We get to...

We Get To…
This week, we turn to one of Jesus’ most generous parables—the Sower who scatters seed everywhere, on every kind of ground. Some falls on the path, some on rocks, some among weeds, and some in good soil. What makes the story so striking is the farmer himself: he throws seed with no hesitation, no calculation, no fear of running out.

Jesus isn’t just telling an agricultural story. He’s describing the heart of God—grace flung wide, grace that lands on the ready and the not‑ready, the soft‑hearted and the stubborn, the steady and the barely‑hanging‑on. This is Prevenient Grace, the grace that was reaching for us long before we knew how to reach back. And that grace is the spark that ignited the Methodist movement.

John Wesley knew every right answer and still felt empty—until one night on Aldersgate Street when his heart was “strangely warmed.” He didn’t just believe God loved the world; he finally felt that God loved him. That warmth sent the early Methodists into muddy fields, coal mines, and crowded streets, throwing seeds of good news at everyone. Their faith didn’t stay indoors. It changed the world.

That’s part of why this parable matters so much right now. The last few years have been heavy. Churches have felt it. Communities have felt it. But hard seasons don’t get the last word. We are people with warmed hearts. We are people who scatter grace.

And that leads to the turn at the center of our life together:
We don’t have to. We get to.

We get to gather on Sunday.
We get to open our doors wide.
We get to come to a table that turns no one away.
We get to bring our questions, our hopes, our messiness.
We get to trust that God is not finished with us yet.

Jesus is honest about the soils—the hard path, the rocks, the weeds, the good soil. But this isn’t a test. All four live inside each of us. Some parts of our hearts are soft and ready. Some are packed down. Some are tangled with weeds we keep meaning to pull. The real question isn’t whether we’re “good soil.” It’s whether we’ll let God keep working the ground of our souls.

And here’s the promise:
Nothing done in love is ever wasted.

A quiet prayer.
A welcome to a stranger.
A cup of coffee for someone grieving.
A ride offered without fanfare.

God gathers every seed and grows it into something larger than we can see.

As we begin this season together, my prayer is simple:
Let us be soft, open soil.
And let us be a church that throws seeds like crazy—not because we must, but because we get to.

Warm hearts.
Both hands full of grace.
Seeds for everyone we meet.

I’m looking forward to walking this parable together, and to rediscovering the joy of being Methodist—out loud, open‑armed, and overflowing with grace.

See you Sunday,
Pastor Mark