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Morning Devotion for the Season of Epiphany
January 22, 2025
Invitatory
The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Mark 4:10-20
When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that
“they may indeed look, but not perceive,
and may indeed listen, but not understand;
so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.” ’
And he said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’
Meditation-Rebecca Northington
Throughout the book of Mark we see people confounded by Jesus. They just can’t seem to understand what is happening; disciples and strangers alike. “Nothing worth having comes easy”, is a slogan attributed to Teddy Roosevelt who encouraged struggling Americans to persevere. “A slothful man is a beggar's brother,” is a Scottish proverb that captures the philosophy of my ancestors who believed only hard work could garner anything worth having and expresses deep skepticism of anything that comes easily or undeservedly. These sayings come to mind as I think of the parable of the sower. It is less about the sower or the seed, and more about the soil. What kind of soil do we represent?
As we have been discussing each week in RYG Bible study, understanding scripture takes work. It is not a neat little moral or ethical manifesto, rather a complicated and mysterious expose on humans, God, and our relationship to, and with one another. We would like it to be simple. We would like to know the rules and to have clear direction on how to play the game of salvation. But like all good things this work of relationship with God takes diligence and discernment. We have to eliminate all of the potential disruptors to receiving God’s word and truth; including, but not limited to, the metaphorical rocks and thorns. We have to cultivate a humble heart, not a hardened heart. When we face God with stubborn and willful expectation we will be blinded to the mystery of the Gospel. When we approach God with humility, hope, and wonder, we have the potential to unravel the mystery of God’s grace.
Many of us have heard or participated in complaints at the complicated nature of some sermons. Why do they make it so difficult for us to understand what they are saying? Why don’t they speak more plainly, more simply, and with fewer syllables? I respond to those complaints with this text in mind: what kind of soil are we? Are we superficial? Are we open to Satan’s meddling in our hearts and minds when we need to go deeper, and develop lasting roots? Are we susceptible to worldly distractions or social pressures of dismissal? Are we too vain to consider the challenges ahead of us in our understanding of scripture? Are our own hearts hardened to the humility required to do the necessary work? This is the work that could open the floodgates of God’s grace into our hearts and minds.
Perhaps the next time you hear a sermon that confounds or challenges you, print it out and study it. I hope you will consider asking follow up questions to the preacher or to someone who could help you wrestle with the challenges of Christ’s message. For often enough it is not the deliverer of the word who falters, but indeed it is us. We have hardened our hearts, and in this way we are among those who “may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.” Jesus tells his disciples that this parable is key to being able to comprehend all subsequent parables. It is about our orientation to God and the word. If we can properly prepare our metaphorical soil, and do the deep and challenging work of humbly pursuing God’s truth, the fruits of our labor will be transformational and ongoing, “thirty, and sixty, and a hundredfold”, for us and consequently for everyone with whom we relate.
Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, you made the universe with all its marvelous order, its atoms, worlds, and galaxies, and the infinite complexity of living creatures: Grant that, as we probe the mysteries of your creation, we may come to know you more truly, and more surely fulfill our role in your eternal purpose; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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