Matthean or Jesuic Sitz im leiben?

Whose life situation do we understand this parable from? When Jesus says "He who has ears to hear let him hear," he speaks of attending to the seed. When Matthew says through Jesus, "He who has ears to hear let him hear," he speaks of understanding the fact of why the Gospel they preach seems ineffective sometimes, and how the Matthean Christians should continue casting. For Jesus the Gospel is in the seed, for Matthew it is in the broadcast and the extravagance of the farmer. Where is the Gospel for us this week?

Does the Word return void? (Proper A10)

Does Jesus' parable in Matthew contradict the prophet saying

"so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."?

Jesus indicates that the word broadcast in the field doesn't always bring forth the intended results everywhere.

Isaiah speaks not of the preaching or proclamation of the word of God, but the promises themselves. The promise of the Gospel is not negated; rather the extravagant farmer sows even where there is little chance of a harvest.

Is it the sovereignty of God that makes some ground unreceptive, or is it simply a fact? Can Jesus' parable be taken as a promise that at least some seed sown will grow? If so does that mean that every time the word is read it will take root somewhere in our lives, or at least in somebody in the congregation? Or do we have to bring our attention to the word for it to be planted well?

As Ray Orth asked today, "Where is the Gospel in this text? With out it your churches will wither and die! What is the seed?" The Word of God - the creative voice of God, his very work in salvation-history, the act of Christ upon the cross and the resurrection itself. These are pregnant seeds! Think of all the power of the voice of God packed into these tiny packets and spread abroad in our hearts. This is a beautiful image.

Taken within the context of the week, the focus of the text is the Word of God and its power in our lives. Where can it flourish? What power does it have when it begins to grow? Even the tiny seed will transform us if we attend to it with a fertile soil.

Manifesto

The purpose of life
is to make the manifest world real

The world at this point
is a virtual reality - almost real
God has done well, thus far

God is the only real
God is delimited in us as attention
Attending we transform any moment
We make It real

A human life with purpose
brings attention to all moments
of the manifest

---

The individual at this point
is a virtual reality
God has done well, thus far

Attending we transform the individual
We make it real

A human life with purpose
brings attention to the individual identity

---

life's purpose Is not to bring wealth to all people
Not to bring peace to the world
Nor harmony with nature

These are worthy endeavors
Maybe the only worthy endeavors

Life with these as purpose
guarantees failure remorse
Suicidal thinking

Bring attention to wealth
Bring attention to peace
Bring attention to nature
Make these manifestations real

---

Along the way to the real
One's identity is cracked
Through the crack energy flows
This energy is the holy spirit
The spirit thickens the air

The spirit blends three states of matter
The spirit is the context of things
Things are spirit delimited

Spirit and attention
Attending to the spirit
we guide the formation of the manifest
Attending to the manifest
we make the manifest real

This is the purpose of life.

The power of the Word (Proper A10)

How powerful is the word sown as seed in our hearts? Lord let the mystery of the power of your word capture us this week-the power of the names Jacob and Esau were given, the power of seeds in the earth, the power of the Spirit to transform our lives.