July 12, 2026

In this homily, Pastor Lesley explores the famous Parable of the Sower from Matthew 13. While many of us focus on the types of soil, she invites us to look at the Sower—a Sower who is wildly generous, even wasteful, with his seeds.

Sharing a heartwarming story about her "dirt farmer" mother planting a garden in the middle of a seminary quad, Pastor Lesley reflects on how relationships and intentionality help seeds grow. But more importantly, this parable reveals a God of profound abundance. In a world that constantly preaches scarcity—telling us there isn't enough money, resources, or time, and making us feel like we aren't enough—God scatters grace, mercy, and love everywhere, without holding back.

Whether your soil feels rocky today, choked with thorns, or ready to bloom, God's love is unending. Jesus lived this out by speaking to Pharisees, sinners, and everyone in between, trusting the promise of Isaiah that God's word will not return empty. Let this message remind you: God is a God of abundance, there is enough love for everyone, and you are enough.