8th Sunday after Pentecost/ July 23, 2023
Psalm 86:11-17; Isaiah 44:6-8; Matthew 13:24-30,36-43
Opening Prayer: (from H424)
Thanks be to God, For the wonders that astound us, for the truths that still confound us, most of all, that love has found us. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Last week, I shared a little bit about the 2nd Mark of Mission: Teach/Learn as adapted by Bishop Mark Lattime, in his call to the people of the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska, to a time of renewal and growth in discipleship through the Five Marks of Mission. In the 2nd Mark of Mission, he encourages us to commit at least 15 minutes each day to reading and praying on the Gospel Lesson assigned for Morning or Evening Prayer.
Today’s parable of the weeds and the wheat is definitely one of those gospel readings that we could spend at least 15 minutes on…And even if we spent way more than 15 minutes reading and praying with it…the good news into today’s gospel reading might still leave you scratching your head, and a bit confounded by how Jesus explains the parable.
One of the other resources that I didn’t share with you last week, that might be particularly helpful with these kinds of challenging scriptures and parables, was “A Disciple’s Prayer Book”. Many of you are familiar with it and have used it in various ways over the years. It’s a simple format to use, for your own reflection on the gospel reading for the day. And can be even better, when you gather with at least one other person, to go through the short prayer time, with a focus on the Gospel reading for the day.
The opening prayer for the daily reflection time always begins with The Gathering Prayer: Creator, we give you thanks for all you are and all you bring to us for our visit within your creation. In Jesus, you place the Gospel in the center of this sacred circle through which all of creation is related. You show us the way to a compassionate life. Give us your strength to live together with respect and commitment as we grow in your spirit, for you are God, now and forever. Amen.
I think the prayer gives us a super helpful tip: that our focus in the Gospel reading, is on Jesus.
Next, you read a psalm of praise, and then you do a slow reading of the Gospel of the Day. Not once, but three different times, often using three different translations. And after each time of reading it, you pause for a time, and then reflect and respond to the reading with question dedicated to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd reading of it.
After reading the first time, the question is: What word(s), idea(s), or sentence(s) stand out for you in the Gospel of the Day?
A few things that stood out for me, on the first reading this week was: the kingdom of heaven may be compared to, while everybody was asleep, the plants came up, as well as the weeds, let them grow together, the field is the world, angels will be sent, all causes of sin, shine like the sun in the kingdom….
After reading the second time, the question is: What is Jesus (the Gospel) saying to you?
Some things that came to mind for me when I read through it a second time: Jesus tells us, that in God’s kingdom, we grow together. There is no us vs them. It’s God’s seed of love being scattered for everyone. In every one of us, our hearts are overgrown with weeds sometimes…because of stress, sorrow, anger, fear…and we sometimes want to react and judge one another in a way that deems them unworthy of God’s love, compassion, and mercy. We forget that God loves every person that we will ever meet. And that truth confounds us. We can’t fathom that much of the time, especially when we think about the hateful and horrifying ways that people treat one another, at times.
We forget sometimes, that we ourselves, have held some hatred, contempt and judgment in our own hearts, and were often given many, many chances to grow and learn and begin again, through the realization of God’s love for us, made known to us through the loving and caring presence and actions of another person, who didn’t give up on us, when the world was quick to judge us and give up on us.
After reading the third time, the question is: What is Jesus (the Gospel) calling you to do?
A line from today’s psalm made me think of Jesus’ words today: “But, you, O Lord, are gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and full of kindness and truth.”
I think Jesus is calling me to be quick to love, instead of quick to judge.
I think meditating and praying with the gospel readings on a regular basis, individually and with others…will help us do that…following Jesus in a way of love that calls us to be quick to love, instead of quick to judge.
And I think when we can practice doing that, it will help us when we take a look at the question posed in Bishop Mark’s adaption of the 1st Mark of Mission which is to Tell…he encourages us to pray and reflect on our individual relationship with Jesus and to prepare a simple, from the heart, answer to the question, “Why is my hope/faith/love with Jesus Christ?” And as you are comfortable, share that statement of hope, faith, and love with someone else.
If you are so moved, I invite you to pray and think about this question, and write down your answer on a sheet of paper, then bring it with you next week, place it in the offering plate when you arrive, and we will lift up a prayer of thanks and gratitude to God, for the gift of Jesus Christ, who gives us hope, renews and strengthens our faith, and helps us to be quick to love God, and one another.
In a world, where everything seems to be speeding up, more and more…and with people being so quick to label and judge everything that happens in our lives…I invite you to hurry up to slow down and give thanks to God for the wonders that astound us, for the truths that still confound us, and most of all, that love, God’s love has found us. And we are all worthy of God’s gracious love and compassion, and kindness – Thanks be to God!
Hymn prayer after sermon: (H) 424 For the fruit of all creation
For the fruit of all creation, thanks be to God.
For these gifts to ev’ry nation, thanks be to God.
For the plowing, sowing, reaping, silent growth while we are sleeping,
future needs in earth’s safekeeping, thanks be to God.
In the just reward of labor, God’s will be done.
In the help we give our neighbor, God’s will be done.
In our worldwide task of caring for the hungry and despairing,
in the harvests we are sharing, God’s will be done.
For the harvests of the Spirit, thanks be to God.
For the good we all inherit, thanks be to God.
For the wonders that astound us, for the truths that still confound us,
most of all, that love has found us, thanks be to God.
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK