The Eighth Sunday After Pentecost (Proper 10A), July 10, 2005

BCP: Isaiah 55:1-5,10-13; Psalm 65 or 65:9-14; Rom. 8:9-17; Matt. 13:1-9,18-23

RCL: Gen. 25:19-34 or Isaiah 55:10-13; Psalm 119:105-112 or Psalm 65 (1-8), 9-14; Rom. 8:1-11; Matt. 13:1-9, 18-23

Christians often speak of unmerited, free grace and the unbounded love of God, yet rarely, perhaps, do we really understand that no superlative is adequate to describe the lavishness of God’s gifts to us. He cannot ever run low on mercy, love, grace, or any expression of his ardor for his people.

The lesson from Isaiah, in its two parts, addresses this theme. In the first part, a heady exhortation is extended "all … who are thirsty" to receive "wine," "milk," "good things to eat," and "rich food to enjoy." No one has to stand in line or take a number or wait for his or her name to be called, and there is no price to be paid. In the second part, falling rain and snow are symbols for the unstinting favor of God. Precipitation pours down in measureless quantity upon the earth and invariably carries out God’s good pleasure — the germination of seed that is the symbol of God’s own word.

The psalm, in one of the most attractive, even idyllic images in the entire Psalter, provides a picture of rural grandeur as the rains partner up with grain and earth to produce a crop that is both bountiful and beautiful. The meadows and valleys even "shout for joy and sing."

The lesson from the gospel is the well-known parable of the sower and the seed. The sower scatters the seed lavishly, without regard to making it last or stretching it to ensure that he will have enough to cover the appointed ground. As he sows, surely the sower can see that some ground is adjacent to the hard-packed pathway, other ground is rocky, and other ground is infested with thorns. In spite of this, he still scatters the seed freely in the hope that perhaps some, at least, will bear fruit. And the least amount of fruit it bears when it falls on rich soil is a return of 30-fold. This parable must be one of the easiest to understand of all those that Jesus told, yet it is among the few parables for which an explanation is provided. Obviously the gospel-writer wanted to make sure that no reader could miss the point, no matter how easy it may be to grasp.

Look It Up

How does the lesson from Romans match the theme of the other lessons?

Think About It

What other passages in scripture come to mind when you consider the theme of God’s overwhelming blessings for his people?

Next Sunday

The Ninth Sunday After Pentecost (Proper 11A), July 17, 2005

BCP: Wisdom 12:13,16-19; Psalm 86 or 86:11-17; Rom. 8:18-25; Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43

RCL: Gen. 28:10-19a or Wisdom 12:13,16-19 or Isaiah 44:6-8; Psalm 139:1-11,22-23 or Psalm 86:11-17; Rom. 8:12-25; Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43