Bearing Fruit

Again, he began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching, he said to them: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’ And he said, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’ When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that “they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.” ’ And he said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’ Mark 4:1-20

When I was a child, late in the summer, we would go out to pick wild blackberries. My grandpa WalkingStick and my dad would take us out, making sure we first dressed in long sleeves and long pants. We protested loudly due to the heat but later were oh so grateful for the protection. Those huge, sweet blackberries grew on bushes with the meanest thorns. With great joy, we would go home and wash our fruit and eat a bunch with cream or ice cream. It is easy to give up when the times are thorny and very uncomfortable. We can choke out God's goodness in our lives when we wrap ourselves in fear and anxiety. The blackberries found good soil and grew. We must be good soil in hard times so the world can taste the sweetness of God's abundant and everlasting love.

Eternal Creator, you make the world fertile

giving us good food and fruits in all seasons

your Word give us new life each and every day

and you wrap us in your love like a blanket.

In this deep winter we are surrounded by fear

the world seems darker and meaner right now

we tremble with the real worries of coming days

and forget your sweet goodness to us always.

Help us to remind ourselves of your love for us

help us be love's beacons in very dark times

help us to clothe ourselves with your Word today

so love's light might shine through all of the gloom. Amen.