenue. Along the alleys, through the playgrounds, and today, perhaps a generous scattering on the PRIDE parade in downtown Victoria.  

The interesting part of the parable is that the Sower appears not to care where the seeds land, all he cares about is to keep sowing, generously and lavishly, and always with open hands, because the Sower never runs out of seeds. There is enough seed to accomplish his purpose, even enough to waste. 

One way to consider this parable is to ask ourselves the question: am I generous with the gifts I’ve been given or do I measure them out carefully? Do I have confidence that God’s work will be accomplished and that God is always in the process of amending the soil of our lives: healing forgiving, teaching, supporting and challenging us, and calling us also to Godly generosity towards others. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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