Opening Prayer

O God, we gather together in Your presence with expectation, hungry for an encounter with You, eager to hear Your Word.

Open our eyes and ears to the presence of Your Holy Spirit. May the seeds of Your Word scattered among us this morning fall on fertile soil. May they take root in our hearts and lives, and produce an abundant harvest of good words and deeds.

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our teacher and our Lord. Amen.

Children’s Time

Parable of the Sower

Confession & Words of Assurance

God the sower, 

we come before You acknowledging that we often close our hearts and minds to Your word, choosing instead to listen to the world around us rather than Your messages of love and inclusion.         

Save us from hardness of heart, where Your word cannot take root. Save us from the deceitfulness of riches, where Your word is choked by everyday cares. Grant that our hearts may be fertile soil, where Your word flourishes and yields a harvest, bringing hope to ourselves and those around us.

Every moment we have a new opportunity to listen for the word of God. Prepare yourselves to receive God’s word. The past is gone. Today you can make new choices. Listen for the word of God.

Scripture

A story about a farmer

Matthew 13 That same day Jesus left the house and went out beside Lake Galilee, where he sat down to teach.² Such large crowds gathered around him that he had to sit in a boat, while the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he taught them many things by using stories. He said:

A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. ⁴ While the farmer was scattering the seed, some of it fell along the road and was eaten by birds. ⁵ Other seeds fell on thin, rocky ground and quickly started growing because the soil wasn’t very deep. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and dried up, because they did not have enough roots. ⁷ Some other seeds fell where thornbushes grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ But a few seeds did fall on good ground where the plants produced a hundred or sixty or thirty times as much as was scattered. ⁹ If you have ears, pay attention!

Jesus Explains the Story about the Farmer

¹⁸ Now listen to the meaning of the story about the farmer:

¹⁹ The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message about the kingdom, but don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches the message from their hearts. ²⁰ The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it right away. ²¹ But they don’t have deep roots, and they don’t last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.

²² The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life and are fooled by the desire to get rich. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything. ²³ The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and understand the message. They produce as much as a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was planted.

Sermon

Performed by Margaret Whisselle

Prayers of the People

(Please add your prayers aloud and in the comment in section below)

God, You have asked us to be partners in creation, caring for the land and the animals, tending to the world around us in every way we can. You have also asked us to tend to Your people, sharing the Good News with them whenever we can. We know this in our minds, but we fall short in our practice. We long to feel You close but don’t always live up to our promises as co-creators.

We strive to be better about being Your commissioned disciples, to be people who will not only worship You and learn from You, but also help others to hear Your words of long and acceptance. We know our world needs that message more today than we ever have.

We pray for those who are struggling in the weeds of their lives, those who are so caught up in their own worries and concerns that they don’t make time to listen to the words You have spoken. Help us be Your messengers so they will turn from their worldly concerns and be open to the joy You can give.

We pray for those who resist everything You have to offer, who turn away saying You are make believe and not worth anyone’s time. Who tell Your children that they are fools to believe in You. Show us how to be as Christ to them, that they might one day let down their defenses and their disbelief, and experience Your love.

We pray for those who grab hold of Your word and don’t take the time to understand it. Those who are so excited to start Your work without taking the time to sit at Your feet. Help us show them to slow down and worship.

We pray for those who continue to take the time to read, pray, meditate and worship in their walk in faith. Show us how to be companions on the journey so we can work on our faith as well, seeing You in their path as they see You in ours.

Gathering all of these prayers along with those we have deep in our hearts, we pray the prayer that tradition has taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Benediction & Commission

As you leave this time of worship

As you go from here, remember this: the same Spirit of God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, also lives in you, breathing new life and freedom into your hearts and minds.

So go from here with joy and confidence, knowing that God is at work within you, preparing you to be good soil, and commissioning you to share the Good News with others.