A Parallel Parable of Sower and Seed
Pentecost 7; Matthew 13:1-23
A farmer said he sowed his wheat
into the night. The seed ran out.
He missed the sign: perhaps he dozed,
equipment failed – both old and tired.
He kept on sowing, unaware:
part seed, part air drilled in the ground.
How could he know which part might grow?
I think he sowed that field again:
a waste of seed and time and strain,
but hopefully a harvest gained,
or did the crowded part yield less
for all his effort, fuel and cost?
Now down the ages seed was sown –
the word of God and words that sprout
where fertile minds bring forth the grain
and store the seed to sow again.
The yield has varied and maybe
the quality has varied too.
So, do we sow an ancient strain,
or seed evolved to suit the soil
and climate in such varied lands?
How can we know what’s gained or lost
as word comes down two thousand years,
source and translation shaping truth?
Now if we sow into the night,
worn out and dozing, can we know
if seed runs out and nothing’s sown?
Then, if we just repeat the past,
will such a crop grow spindly there,
invaded by encroaching weeds?
Barbara Messner 9/07/2026
Barb, poet priest 