Parable of the wheat and tares

Beloved of God,

    Over the past several weeks I’ve had a chance to do something  I rarely get to do. I’ve been able to be, consistently, a regular  student in several of our classes and studies through the week. It has reminded me how many fine and faithful teachers we have who are serving in those groups, and guiding God’s people into study and discipleship. I hope if  that is not part of your regular rhythm that you will consider joining one of those groups. There are no disciples who do not need to study, and those who fail to study are not fully practicing their discipleship. I’m convinced that this happens most fully, faithfully, and carefully in the context of a local church. I’m also so grateful to folks like  Steve Nolen, Caroline Sunderland, Chuck McCullough, and Kyle Hughes who are offering us opportunities to do just that. 

Our Scripture reading for Sunday is a collection of parables, but one in particular gets attention and discussion within the passage. It’s the parable of the wheat and the tares, one of those stories that relies on most of us having more familiarity with ancient cereal farming than we do. It’s a parable about faithfulness and patience coinciding; staying involved in discipleship and bearing up in and among those who don’t know Jesus. This passage doesn’t give room for smug certainty. It’s not about the weeds you know on sight. It’s about a plant that looks like, grows apace with, and is easily confused with wheat right up until the head of the grain pops out. It’s only then that you know what the plant really is. You find out what the seed is really like right at the end.
I wonder if in telling this parable Jesus is asking us to be more concerned to grow up into faithfulness than to crusade against the faithlessness we’re convinced is all around us. A day of judgment will come no matter what, but until then maybe it’s our job to mind what we’re growing into rather than planning to uproot those we know (know?) to be weeds. 

Please join me this week in praying for:

• Wisdom.
  
• Our Associate Pastor Search Team.
  
  
• Those among us who are traveling.
  
  
• Loved ones and neighbors who are injured, sick, or recovering from difficult procedures.
  
• The young people in our church.
  
• Those in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local levels.
  
• Those who respond to emergencies on our roadways, in our wildlands, in our communities, and even in our homes. 
  
• Each other (please email [email protected] if you’d like to be added to our prayer list.
  

You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,

Marshall