Sitting by the Sea

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:1-9

Sunday was a glorious and sunny day and we had a nice lunch and decided to go up and walk on the beach. We found a large weathered log washed up on the sand and sat awhile to watch the birds and the roll of the waves. There is nothing like a mild autumn day by the sea. Somehow it is a perfect atmosphere to ponder and reflect. We also were pretty much alone save for a few souls scattered around, a fisherman or two and a few birders. Whatever the reason, sitting on the beach always helps me to reflect on life most deeply and put me in touch with a depth of spirit unavailable to me in most other places.

Jesus goes outside the house and sit by the sea while a crowd follows him. In the tight indoor space he might have been restrained, but by the water both he and the people could concentrate of the touch of God in their lives. And he told a story to illustrate God's work among them, seeding them with possibility and capacity, waiting for them to be good soil and provide a ground where love can take root. We are invited into this deceptively simply story also, to be ready soil for the abundance of love and compassion in our lives.

Today ask God to help me t do everything in my capacity to be good, healthy soil and to be a caretaker for God's love in this world. May we all invite God's possibilities and capacities to be sown in us so that we might give back to others the abundance of love and forgiveness that had been showered upon us.