The Sower

I just finished reading a sermon from Barbara Brown Taylor's book, "The Seeds of Heaven."  It centered around the Extravagant Sower Parable in Matthew 11.

What does it mean to look at the meaning of the parable as centered around the sower, rather than the plants?  What does the certainty of abundance do to our perspective?  The sower is obviously unconcerned with how much seeds he sows -- he isn't afraid he'll run out or that the production will not meet his needs later. 

The sower is fearless.  If he were afraid of running out of seed, he would be more selective about where he plants it.  He would avoid the thorns and the path.  Instead, fearlessly, he throws seed anywhere, everywhere.  Nothing in the parable tells of his frustration or anger at the results. 

God must be like the sower.  He joyfully and without worry sows his love anywhere and everywhere.  He cares for all -- even those who don't demonstrate (to us, anyway) potential to bear fruit.  He just loves, without limit. 

He calls us to love the same way.  We are to love without regard to what will grow when we plant the seeds.  We are to love with the certainty that we will always have enough.  We are to love radically and without thoughts of scarcity or outcome.  We are to love.