You gotta dance.

Matthew 13:19

In Matthew (as we heard on Sunday) seeds are not the abstract “Word of God” that they are in Luke and Mark. Seeds are symbols of us who have received the Word. Often you hear sermons on this parable (from the parallel versions) and the focus seems to be “what kind of dirt are you?” In this telling, though, the story is more abstract, the symbols more threatening. For, the sower sows symbols of us… where we are.  

Any of us can be any of these seeds after any grace filled moment of conversion. It has nothing to do with the sower.

It’s you.

So, are you the one who hears the word of the Kingdom without understanding it?

Are you the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy but has no root?

Are you the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches block it out?

Or are you the one who hears the word and understands it and bears fruit?

The Word of God does not get into your soul without God putting it there. But that’s not enough: it’s then up to you. You.

You have to do something.

What can you do? Hear. Understand. Bear fruit.

That’s your job. God’s done his. 

You should start with the commandments we got in the first lesson. The rest can come later.

No other gods and no adultery are the big ones today, I think. But your milage may vary. 

How do you dance this dance with God? Trust me: telling me he doesn’t care what you do, or he won’t mind if you’re about to break a few rules, or he won’t care if you’ve go a few extra deities… that’s just you talking to yourself.

But if you’ll dance with God, he will lead. We are all feminine to his masculine. We are all the followers to his lead. Wherever he leads, you should follow.