Day 2
The 2nd day of a 30 day devotional book by the Rev. Tracy A. Siegman, Senior Pastor FCC, Covington, KY. Shared with her gracious permission.
30-day reading plan: Matthew 10 – 15
Daily Verse: Matthew 13: 8
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
Much of the Midwest is flatlands farmed for corn, soybeans, and wheat. The flat land is perfect for growing crops. In central Illinois, where I live in a small farming community, we rely on the harvest for much of our economy. We pray for rain, sun, and a safe harvest. The seasons of the year are marked by the fields being planted, growing, being harvested and resting.
Farming in Israel and Palestine is much different. The landscape is hilly and barren after decades of war. When I had the opportunity to visit Palestine several years ago, I planted a tree in Bethlehem. You might expect to plant an olive tree, but I planted an apricot tree. As I was digging in the soil, I couldn’t help but think of the Parable of the Sower. I was planting the tree on the side of a hill. There were rocks and thorny weeds in the soil. The soil needed those rocks and sturdy weeds to hold the soil in place during rainy seasons so it would not get washed down the side of the hill.
These are the landscapes Jesus would have been referring to when teaching about the Parable of the Sower. He would have known that the rocks and weeds would be among the soil where the sower was sowing seed. He would have known that good soil, rocks and thorny weeds would be all mixed up together.
We grow in good soil with rocks and thorny weeds around us. We have to have the rocks and sturdy weeds of friends and family. We need them to hold us in place so that we don’t get washed away when the rains come. Because, the rains will come.
Questions for reflection:
Who are the friends and family who help your roots grow deep and your branches tall?
How do these friends and family support you?
The 2nd day of a 30 day devotional book by the Rev. Tracy A. Siegman, Senior Pastor FCC, Covington, KY. Shared with her gracious permission.
30-day reading plan: Matthew 10 – 15
Daily Verse: Matthew 13: 8
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
Much of the Midwest is flatlands farmed for corn, soybeans, and wheat. The flat land is perfect for growing crops. In central Illinois, where I live in a small farming community, we rely on the harvest for much of our economy. We pray for rain, sun, and a safe harvest. The seasons of the year are marked by the fields being planted, growing, being harvested and resting.
Farming in Israel and Palestine is much different. The landscape is hilly and barren after decades of war. When I had the opportunity to visit Palestine several years ago, I planted a tree in Bethlehem. You might expect to plant an olive tree, but I planted an apricot tree. As I was digging in the soil, I couldn’t help but think of the Parable of the Sower. I was planting the tree on the side of a hill. There were rocks and thorny weeds in the soil. The soil needed those rocks and sturdy weeds to hold the soil in place during rainy seasons so it would not get washed down the side of the hill.
These are the landscapes Jesus would have been referring to when teaching about the Parable of the Sower. He would have known that the rocks and weeds would be among the soil where the sower was sowing seed. He would have known that good soil, rocks and thorny weeds would be all mixed up together.
We grow in good soil with rocks and thorny weeds around us. We have to have the rocks and sturdy weeds of friends and family. We need them to hold us in place so that we don’t get washed away when the rains come. Because, the rains will come.
Questions for reflection:
Who are the friends and family who help your roots grow deep and your branches tall?
How do these friends and family support you?
No comments:
Post a Comment