Since this is an instructional Eucharist, we need to start by saying what the point of this part of the service is. It has a lot of different names; it’s often called a sermon, a homily, the message, teaching, preaching, or reflection. I was taught that the aim of this part of the service is to connect our readings from Scripture we hear in the church on Sunday to the rest of our lives. To do so, the preacher might talk about the whole of a book in the bible, or a chapter, or a paragraph, or just one single word. The point of having someone who has been trained in understanding scripture share their insights and reflections is to get you thinking, and praying, and wondering about these readings for the rest of the week.
So let's think about the parable we read from Matthew’s gospel today, the parable of the sower. The word of the Kingdom of God is the seed that is sown; it is what Jesus said and did; it is good news, the gospel truth of God's love. Some do not understand it; some are unprepared to let it grow deep roots in their lives; some are distracted, turning away from it, and some are ready to hear what Jesus says and grow into living it out every single day. The work of a preacher is to increase our understanding, to get us preparing our lives for what Jesus is saying, to help us clear a space without distractions into which God can come.
A good homily should have you thinking on the way home and into the week after. That doesn’t mean you always agree with the preacher; it means you are triggered to think about the scripture, read up on it, talk to God and friends about what the bible says. So that you care for the seed that is planted on Sundays and that the scripture we hear together bears fruit in our lives out in the world.
So let us pray: Grant, Lord, that the words of your gospel would fall on all our hearts like seed onto good ground. That the knowledge and love of Jesus might grow up in our hearts, and there produce a harvest of many more gospel words, overflowing from our hearts, minds, and mouths. Amen.