¹⁸ “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: ¹⁹ The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. ²⁰ The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. ²¹ But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. ²² The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. ²³ The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Matthew 13:18-23

Dear God, it’s funny that this is the gospel reading today because I accidentally read it last night at the graduation ceremony. It was one of the more surreal moments I’ve ever had public speaking. I’m assuming it was of the Holy Spirit. I intended to read the parable of the wheat and the weeds, which happens to be right after these verses, but when I was copying and pasting the scripture into my outline from which I read I accidentally copied the parable of the sower instead. So I started reading the passage from my notes and, in real time, I realized I was reading the wrong passage. I could go with it and ask the Holy Spirit to just speak through me with this passage instead, or I could stop everything, tell them I was reading the wrong passage, and then gotten the right passage on my phone. I decided to go with the wrong passage and trust that those were the words the people in the crowd needed to hear. I think it went okay.

Father, I want to pray for the men and their families. This is day one their post-Christian Men’s Life Skills class experience. And they have decisions to make today. Their loved ones have decisions to make today. I pray that they will lean into their “floor,” do the work that is healthy for them to do, and find a way to draw closer to you today. I pray for forgiveness between them and their families. I guess I pray for repentance too. I pray for humility. I pray for a servant’s heart. I pray that they will find the narrow path and have the courage to walk it. I pray the same for myself. Help me to find the narrow path today. Help Megan to find it too. And help me to get exactly what you need me to have from this unconventional vacation I’m taking this next week.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen