Friday, August 28, 2026

This devotion pairs with this weekend’s Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.

Again He [Jesus] began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And He was teaching them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said to them: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mark 4:1-9)

Very often Jesus told stories; they’re called “parables.” Jesus’ stories always had some contact with real life, with the day-to-day life people knew. Let’s consider the well-known “Parable of the Sower.” It’s about a man who sowed seed by hand. Jesus tells us the seed fell in four distinct places: along a path, on rocky ground, among thorns, and into good soil. In the first three places, the seed did not take root. The seed that reached the good soil, however, produced grain, growing into a substantial yield. So far, the story makes perfect sense to Jesus’ listeners.

But then Jesus says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” This comment left His hearers scratching their heads, and they later asked Him to explain. His story isn’t about getting the most bang for your buck at the farmer’s market. It’s about how the Word of God works in people’s lives—and this is news Jesus’ followers need to know in their proclamation of God’s Word.

People receive the Word of God in different ways. Critics don’t give it a second chance. The devil keeps the Word from their hard hearts. Others receive the Word enthusiastically but don’t grow in it; they don’t stick with Jesus when discrimination or persecution comes. Still others are preoccupied with the things of this world, and that chokes it out. But the good soil, ah, that’s what you and I want to be! To be sinners who receive the forgiving and hope-giving Word of Christ! To grow in reverence for the loving rule and reign of God! To be followers of Jesus who produce godly fruit in our lives. May we be the good soil in whom the love of God’s kingdom grows!

And when we speak of Jesus to others, we know that it is God attending to His Word. He tells us in Isaiah 55:11, “so shall My Word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty.” You are not alone in proclaiming the Word, nor must you have the exactly right answer every time. God is doing His work! There is a generation in need of the goodness of the Gospel. They are scraping to find meaning in life. Friendships, jobs, and a long line of relationships have let them down. But the Gospel will not. This is the importance of what you have to share.

This is the importance of telling others about Jesus.

WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, let me speak boldly of Your love to others. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Based on “Tell Me a Story!” a sermon by Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer, Speaker Emeritus for The Lutheran Hour

Reflection Questions:

1. Are you intimidated when you speak of Jesus to others? What is your biggest fear?
2. What is it about Jesus’ Parable of the Sower gives you heart when you share the Gospel?
3. If God does the work of making His Word fruitful, how does that reorient our thinking to our role in sharing the Gospel?

Today's Readings:

2 Chronicles 7-9
2 Corinthians 2

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