​From July 19 until August 15, Rev. Rob Montgomery will be on vacation.

During this time, we will continue to hold our In-Person Morning Prayer services each Sunday at 10 AM in St. Luke's Parish Hall, and offer our At-Home Morning Prayer resources here on our St. Luke's GP Website/Blog. 

Please contact Susan Sleep if you would like to sign up for an In-Person service, and you can contact our Parish Wardens (Rosemarie Kingston & Joyce McElman) if you have any other questions.

Our Service of Morning Prayer this week can be found here:

And our Songs for this week can be found here:

Starting today (July 19), until August 15, Rev. Rob Montgomery will be on vacation.

During this time, we will continue to hold our In-Person Morning Prayer services each Sunday at 10 AM in St. Luke's Parish Hall, and offer our At-Home Morning Prayer resources here on our St. Luke's GP Website/Blog. 

Please contact Susan Sleep if you would like to sign up for an In-Person service, and you can contact our Parish Wardens (Rosemarie Kingston & Joyce McElman) if you have any other questions.

Our Service of Morning Prayer this week can be found here:

​And our Songs this week can be found here:

Scripture Readings:  Isaiah 55:10–13 | Psalm 65:1–13 | Romans 8:1–11 | Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23
 
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.
 
In the early days of the pandemic, especially before things started to open up again, we found ourselves doing a lot more walking around our neighbourhood. As a family, we were already pretty regular walkers, but apparently being stuck in an apartment all day can be a great source of motivation for outdoors time. Anyway…
 
As the weather got warmer we began to notice that a whole lot of our neighbours were spending their time working on beautifying their yards and gardens; planting all sorts of brightly coloured and pleasant smelling flowers. Walking the same route two or three times a day, we started to really notice their progress… and to appreciate just how much effort was actually being expended. Now, months later the results of their work are beautiful to see, continuing to blessing all those who happen to draw near.   
In today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew, our Lord Jesus Christ also spoke to those gathered around about sowing seeds. But of course, we know much more was on His mind than agricultural.
 
We heard today one of Christ’s parables: a particular form of story that is more than a simple moral-teaching, or wise words in general, but is actually a way of driving home a specific, but often surprising, point. Parables were one of Christ’s favorite methods of revealing glimpses of God’s Kingdom, inviting His hearers to ponder; to revisit how we think about our everyday world, and our place in it.
 
Often in the Gospels, Christ’s parables are left unexplained, but in today’s reading, we are actually told the parable’s meaning: highlighting different ways in which God’s word, God’s message, is received… or not… warning us about some of faith’s the biggest obstacles.
 
Some hear God’s message, we are told, but they do not understand it. It’s life-giving potential does not seem to sink in at all, and so it’s truth is easily snatched away by the enemy. The lack here is clearly comprehension: to receive God’s message faithfully, that message has to be understood.
Others hear God’s message, understand it, and seem to receive it with joy, but for all the outward display of growth, there’s a dangerous lack of depth… and because God’s life-giving message is kept only at the surface of their lives, when faced with troubles or suffering their faith does not endure. The problem here is rootlessness: to receive God’s message faithfully, in ways which can truly endure, that message is meant to grasp hold of the depths of our personhood… of all that we are.
 
Still others hear God’s message, understand it, and let it take root… but this life-giving message is then crowded out by a host of other concerns. And because it’s not tended and cultivated, God’s message get’s lost in the weeds… unable to bear the kind of fruit it was intended to share. The issue here is one of unclear priorities: to receive God’s message faithfully so that it flourishes, this message requires commitment… and saying no to conflicting messages.
 
And finally, there are those who faithfully receive God’s message, the Gospel, with understanding, depth, and intentional commitment. Here, we are told we will find good soil for bearing the fruit of God’s kingdom: beyond what we might otherwise expect to be possible.
 
Probably nothing I have said so far is all that surprising. Jesus Himself already explained all this to His disciples. But here is an important point that we may have easily missed: Jesus didn’t explain this parable to everyone… to the crowds that had gathered hear Him speak. Though it is omitted from our reading today, Matthew mentions that Christ’s explanation of the parable comes sometime later, when His confused disciples beg Him to make it plain for them.
 
What I want us to see is that this parable is not a general, abstract teaching… it’s an invitation to discipleship… a call from Jesus to those who would draw near to Him, trust in Him, and follow Him… helping them to understand the path that lay before them… the kind of life, shaped by the Gospel of God, they were taking on.
 
One scholar, Stanley Hauerwas, writes: “Jesus instructs the crowd through some of the parables, but he explains the parables to the disciples because they are the ones who must learn to live in the light of the world revealed by the parables.[1]” It might be tempting to think that this parable is about drawing a clear line between those of us already in the Church… between followers of Jesus, the ‘good soil’ on the one side and everyone else ‘out there’ on the other side. But this parable, and these warnings, are meant first for Christ’s own disciples! We believers are the ones who are first of all being addressed. No matter how many years we have been Christians, or how many ways we have served in the Church, we are all being asked to take these words from our Lord seriously, and to reflect on how this parable speaks into our own situations.
 
Another scholar and cleric, N.T. Wright, makes this uncomfortable point about paying this kind of attention to the pointed words of Jesus: “It won’t always be easy. Christianity isn’t about cosy little lessons to make us feel better. It’s about what God’s doing in the world — what he’s already done in Jesus and what he wants to do through us today.”[2] And that includes His desire for we His people to grow: and to grow in such ways that all people are also draw closer to His life-giving love… that they too may be helped to faithfully receive the same message we have been given.
 
So as those who are seeking to trust in, and follow Jesus Christ, let us take a second and let our Lord’s words of warning speak to us:
 
Is the message of God’s good news resting on the hard path of our life, or has it broken through our walls enough to take root and grow?
 
Have we been content for the Gospel to touch us only near the surface, or is its life-giving truth beginning to take hold of us deep down, and in every corner of our being?
 
Are there worries and temptations crowding out God’s word to us, filling our lives with distractions, and sapping our energy, or are we beginning to learn what needs to be cut out, and what needs to be cultivated?
 
If this sounds a bit like hard work, you’re not wrong. We know that faith can be hard work at times… but, then again, so are most things that truly matter in life. N.T. Wright again makes an important observation about growing in faith: “This takes time, and sometimes hard work. A quick glance at the scriptures, an occasional sitting in church or a study group and being entertained by some new idea, is probably not enough. Care and thought needs to be put in to the task of hearing the word of the kingdom until it has taken proper root. Stones may need moving from the soil; thorns may need uprooting. But when hearing brings understanding, we know we’re getting close to the goal… And the promise then is this: not just that we will, as it were, have succeeded for our own sake, but that we will in turn become kingdom-people, bearing fruit in our own right.[3]”
 
If you are anything like me, you might be starting to see more than a few areas of your life where it seems some spiritual work might be needed to cultivate an openness to receive God’s life-giving word anew.   
 
If this is true for you today, take heart! Don’t be discouraged. Remember what, and Who, is at the heart of God’s message, God’s Good News. This life-giving message, after all, is that in Jesus Christ, God is at work on our behalf: the Living God has sent His Son, not to bring condemnation… but to seek and to save the lost… to bring about God’s gracious Kingdom, to bind up the broken-hearted, and reconcile all things to Himself… in short, Christ has come to be our Saviour… and the Saviour of the world. Faith may take work, but we certainly aren’t working alone. In Christ, through the Holy Spirit God Himself is at work in us.
 
The point of Jesus’ parable is not to highlight all our problems, but to help us look to Him for help: learning to trusting in His mercy, and that He longs to help us grow in Him. When we find ourselves still struggling to understand the basics of the faith, let us not give up, but actively seek a deeper knowledge of the Living God… not being afraid to ask questions either, or to ask our sisters and brothers for help.
 
When we find our faith under pressure, let us not give up, but cling to our Saviour instead: to the One who is able to help us endure and weather any storm, and who calls us to trust in His life-giving love.
 
When we find ourselves overwhelmed by our worries or distractions… let us not give up on God, but by His grace  let us work to cut off those things that ensnare us… to cut back on those desires that tend to take over control of our choices… and to even entrust to God the thorns of our lives… those troubles and cares we cannot avoid… calling on Him to set us free from the fear and burdens they bring.
 
And in all things, may we remember that Christ desires His disciples, you and I, to bear much fruit… and that through the Holy Spirit’s renewing presence and work, our lives can be made into good soil for the Good News of Jesus… the Saviour of the world. In Him we can grow in the knowledge and love of the living God. In Him, we can endure, and even thrive, in the face of suffering. In Him we can be set free from being ensnared by the distractions of life, and in Him we can share God’s blessed life with all those around us. Amen.


[1] Hauerwas, S. (2006). Matthew (p. 126). Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press.

[2] Wright, N. T. (2004). Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1-15 (p. 159). London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.

[3] Wright, N. T. (2004). Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1-15 (pp. 166–167). London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.

Our Service of Morning Prayer, Bulletin, and Sermon this week can be found here:

And our Songs this week can be found here:

Scripture Readings: Zechariah 9:9-12 | Psalm 145:8-15 | Romans 7:15-25a | Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
 
Where are we looking for rest these days?
By ‘rest’ I don’t just mean relaxation; the chance to unwind for a bit. But rather, I mean that sense of deep relief from our burdens, that life-giving freedom so many of us are longing for. How do we find that kind of rest? Do we even believe it exists?
 
In many ways we are living in a restless society: always on the go, but not necessarily getting anywhere.  Constantly busy, but not really finding ourselves fulfilled… leaving us burned out, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Weighed down by life, but unsure where to turn for help. This is nothing new, but recently, we have seen it in a new light.   
 
I don’t know about you, but I have found these last four months quite tiring. For the first time in living memory, it seemed our whole world was forced to slow down… to cease much of our busyness, to put aside all of our plans in the hopes of slowing the spread of COVID-19. Much of the things that used to fill our days, our work, our studies, our social lives, were unexpectedly interrupted, and many of us suddenly found ourselves with a lot more free time on our hands. Yet despite this sudden gift of time, many still found themselves exhausted… weighed down by all these big changes, by all the feelings of instability… by the burdens of isolation, and the hard work of adjusting everything. This has been a mentally, and emotionally, draining season for many of us. But for others, this time has been exhausting physically as well.
 
For those considered essential workers, including parents working from home and others taking care of children, there was no gift of extra free time… just a deeper sense of responsibility, and the pressure to keep on working. Though facing the same mental and emotional weight as the rest of us, these people had little chance to simply relax, never mind looking for lasting relief.  The word ‘unrelenting’ seems fitting here. Weighed down, burdened, and with no real end in sight.
 
I think you probably get the point by now: many people are really weary these days… if not you and I, then our loved ones, our friends, and our neighbours. So Christ’s words from the Gospel of Matthew offer us all some much needed hope today: drawing us further into God’s story to find and receive our rest in Him.
 
From the start, the promise of rest has been a big part of God’s story… and for ancient Israel the word rest was deeply intertwined with redemption: with being rescued by the Living God, and set free from slavery. Every seventh day, the Sabbath, was to be a day of sacred rest:a perpetual reminder that the Living God had looked on their ancestors with compassion while they were slaves in Egypt, and had powerfully intervened to end their oppression. One day a week, as they ceased from their work, they were to remember God’s saving work… regularly receiving refreshment, and building up their strength and hope.
 
But by Jesus’ day, Israel had again found themselves in desperate need of rescue. Scattered by invasions and exile, oppressed for centuries by foreign empires… and now under the rule of the terrifying Romans. God’s people were longing for relief, and hoping for help from the Lord… for the Messiah, the coming king, promised by the prophets long ago who would bring God’s rest and peace to His people, just like we heard this morning, from the prophet Zechariah:

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war-horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth (Zech. 9:9–10).
 
And so, Christ comes, sent by God to bring His divine peace and rest… to set the captives free, and bring new life into the world. Though not what anyone had expected, Jesus has come to carry on God’s work, to complete God’s rescue mission at the cost of His own life, making peace through His own blood shed on the cross.  
This is the story of God’s salvation. The story at the heart of the Church: That God’s Son, Jesus Christ, gave His life to rescue the world… and that in Him God invites us all to share in His eternal life.
 
This is the story that we know, but is it the story we believe? Do we turn to this the story in order to find the One who offers us rest? To receive from His hand relief from our burdens, and refreshment for our souls? To guide and direct the steps we take each day?
 
I know that many of us are weary… God knows that we are weary… in need of new strength, hope, faith, and courage. There are challenges that lie before us, as individuals and as a community, that may seem to be too much for us to handle. And this is why Jesus our Saviour invites us again and again and again, to come to Him in our struggles… to bring to Him everything that weighs us down… as tired, and confused, and hurting, and broken, and frightened as we may be. He calls us His people to trust Him… to look to Him for help… to come to Him, to learn from Him, and to join Him in His life-giving work… not only for ourselves, but for those weighed down all around us.

“Come to me,” Christ says, “all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”  As the Church, we are called to continuously receive this gracious gift from Jesus, and to join Him in His work bringing this rest and peace to His world… helping those around us to hear His call, and receive from Him true rest and redemption… and serving as His hands and feet to bring mercy to the oppressed and the weary.
 
So may the Holy Spirit give us the grace to come to Christ in our weakness, and find in our Saviour the strength and hope we need to follow Him into the world. Amen.

Our Service of Morning Prayer, and Sermon this week can be found here:

And our Songs this week can be found here: