September 28 Home Communicator -The crowds had gathered. A community drew together, surrounding Jesus, to hear his words. He hopped in a boat so the people could see and hear what he had to say. Jesus told a parable that spoke to their everyday experience, filling their minds with sights, sounds, smells, and feelings of which they were intimately familiar.
The parable of the sower, as told in Matthew 13, is really more about the dirt than the sower himself. Every year, farmers would spend hours preparing the soil for the seeds in hopes that they would flourish. Like all parables, this story of everyday experiences is packed with heavenly meaning. The sower is God and the seed is His Word and the different soils demonstrate how our hearts receive God’s Word. As we think about the soils, we are challenged to ask ourselves:
- Am I allowing the Word to take root in my life?
- Are there thorns that I need to cut out of my life so the Word may bear fruit?
- Am I willing to do the hard things God’s Word is asking me to do?
- What’s God asking me to do next to produce a harvest?
On Friday, September 17, a crowd of HCS teachers and staff gathered in the afternoon. A community eager to challenge minds and lives for Christ. A community that asks, “How’s my dirt?” and is committed to being rooted in God’s Word in order to take the next step of obedience. Every year, it is a joy and a privilege for us as teachers and staff to prepare the soil of our students’ hearts to receive God’s Word with the hopeful expectation that they will flourish and bear much fruit. Thank you for inviting us to partner with you in transforming the world for Jesus Christ through the lives of your children!
To God be the Glory!
Katie VanTil, Nurturing Faith Coordinator
