On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. “And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. “Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. “But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. “And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. “But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mat 13:1-9 NKJ)
The other day God sent a prophet onto the world stage. The event was the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. I didn’t watch the whole event, but I did hear the preacher. Not the usual stuffed shirt, dry and lifeless, just going through the motions. The preacher was an American, Bishop Michael Curry. Did nobody warn him he was addressing a nation who’s catchphrase is ‘keep calm and carry on.’
A key part of his sermon was about the power of love. He said,
“Stop and imagine for a minute. Think and imagine. Think and imagine a world where love is the way.
Imagine our homes and families when love is the way. Imagine our neighborhoods and communities where love is the way. Imagine governments and nations where love is the way. Imagine business and commerce when love is the way. Imagine this tired old world when love is the way. When love is the way — unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive — when love is the way, then no child will go to bed hungry in this world ever again. When love is the way, we will let justice roll down like a mighty stream, and righteousness like an ever-flowing brook.
When love is the way, poverty would become history. When love is the way, the earth will be a sanctuary. When love is the way, we will lay our swords and shields down by the riverside to study war no more. When love is the way, there’s plenty of room for all of God’s children. When love is the way, we actually treat each other, well, like we are actually family. When love is the way, we know that God is the source of us all, and we are brothers and sisters and children of God. Brothers and sisters — that’s a new heaven, a new earth, a new world, a new human family.”
Some seed fell on the stony ground, among the thorns, scorched by the sun, but perhaps some found fertile ground. One thing was for sure; God had the final word.
