October 15, 2025

Today's Reading: Matthew 13:1-23

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 13:1-18; Matthew 13:1-23

“And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:3-9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

This can feel like one of those “Sunday School” stories that you’ve heard a million times before. And maybe you have. Maybe when you were little, your Sunday School teacher taught you this, and she had you color a picture or maybe even gave you a little bag of seeds. Hopefully, those seeds did not end up like most of the seeds in the story. Nevertheless, this parable has great significance for our lives as Christians. The sower (Christ) sows the word of God. If you’ve ever seen the work of a sower, especially as it is traditionally done, the sower's sowing is… very haphazard. He takes a bag of seeds, slings them by his side, then takes a handful of them and just… chucks them as he walks. The seeds get everywhere, exactly like Jesus says. Far contrast to the cornfield in front of my house, where the seed machine probably has a count of every kernel they put in the ground. I like Jesus’s way better. 

But these seeds do not all meet the same fate. That’s part of business when the seeds are evenly covering everything. Some of them have no soil to grow in, so they become food. Some whither and die because of persecution. But others, others absolutely blossom. They are kept in growth by the care and tending of God. They are kept alive by the giver of growth. Your faith is kept alive by the giver of faith. You have ears to hear, and you have heard. And the word does not return void! The sower waters your faith with the preaching of the Gospel, and feeds it by giving you His own Body and Blood. Thanks be to God.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The sower sows; his reckless love Scatters abroad the goodly seed, Intent alone that all may have The wholesome loaves that all men need. Though some be snatched and some be scorched And some be choked and matted flat, The sower sows; his heart cries out, “Oh, what of that, and what of that?” Of all his scattered plenteousness One-fourth waves ripe on hill and flat, And bears a harvest hundredfold: “Ah, what of that, Lord, what of that!” (LSB 586:3-5)

Rev. Jonathan Lackey, Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius’s life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.