Living in the Spirit
July 13, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 

But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty. — Matthew 11:23  

If you have been around church very long you have meet some of these good-soil people. I had the privilege of being reared by one. My mother was a very resourceful person. I always thought it came from being a Deaconess in the Methodist church serving in the mountains of West Virginia in the midst of the Depression. I honestly think she got more joy out of making something new out of old cast of clothes than starting with brand new fabric. She could multiple bread, if needed to feed unexpected guest; was equally comfortable talking to a street person or a Senator; and was most often empathetic rather than judgmental. I say most often, because I do not think you would have wanted to come up against my mother, if you were mistreating someone. Even in that case she would have been there for you, if you expressed the desire to turn your life around.

We are all called to be good-soil people striving to be like Christ in all that we do. Being a disciple of Christ is a lifelong journey. While we may find ourselves lying on top of the soil rather than extending our roots deeply or thinking the rocks are actually fertile soil or getting caught in the briers of life, we will not become disciples until we relax into that good soil and let it change us from a seed to a vital plant.  Plants are sources of oxygen. So perhaps we are called to be Christ oxygen in a carbon polluted world.

Prayer:  Here I am Lord, bury me deep in the soil of your love so that I may be a breath of fresh air in our world today. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.