Parable of the Sower

On Sunday my Sunday school kids and I walked up to the statue of the Sower in front of the music building on the Duke East Campus and read and discussed the parable of the sower (Mark 4) as we walked along. One reason was it was a beautiful day and another was because seeing the statue might give the kids a better idea of just how sowing seeds works. It was a lot of fun. As we walked we identified the path which was hard where seeds would never take root (a sidewalk, actually), some stony ground that just had a little but of grass, and some thick weeds that would have choked a good seed. We talked about how the good soil usually needs to be prepared first, it works a lot better if the seed falls on ground that has been cleared of weeds and chopped up so the seeds will take root. That's why I teach Sunday school, to prepare the soil, besides the sheer joy of talking to the kids and hearing what they have to say.

Visiting the statue reminded me again how the Word literally gets scattered about. The Sower takes a handful of seeds and tosses them out, not seeking carefully for the perfect place. That's what the Pharisees wanted--"We have been paying our tithes and strictly obeying the laws, why are you spreading the Word to those tax collectors and prostitutes?" It is there with us and all around us, we just have to ready to receive it. Or as Jesus said, "Who has ears, let them hear."