Year A Proper 10 2026 Celtic Service- Ludicrously Abundant

 Year A Proper 10, 12 July 2026

St George’s Episcopal, Fredericksburg, VA

Celtic Service “Ludicrously Abundant”

Collect: O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Matthew 13:1-9,18-23

Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 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. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”

“Hear then the parable of the sower. 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. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 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. 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. 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.”

We know this story. We know it too well to hear it. Parables are these little nuggets of truth, showing us the nature of things and turning our preconceived notions on their heads. And after 2,000 years you think you know what they are saying. But without the surprise and delight, we kind of miss the point. Somewhere along the way we made it about us.

This parable of the sower talks about two things: the nature of God’s love first and foremost, and the nature of our response. That second part is where, yes, we come in, but ALWAYS look for the twist when you read Jesus’ stories. That is what made his teachings unique to his listeners.

Jesus’ audience was a group of up and outs and down and outs. The up and outs thought they were chosen and had “arrived.” The down and outs were looking for shreds of hope. That is when the “flip” of this parable takes place. The Kingdom of Heaven is open to any and all. It is not something given by a birthright. It is not something we earn by what we do. The Kingdom of Heaven is scattered near and far. And what we do with it is what proves its worth. It is a gift freely given and ready for you to receive. The sower in this story is ludicrous. He scatters the seed hither and yon. We have access to seed, from Southern States or Wal-Mart. But back then, you had to work hard to harvest your seeds. Scattering them willy-nilly makes no sense. There is no rhyme or reason to where he scatters. He is not selective or frugal. Here a seed, there a seed, EVERYWHERE A SEED! This makes no sense unless abundance is the point.

We are not farmers, though. Maybe some of you are gardeners and are closer to Jesus’ story than me. I think of it this way. “Listen! A beloved singer was holding a concert, a concert at the grand theater, and they wanted everyone there who wanted to be there. They announced that there were tickets at Will Call for anyone who wanted to come. Some heard the news and got excited, but then figured it was too good to be true. Some really wanted to go, but on their way to the show they got a phone call and they were distracted and never made it. Some had other things to do, and even though this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, they chose to let the concert pass them by. But some took a chance and went to Will Call, and found there was a ticket that even had their name on it and they went in and were welcomed. They laughed and cried, they danced and sang along to those songs they knew by heart and had the time of their life.”

The unexpected nature of this story, the “flip” that turns it on its head is about the Good News. It really is Good, and better than we could ever imagine. Our responses are not a surprise. Being destroyed, or losing our enthusiasm, being shallow, or actually responding enthusiastically is something we can all actually imagine. This is not news to any of us. But the agape  nature of the love of God we still find amazing and potentially think is “too good to be true.” 

And that is where Jesus adds, “If you have ears, HEAR!” Friends, this life is a precious gift, each and every second of every minute of every day, and so much of it we have no say over. We have no ability to shape the outer events, but what we do have the power to do is decide how we will respond, and then the chance to do it. We can live in that Grace that we have received. We can abide in that ludicrous abundance and have it shape our thoughts and our actions. The only thing holding you back is you! Are you fertile soil so it can grow? Do you have your concert attire ready for the night of your life? If you have ears, use them!  Amen