SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2026 | AFTER PENTECOST PROPER 10 (A)

1. Sermon:

Good morning,

Isaiah talks about rain and we sure got some this week! Things got SOAKED. But of course, the point of the rain is somewhere else. It is actually related to the sower Matthew reading. Both the rain and the Wisdom seed (logos spermatikos) come from God and permeate, saturate the world. And both rain and seeds get everywhere. It is an allegory to how God’s wisdom is scattered—generously and ultimately unpredictably.

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus wrote:

"Though the Logos is universal, the many live as if they had a private understanding."

It is universal and is accessible to all. Where it gets tricky are the thorns choking it out—the thorns can mean many things, but in our context of a capitalistic society, they are the systemic forces of consumer capitalism that profit directly off our shame, trauma, and exhaustion. They are the anxieties of consumerism that tell us our worth is tied to our productivity and our possessions. The less we feel whole, the more we over-consume. It is then no surprise that it commodifies the "logos"—telling us that the wisdom, wellness, and grace from God are scarce and need to be bought or “deserved.”

In Romans, Paul warns against the mind set on the flesh—the internalized systems of death that lead us to distrust our own bodies. We are told that our bodies are “rocky ground” and our lived experiences “hard paths,” and thus they are unworthy of holding the holy.

Of course, none of this is true. Isaiah invites us to “come, buy wine and milk without money.” The Gospel is the radical news that the Sower refuses to be efficient or careful. God flings the Logos into the cracks of the sidewalk, into poetry, into the cries of a protest, and into the quiet rhythms of our bodies. And to that Paul adds: “there is no condemnation”—the Spirit of Life dwells within you and thus your body is not a vessel of sin; it is an instrument tuned to resonate with God’s truth. The Spirit sweeps away the thorns and allows the seeds to take root within us.

Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher and a passionate critic of traditional Christianity, wrote:

"There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy."

The good soil is not some abstract theological concept, but our very flesh, our very bodies with its blemishes and wrinkles. Watch a toddler navigate the world. They don’t just learn with their intellect; their entire body is a sponge. They absorb the tension in a room, the rhythm of our breathing, the way we flinch or open our arms. Our bodies retain that exact same capacity. They absorb the trauma of a world that demands constant production, but they are also uniquely designed to absorb grace.

When we assume God only speaks through a specific translation or a rigid intellectual framework, we become the rocky ground. We pave over the good soil. I am thankful for Martin Luther’s approach to tradition—if it doesn’t go against the Bible, let’s leave it be. But when we try to aggressively manage the Spirit, we lose the Logos. I think of the Swiss reformer Ulrich Zwingli, who had a different idea: if it is not explicitly in the Bible, it needs to be removed. I remember walking through Zurich, Switzerland, and seeing all those wonderful churches, but when entered, I was often met with white walls that had murals painted over, and it was a sad sight. Centuries of religious art expressing facets of God’s inspiration upon people erased in a sweep of intellectual zeal and hubris.

If God’s wisdom truly falls like rain over the whole earth, then we should expect to see it blooming in fields we didn't plant. There are two concepts that can help us grasp this wildly scattered wisdom.

First, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh coined the term "Interbeing" to explain the Buddhist doctrine of Dependent Origination (Pratītyasamutpāda). A flower cannot exist by itself; it "inter-is" with the soil, the rain, the sun, and the pollinator. Just like no one here exists apart from our community, our soil, our family, and friends. There is no separation between the mind and body, thus we are foundationally connected to God, as well as the Creation.

Secondly, in many Native American traditions, the earth is not a collection of resources (objects) to be extracted, but a community of relatives (subjects) to be respected. Botanist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer (Potawatomi Nation) writes about the "Honorable Harvest"—the practice of taking only what you need, using everything you take, and offering gratitude in return. The natural world is already praising God; we are simply late to the choir. And if we become open to it, there is so much we can learn from the soil, the water, the plants, trees, animals, and so on.

Beloved community, I believe that this posture of openness can genuinely be a solution to many of our modern anxieties and the lies that we are being told, bringing us closer to how God sees us: we are beloved and cherished, together with the rest of Creation. The whole world is saturated with God’s wisdom. It cannot be bought, hoarded, or earned. It falls like the rain, completely free. May we have the courage to clear away the thorns, trust the soil of our own bodies, and let the wisdom take its root within us. Amen.

2. Prayers of the People (ELW Petition)

Generous Sower, you scatter your wisdom like rain across the whole earth, refusing to be contained by our walls or our anxieties. Free us from the thorns of endless consumption and the exhaustion of trying to earn our worth. Remind us that our bodies are not rocky ground, but good soil, uniquely designed to absorb your grace and bear the fruit of justice. Open our eyes to see your living Word blooming in the soil, in our neighbors, and in the unexpected corners of your creation. Merciful God,

receive our prayer.

3. Reflection Questions

Where do you feel the "thorns" of manufactured scarcity—the pressure to constantly produce, achieve, or consume—choking out your sense of peace during the week?

How might your daily life shift if you completely trusted Paul's promise of "no condemnation" regarding your own physical body?

Can you identify a recent moment where you encountered God's scattered wisdom (Logos) in a completely secular, wild, or unexpected place?

4. Embodiment Exercise (No Props)

The "Good Soil" Breath Practice(Can be used before the sermon, after the sermon, or during the prayers.)

Grounding: Invite the congregation to place both feet flat on the floor and rest their hands palms-up on their laps.

Connecting: Ask them to imagine their feet as roots extending into the "good soil" of the earth, taking a moment to physically feel the floor supporting them—a reminder that they are held by creation without needing to earn or purchase that support.

Inhaling Grace: Lead them in a slow, deep breath in, inviting them to notice the physical expansion of their ribs and lungs. As they inhale, invite them to silently say, "I receive the rain."

Exhaling the Thorns: As they exhale, ask them to consciously drop their shoulders and unclench their jaws, physically releasing the tension of the week's demands. As they breathe out, invite them to silently say, "I release the thorns."

Conclusion: Repeat this cycle three times. Conclude by reminding them that the very air filling their lungs is the Spirit (pneuma/ruach), affirming that their bodies are sacred, living instruments of God's truth.

Sermon Notes: Embodied Liberation & The Scattered Seed

Biblical & Theological Terms

Logos / Logos Spermatikos (The Scattered Seed): Logos is a Greek word meaning "Word," "Reason," or "Wisdom" (used in John 1 to describe Christ). Early Christians used the term Logos spermatikos ("the seed of the Word") to explain how God's wisdom is scattered everywhere—meaning truth can be found in nature, secular philosophy, and other cultures, not just within the church walls.

The "Thorns" (Matthew 13): In the Parable of the Sower, thorns choke the growing seed. Today, we interpret these thorns as the systemic forces of consumerism and the anxieties of late-stage capitalism. They "choke" us by telling us our worth is tied strictly to our productivity and possessions.

The "Flesh" vs. The Body (Romans 8): When the Apostle Paul warns against "the mind set on the flesh," he is not condemning the physical human body. Rather, the "flesh" represents systems of death, greed, and internalized shame. The Gospel declares our physical bodies are actually "good soil" and temples of the Spirit.

Church History

Martin Luther vs. Ulrich Zwingli on Tradition: During the Reformation, Martin Luther believed that if a tradition or piece of art didn’t contradict the Bible, it could be kept. The Swiss reformer Ulrich Zwingli believed that if it wasn't explicitly commanded in the Bible, it must be destroyed.

The Whitewashing of Zurich: Because of Zwingli's strict theology, beautiful centuries-old murals in the churches of Zurich, Switzerland, were painted over with white paint in 1524. We remember this as a cautionary tale of what happens when we try to aggressively manage or "fence in" God's inspiration.

Philosophical & Cultural Voices

Heraclitus (Ancient Greek Philosopher): He observed that "Though the Logos is universal, the many live as if they had a private understanding." This reminds us that humanity has a long history of trying to hoard or privatize universal wisdom.

Friedrich Nietzsche (19th-Century Philosopher): Though a fierce critic of traditional Christianity, Nietzsche wrote, "There is more reason [wisdom] in your body than in your best wisdom." We use this to affirm that our physical bodies, which absorb both trauma and grace, are inherently wise and beloved by God.

Interbeing (Thich Nhat Hanh): A term coined by the Buddhist Zen Master to explain that nothing exists in isolation. A flower "inter-is" with the soil, rain, and sun. Likewise, we are foundationally connected to one another and to Creation.

The Honorable Harvest (Robin Wall Kimmerer): Detailed by the Indigenous botanist and member of the Potawatomi Nation, this is the practice of treating the earth not as a collection of resources to be extracted, but as a community of relatives. It involves taking only what you need, using all of it, and offering gratitude.

Isaiah:

Positive prophecy

Romans:

Spirit set us free and make us alive

Matthew:

Teaching from a boat!

The parable of a sower - sower goes and spreads logos -> can also mean that bits of logos are everywhere, in philosophy, other religions, prose....