God’s word is like the rain that waters the earth and brings forth vegetation (Isaiah 55). It is also like the sower who scatters seed (Matthew 13) . Our lives are like seeds sown in the earth. In the parable of the sower, three-fourths of the seeds land in places inhospitable to flourishing life. The parable of the sower elicits reflection, repentance, and, ultimately, new life from its readers and hearers in considering the sort of spiritual life we practice. Are we hospitable or inhospitable to God’s word? This parable is a vivid reminder of all God has overcome—rocks, scorching sun, thorns, and snatching birds—to bring life to the world. God brings forth life in places where people can see only death. Even from what appears to be little, dormant, or dead, God promises a harvest. At the baptismal font we are sprinkled with the water of life, that our faith may flourish, and at the Lord’s table we are fed with the bread of life, that we may bear fruit in the world.
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