July 12, 2020
“What Do We Sow?”
Isaiah 55:10-13
Romans 8:1-11
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
I am guessing that most of us grew up knowing this childhood rhyme:
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.
I looked up this expression, and there are varying accounts as to where it originated, as well as its intended purpose and meaning.
But I think even as a child I understood it had a much deeper meaning than what was suggested on the surface.
It is easy to understand how inflicting physical harm on someone produces pain.
It is not always easy, however, to see the deep psychological and emotional pain that words can sometimes inflict.
I have a very painful and vivid memory from back in my college days at Miami University. I was a theatre major back then, and I recall one particular incident that occurred during the building of a theatre set.
An upperclassman was overseeing the project and several students, including myself, were working on the set.
I don’t recall what prompted his comment, but I remember the upperclassman made a very derogatory joke about one of my classmate’s weight – and I remember that I laughed at his joke. In my naiveté, I just expected the person being teased to laugh at the joke as well. But that’s not what happened.
Awhile later, I caught a glimpse of the girl who had been ridiculed – she was huddled in a corner, her face stained with tears, while another classmate tried to console her.
I will never forget her face – or the fact that I had laughed at the cruel joke. Words are powerful. They can build up or tear down. They can educate, or they can mislead. They can produce joy and comfort, but they can also inflict immeasurable pain.
In our Old Testament passage from Isaiah that you just heard, the prophet Isaiah is speaking to the Israelites who have suffered greatly while in exile for 40 years. His words to the people are meant as balm and encouragement.
Using very beautiful, metaphorical speech, Isaiah compares the Word of God to the rain and snow which come down from heaven, water the earth, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater.
In addition to the image of God’s word as rain which waters the earth, the word of God in the book of Isaiah is elsewhere also described as creative, prophetic, bringing justice, teaching, and revealing God’s voice.
Words are powerful. They can build up or they can tear down. When we choose our words carefully, we can become channels for God’s word of love and compassion in the world.
The Gospel lesson for today from Matthew also uses metaphorical speech for the Word of God. In the parable of the sower, God is portrayed as the sower. And God sows those seeds abundantly and generously.
Some of the seeds fall among weeds and rocky soil and so do not take root. But the point is not that some of the seeds fail to thrive. The point is the abundance and abandon with which God sows those seeds of love.
And it is up to us, then, to choose how and what we sow in the world.
May we sow kindness and compassion, justice and peace. And may God’s love rain down on us all.
AMEN