Matthew 13:1-23
July 16, 2023
Lead in #1: When the crowds would press in on Jesus, a favorite mode of escape was a boat. Such is the case in Matthew 13. The crowds were pressing in, and a boat is his getaway plan. Then, once on the water the boat becomes his pulpit with Jesus’ congregation listening on the shore. But not all who heard Jesus’s words were ready to take them into their hearts.
Prompt #1: Who in your life is hardest to listen and be open to? Why is that?
Prompt #2: Where in your life is it hardest to be open to what God might want to say to you? Why is that?
Lead in #2: The parable of the sewer and the seed is sometimes called the Harvest Story. As the farmer sowed, “some seed fell on the path and the birds came and ate it up.”
Prompt #3: Was there ever a time when you allowed something precious to you to be snatched away by something that, at the time, looked like a better offer? What did you learn from that?
Lead in #3: “Some seed fell on rocky ground. It sprung up right away, but because there was little soil the sun scorched it and so it withered for lack of roots.”
Prompt #4: Can you think of a time when you were initially enthused about something, but then you came down from your emotional high and you lost interest in what you were once so excited about?
Prompt #5: How might that apply to the spiritual life?
Lead in #4: “Some seed fell among thorns and the thorns choked it.”
Prompt #6: Reflect on a time when everyday worries and longing for material success so distracted you that it choked off the commitment necessary to stay on the path Jesus is calling you too.
Lead in #5: “Some seed fell on good ground and it produced a harvest of 100, 60, or 30 fold.”
Prompt #7: Reflect on a time when you were able to hear and respond to God’s call and good (fruit) came from that.
Prompt #8: Reflect on a time when you took a risk and tried something that turned out way better than you could have ever imagined. How does that relate to the spiritual life?
