Description
This week were are almost at the conclusion of our journey through the Matthew 10-13 stories that invite us to Check Our Hearts. Following Jesus is a balancing act we do each and every day making micro adjustments to keep us on the path. Sometimes though we lose our way. This week our activities help us to think about different ways we can find our way back to the path when we get lost.
Sometimes it is very easy to find yourself lost in your faith. In this parable Jesus tells a story about weeds growing in a corn field. Jesus then explains further to the disciples what this parable of the weeds means. He outlines the characters and events symbolically. This reading from Matthew is accompanied by the reading from Romans 8: 12-25. In the letter Paul writes to the community in Rome, an explanation is offered of our position as Children of God who are led by the spirit of God. Paul reminds them (and us) that we are the inheritors of the kingdom of God.
When we read these together, the importance of deep sowing and cultivating our hearts cannot be ignored. Unless we are intentionally keeping ourselves in mindful growth the weeds and distractions in the world grow up around us, stifling our growth and preventing us from bearing fruit. When this happens, we lose sight of the path Jesus calls us to follow.
Our Snapshot story telling encourages everyone to remember we are never alone on our faith journey regardless of how different our individual paths look, we need one another to help keep us accountable and focused on path Jesus creates for us. When we find ourselves off the path, we shouldn’t despair but rather look for the signs that help us back to the path. This week in our Return to the Path activity we create sensory spirals to provide us with an active meditation and prayer tool we can pick up when we feel lost.
Our Harvest the Fields sorting game is an opportunity to explore with a friend where in our lives might be the weeds that don’t belong and the seeds of corn that are growing tall.