Snow Day

Yesterday at 9:00 a.m., when church services normally begin, there were six of us at the building.  Frank (our worship minister) was down at the back edge of our un-plowed parking lot in his van.  It slid down there into a snow bank.  Tom helped shovel Frank out of this predicament and then worked with Josh to shovel a place to turn around in the parking lot along with a path to the front door.  Traci made coffee, set up the coffee bar, and prepared some children's crafts for anyone who might brave the elements.  Scott, who had been circling since a little after 8:00a.m. began making slides and adjusting to a completely different program.  I was selecting new Scriptures.  Frank was selecting new songs.  By 9:30 we began a church service with the two dozen of us who had made it through the snow storm to gather for corporate worship.

I we sang worship songs and shared stories about our harrowing experiences coming in that day.  My contribution included brushing off the van with a push broom, making it out of the driveway easily enough, and slowly increasing speed on my street with 4 inches of snow.  A little ways up the road, our neighbor had plowed the driveway out into the street.  There was about a 4 foot snow bank blocking our way.  So, I did the only reasonable thing.  I sped up.  Traci's eyes got big as she grabbed on to arm rests and handles to brace herself.  I think I heard a, "No!" coming from her mouth as well.  We hit the snow bank and, just like in the movies, the snow exploded all around us allowing the van to break through like the hero coming to save the day.  The rest of our trip was uneventful by comparison.  We made it to the building.

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: (Luke 8:4 NIV)

Jesus was a master storyteller.  He could walk along the road, sit down at a meal, or pick up a grain of wheat and begin telling a story using his surroundings as the starting point.  Then he would use that moment to help us understand a bit more about God, God's Kingdom, or God's Plan.  When he told stories with a spiritual meaning like this, we refer to them as parables.

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." (Luke 8:5-8 NIV)

Perhaps you've heard this story before.  It is a pretty well-known story that Jesus shared.  This one, however, was not a story about what he saw on his way to church services that morning.  This story has a specific and purposeful meaning.  He would explain it to his disciples later.  We will unpack this story later as well.  As we go through the week we will look at this story through a lens that may be different to you.  You may not have thought about it this way before.  It will be worth your time.  I hope you will take the time to read these posts throughout the rest of the week.  It may change the way you look at stories.

How about you?  Will you take the time to read these posts throughout the week?  Will you break through any barriers that try to stop you?  Will you listen to Jesus?