Last year on my study leave in Oxford, England, every morning before heading to the library I attended a 7:30am Eucharist service in a side chapel of Christ Church cathedral. One morning as I was kneeling to receive communion, I noticed the sun streaming through a stained-glass window in front of me.
It shows Timothy, Paul’s young protégé (who has two of Paul’s letters in the New Testament addressed to him) holding and reading a Bible.
After the service ended, I went closer to examine a smaller window immediately beneath the Timothy window. Here we see Timothy as a young child, with a woman showing (or reading) the Bible to him.
Immediately something Paul wrote to Timothy in one of those letters jumped to mind: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.” 2 Timothy 1:5
I’m sure this window of Timothy as a child (beneath Timothy as an adult) seeks to demonstrate that Timothy grew into a man of faith because his mother opened the Bible to him as a child.
I was captivated by this window and stood in front of it long after everyone else left, still pondering it.
The sweet sincerity and openness in his face….my own memories of my children at that age….the powerful outcome in Timothy’s life. By sharing the scriptures with her son as a young child, mother Eunice and grandma Lois shaped a young man who became a leader in the early church.
Of all the parables Jesus told, only 3 exist in all the gospels, and one of the three (the best known) is all about words and the Word. Jesus repeats “hear” or “listen” 8 times in just this parable. Called the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23), its theme is hearing God’s Word—will we hear it deeply enough so it makes a difference in our lives?
Jesus describes how four different kinds of soil each hear or receive the “seed” of God’s Word.
“The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.”
“And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.”
“The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.”
“But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.”
Of all the soils, Jesus says the least about fourth kind. It’s simply called “good earth.” Why is that? The power to produce growth is in the Word of God, the seed itself —not the soil. The soil just needs to be “good earth,” receptive and ready to LISTEN and embrace God’s Word. It’s this kind of receptivity that produces a harvest.
So, here’s the take away. Spiritual growth is easier than we might have imagined. It’s all about taking time to listen. If the Word of God is like seeds planted in our lives, the seeds themselves will produce a harvest (even beyond our imagining!) if we simply take them in.
Not all of us are visual people but many are. Who or what do you see when you ponder this stained-glass window, as I did?
Do you see a child you know with whom you might open God’s Word together? Is it your own child or grandchild or even teenager (don’t give up as they get older!) Or perhaps a child you know and could invite to your church’s children’s ministry?
There’s a reason the Bible often highlights receiving Jesus “as a little child.” The essence of faith is trust, and children are able to trust. Don’t miss the opportunity of those special years.
Or might you see yourself in that child? You yourself discovering (or re-discovering) the joy of hearing God’s Word and having it planted deep within you, producing an unexpected harvest?
It’s never too late, or too early, to start!
