Call to Worship
Sowing seeds,
scattering them around,
have we prepared the land?
Will our seeds land on fertile ground?
Will their roots take hold?
Will the new growth be strong?
And will the harvest be bountiful?
How do we take our mustard seed faith and grow it?
Come gather,
gather and be fed and nourished.
Come gather
gather and raise your voices in praise.
Come gather,
gather and worship our God,
the nourishment of our lives.
Readings:
Genesis 25:19-34
Psalm 119:105-112
Romans 8:1-11
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
A parable retold – Matthew 13:1–9
By Rev Sarah Agnew, Wesley UCA, Canberra
Listen.
Life scatters seeds indiscriminately.
Seeds of hope, of peace, of kindness;
seeds of joy, of love, of wisdom.
Falling on stone, birds may steal the seeds.
Falling on rocky ground, the seeds grow fast, but
do not live long without depth for resilience
when the wind howls, and the sun scorches.
Falling among thorns, the seeds are choked,
no air to breathe, no room to move.
Falling on healthy soil, the seeds of hope,
of peace, of kindness, seeds
of joy, of love, of wisdom push their roots
down deep, stretch their leaves high and wide,
grow strong, fruitful, spreading hope, peace
kindness, joy, love, wisdom, letting seeds
fall for more to grow in time.
Listen.
Which soil are you, for the falling seeds?
Listen. Listen and hear.
Amen.
Prayer of Adoration and Confession
God of growth,
you bring nourishment
to our land and to our lives.
You plant seeds of love in our hearts
to grow and to blossom
so we can welcome and serve your world in your name.
Christ our cultivator,
we ask that you break up the guilt that stifles our growth.
We pray that you will uproot our wrongdoings
to allow us and this world to grow into something beautiful.
For our shortcomings,
spoken and unspoken,
in action and by not acting at all,
forgive us.
Pause
Sowing Spirit,
may you create in us
a people of peace,
a collective of compassion and a household of hope for all.
Amen.
Story – The Sower
Source: The Growing In gods Love Storybible published by FlyAwayBooks
The Parable of the sower (in LEGO)
Song: The Sower’s Song
Reflection – The Sower
Song: The Seed Song
Jesus, Storyteller, a Conversation Starter
Source: Spill the Beans Issue 17
Jesus lived for most of his life in a small town and he knewall about the crops that the farmers grew in the fields. Lots of the stories Jesus told were about farming and farmers, about seeds and corn, about hungry birds and weeds and flowers. And Jesus knew about cities too, about busy streets and crowds of people. Jesus told stories about homes and families, about cooking and cleaning, about brothers and sisters, about weddings and parties. Jesus noticed what was going on all around him; he asked questions and he told stories.
How many of Jesus stories can you remember?
Here are some clues:
A story that mentions hungry birds. (Mark 4)
A story about cooking. (Matthew 13)
A story that mentions robbers and a donkey. (Luke 10)
A story that mentions oil. (Matthew 25)
A story about 400 legs of lamb. (Luke 14)
A story that mentions six brothers and a few dogs. (Matthew 25)
A story that mentions goats. (Matthew 25) A story about builders. (Matthew 7)
A story about being woken up in the middle of the night. (Luke 11)
A story that mentions pigs. (Luke 15)
What’s your favourite story that Jesus told and why?
Sending
Source: Spill the Beans Issue 17
Lord, send us out into our community to scatter the seed of your word,
to sow the seeds of your love,
to tend the shoots that we see growing and taking root.
Give us courage and patience
to nourish others
as you have nourished us today.
Take Home Ideas For The Week
Source: Spill the Beans Issue 17
Where can we sow seeds in our community this week?
Take time to think about the opportunities we each have to sow seeds of trust, friendship and support with those around us.
Are there examples of the seeds for new things sprouting around you that might need nurture and support to continue to grow?