12th July 2020 All Saints Church, Childwall
Read: Matthew 13:1-9 & 18-23 – The Parable of the Sower
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with earslisten!”
The Parable of the Sower Explained – 18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Reflect: The seed represents the Word of God, and we are the soil. God’s Kingdom is growing in us and through us and can be seen in the fruits produced by us. God is taking over the world one heart at a time, and as each individual submits to his rule, we get closer to the time when love, compassion and justice will prevail, on earth as it is in Heaven.
The condition of the soil is critical because it is the medium through which the plant grows and spreads. In farming or gardening, the productivity of seed is directly proportionate to the fertility of the soil in which it is sown. Even if the seed is good, if it’s planted in unfertile soil, it will either not germinate or will only produce a sickly and unproductive plant. Jesus tells us that it is the same with the Word of God and the human heart.
I have been thinking about this as I have been exploring my new surroundings this week. My walks have taken me on shady, muddy paths through Childwall Woods, into the overgrown jungle rather confusingly named the ‘Three Fields’ and on to Calderstones Park, where I stopped to admire the magnificent, fruitful Allerton Oak. As I wandered, nature reminded me that the condition of the soil can change over time. Hard compacted soil may be broken up, ploughed and churned. Storms and heavy rains may soften that which was once dry and barren. Weeds may be plucked out and, over many years, even the hardest rock will break down into smaller pieces and become new soil. Conversely, soil which was once rich in nutrients can become drained, weed-ridden and infertile. As any gardener will tell you, maintenance is essential. Growing the Kingdom certainly requires patience and persistence.
Discipleship entails sowing, but it also involves making sure our own hearts are fit for growing. We are sent to tell, serve and give, but we are also called to pray, read and learn.
How can we keep the soil of our hearts ready and conditioned to be cultivated by God?
Respond: Take some time to walk in your garden, a nearby park or field. Feel the path beneath your feet, pick up a stone, look for a thorn, touch the earth. Reflect on which types of ground you most identify with at the moment. Let this inspire your praying. Is there anything you need to ask God to attend to, at this time, that is stopping you from realising your full potential?
Ask God to remove anything that is preventing his word from taking root in your heart and bearing fruit?
Pray: Father, come and do new work in my heart. Turn over the hardened soil and make it a rich ground for the truth. Make me a fruitful and effective witnesses to your Kingdom and equip and enable me to sow the seed which may bring about your reign in the hearts of others. Amen
Helen Deegan (Curate at All Saints, Childwall)
Dear Friends,
Services in Church – Over this last week 20 people who have offered to be part of our Duty Teams have been briefed in church. It has been so encouraging to see the enthusiasm and desire of these members of our church to serve our church family in this way. I completed 3 briefing sessions with everyone which were really helpful. Key practical questions were raised and discussed about the possible reopening of our church building. How would we ensure people keep apart particularly coming into church with possible queues and then leaving church afterwards? We acknowledged that this is not going to be straightforward and that there would be challenges ahead.
On Thursday evening I chaired a joint Staff, PCC and Readers meeting at 8pm to discuss specifically the possible reopening of our church building via Zoom. I shared with everyone that our risk assessment was complete and gave an overview of all that had been put in place and that all signage and PPE needed was ready. I explained that 10 Baptisms had not been able to take place so far with a further 4 scheduled for July and that we had a Wedding still booked for 1st August. I also shared that within our Deanery there is only one church that is planning to reopen for services on 19th July, all other churches are working towards either opening in August or September.
In our meeting the following key questions were discussed in relation to reopening: 1. Is it safe to reopen our church building for services and do we open? 2. If so, how and when do we reopen? 3. What should our priorities be? In preparation for this meeting I had asked everyone to prayerfully consider the right way forward. When we met everybody present contributed to the discussion and shared their views. There was real honesty and openness, many questions were asked and we considered various possible ways forward. The overall consensus was that a cautious approach should still be paramount. After a lengthy discussion I felt that we were in a position to make a decision. I summarised our discussion and suggested that by a show of hands we should consider 2 possible options. It was agreed unanimously that this was the right way forward and everyone present was happy to do this publicly. By show of hands everyone voted for one option only. The result of this consensus was as follows:
Those that want to wait to reopen but funerals, weddings, and baptisms to restart: 17 people
Those that want to reopen as soon as it is possible practically: 3 people
We will be reviewing this decision at the end of July to coincide with a government review that will give further guidance from the 1st August which also coincides with shielding ending. Everything that is being produced and sent out weekly including our Online Services will continue for the foreseeable future even when the church building does reopen for weekly church services on a Sunday.
Weekly Prayer requests – If you would like other members of our church family to be able to pray for you or for another member of your family, please let me know and I will put names on this sheet each week. Please ask permission from the person whose name will appear.
Please pray this week for those that are unwell: We pray particularly for Marie Owens at this time.
Please pray for the bereaved family and friends of Elizabeth Reay.
WEEKLY PRAYER MEETING – Weekly prayer meeting Thursday 6.30pm on Zoom. Why not join a group of us at All Saints that pray regularly. It lasts 40 minutes, you can pray, sit and listen or just contemplate.
Click on the below link and take 40 minutes out of your busy schedule.
Zoom Meeting: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79853782379?pwd=NEloclhRVEJST3RFeUdUVEowSWJRUT09
Meeting ID: 798 5378 2379 Password: 7VUQh6 Aidan Holmes
Zoom coffee – After our Online Service each Sunday please join us for Zoom coffee at 10.15am for 40 mins – remember to bring your own coffee! Details for Zoom coffee are as follows:
Zoom Coffee – every Sunday at 10.15am Meeting ID: 842 767 1496 Password: 4allsaints
With my prayers for you all at this time – Andrew Colmer – Vicar – Tel: 07305 842257
