God Loves Us with Holy Abandon (Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23)

Have you ever missed out on experiencing God’s grace because you didn’t think you deserved it? Explore this week’s Gospel reading and consider what it means for us today.

Each week, we post a passage from Sunday’s Scriptures; share links to resources that give context and inspire new ideas; and offer a few questions to get you thinking about what we’ll read together in church.

The Gospel for July 12, 2026

Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23

Jesus went out and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!

“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Read all of Sunday’s Scriptures

Step Into the Story

3 Ways to Go Deeper

Commentary

It’s possible we’ve been reading the Parable of the Sower backwards. “What if it is not about our own successes and failures,” asks writer Barbara Brown Taylor, “but about the extravagance of a sower who does not seem to be fazed by such concerns, who flings seed everywhere, wastes it with holy abandon?”

Visual Art

This needlework sampler by an 18th-century New York City schoolgirl depicts this week’s passage among other stories from the Bible.

Poetry

In “Uneven Ground,” poet Laura Grace Weldon meditates on the grace that abounds in rough places.

Reflection Questions

Take a Moment to Wonder

• Have you ever missed out on experiencing God’s grace because you didn’t think you deserved it?
• Is love ever wasted?
• What might happen if you stopped waiting for the right conditions and gave grace away freely?