Meditation for 29 October 2009

From The Rev. Peter A. Munson

Matthew 13:3-6, 20-21

 

3 And he told them many things in parables, saying, “Listen!  A sower went out to sow.  4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up.  5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil.  6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away.

 

… 20 And as for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.

 

Being Grounded in the Word

 

You are familiar with Jesus’ parable of the sower.  The sower sows the seed liberally and indiscriminately.  The word of God is sent out into the whole world.  Some of it falls on the path, some of it falls on rocky ground, some of it falls among thorns, some of it falls on good soil.  God has sent out his word and his truth.  God will continue to send out his word and his truth – no matter what.  What varies is how it is received.  What varies is the condition of the heart and the soul in each person to whom the word of God comes.

 

I am reflecting today on just one part of the parable – the part about the seeds that feel on rocky ground.

 

If you live in Colorado (or Israel, for that matter), you know that grasses, bushes, and even trees can grow out of rocks.  Granted, the tallest trees we have don’t grow out of rocks, but out of the “good soil”.  On the other hand, no matter how many times I go hiking, I am constantly amazed by some of the plants, flowers, bushes and trees that emerge out of narrow cracks in the rock.

 

There has to be some soil there, enough soil for the roots to dig in and take hold, so that when the elements come - the hot sun, the heavy storms, and especially the high winds -the plant or tree can hold on.

 

You and I talk about someone being a “grounded” person.  As we human beings are often on the move, we don’t talk as much about a person having roots, unless we are talking about someone having roots in a particular place.  “She has roots in Colorado.  He has roots in New England.”  But when we talk about someone being grounded, we are talking about a solid person who knows who she or he is – someone who is true to his or her values and also able to be powerfully present to other people.

 

A grounded Christian is someone who is grounded in God and in God’s Word.  This person knows that God is faithful, no matter what storms or crises – personal or more global – might come our way.  This person knows that God sent Jesus – the Word of God – to teach us how to be compassionate, life-giving human beings.  This person knows that God does not leave us without a guide, for the Holy Spirit has been given to guide us and to lead us into all truth.  This person knows that another thing we refer to as the Word of God – the Bible – has also been given by God to guide us and to lead us to the living Word of God, Jesus.

 

And when persecution comes (verse 21)… when we are challenged in what we believe and what we profess by a world that tries to convince us that things can only get worse… by a world that tells us to hate our enemies, not love them… by a world that tries to tell us that money can buy happiness, and yet (the old double-bind!) you can never have enough money, so you’ll never really be content… by a world that is sometimes more focused on celebrating death and violence than it is on celebrating grace and creativity and new life… when persecution comes in all of these ways, the grounded Christian is able to withstand it all, because he or she is grounded in something much bigger than the world – in God, and in the Word of God – which is always new and life-giving and life-sustaining.

 

Some of those six-foot-high spruce and fir trees that emerge out of a small crack in a large boulder live for a very long time.  They originally took root in a very small amount of soil, and persevered.  They are like those people who originally received the word of God with joy, and kept receiving it with joy, no matter what else happened to them in their lives.

 

May we remember that if we stay grounded in Christ, we can overcome all the challenges and all the persecutions (see Matthew 5:10-12) that come our way.  When we are grounded in Christ, like Paul, we can do all things through the Lord who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).