Other Seeds

And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:8-9

Last week one of my favorite catalogs arrived. It was a seed and garden company that I bought some things from years ago and they continue to send me a catalog where ever I have moved to. In the past few years we have only been able to grow a small amount of veggies and herbs in boxes in our small city back yard garden. Now we have a bit more room and the possibilities seem endless. I have to admit here and now that I am not the world's best gardener, but I love gardening, no matter how successful the crops turn out to be. I love digging in the dirt and watching things grow. The catalog's arrival heralds the promise of spring, that damp muddy promise of the world in bloom. For a year which has begun with such intense winter and snow, the seed catalog is like a light at the end of a tunnel.

Today we read the parable of the sower. How seeds are spread and fall in places that challenge their development and make the crops fail. And how when they fall on the rich earth, ready for life, that the seeds become a great crop and the community is fed in abundance. Jesus tells parables to paint pictures of the kingdom of God. God's desire is for all the seeds to thrive, and we can have a part in that thriving. And we are invited to be rich in faith, feeding our spirits and our communities, strengthening one another in prayer and mission.

Today, I want to make my garden ready for God's abundance. It is easy, in these yet dark days of winter to not bother to prepare for abundance. It is easy in these financially depressed times to shy away from thinking about possibilities and potential. And yet God invites us today to live in preparation for the wonderful fullness of life that is coming, despite the challenges about us. And so today, I want to prepare for spring by opening my heart anew to God's promise. May we all venture out a little today and turn to the possibility of new life and renewal.