In the Gospel reading today from Matthew (13:1-9, 18-23), Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower. It's two parts. First, there's the parable itself. Jesus usually lets parables go at this - he normally doesn't explain them. And that's probably a good thing. But with this parable, Jesus adds a second part - he gives an explanation.

Notice how often Jesus uses the words "listen" and "hear" and "understanding." There are different levels of "hearing." We can be in a room where someone else is talking. Our ears register the sound, but our brains don't have a clue what was said. We say, "It went in one ear and out the other." People have said to me, "You didn't hear a word I said." I've said the same thing to others: "You didn't hear a word I said."

Jesus knows that, if we're going to follow him faithfully, we've got to be able to hear him. If the word of God is going to take root in us and grow, it will need to find good ears - and a ready heart.

Farming isn't the same as it was 2,000 years ago. Jesus, in this parable, isn't talking about someone riding high in a fancy International Harvester, carefully tilling the soil, planting each hybrid seed at exactly the correct depth. Instead, the guy in Jesus' story has a bag of seeds over his left shoulder, and, with his right hand, he's scattering them all over the place. Not all the seeds land in good spots.

What is it that keeps us from both hearing and understanding? This parable offers three answers, based on where the seeds fall.

First, seeds fall on the path. This is hard ground. It's like trying to plant grass in my driveway. It just won't work. Maybe there's an occasional crack where a blade of grass might sprout up. But it won't produce much. How many people there are who call themselves Christian, but who never expend any effort to soften the ground of their hearts so that God's word might take root?

Other seeds fall on rocky ground, where fear of "trouble and persecution" causes the seeds to scorch and wither away. We don't often think that fear of trouble and persecution is a problem these days. But think for a moment how difficult it is, sometimes, to stand up for Jesus. "What will people think if I say, "Hold on. I'm a Christian. And what you're saying (or doing) is just wrong.' " I wonder if there were Christians at, say, Enron or WorldCom recently who were afraid to say, "This is just wrong."

The final obstacle to hearing and understanding - and what a huge obstacle it is - is when the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke out the word. It's no wonder that Jesus talks more about money and possessions than about anything else.

Our family purchased a new van two weeks ago. Earlier this week, while I was walking across the parking lot, I saw a fancier van going down the street. Immediately I wanted that van instead. Give me just a little bit more, and I'll be happy. And a little bit more. And a little bit more. Before I reached the other side of the parking lot, I recognized the sin of greed that so easily finds fertile soil in me. Greed chokes out my ability to hear God.

So, where's the "Weed and Feed"? How does God offer to "Weed and Feed" our hearts to eliminate the weeds and to nurture the soil of our lives? How can we become more attentive to the gracious call of our Lord Jesus Christ?

One way is prayer. Think of marriage. What would happen to your marriage if you never, ever spoke to your spouse? Probably it wouldn't make for a good relationship. Or, suppose that when you did, only you did the talking, and that you never, ever bothered to listen to what your spouse might want to say to you. If communication is important for our marriage, it's just as important in our relationship with God. That communication is called prayer. And it needs to go in both directions. Prayer takes time. But it's necessary to cultivate the soil.

Another way to listen to God is through God's word given to us in Holy Scripture. It's the story of God's mighty and saving acts, culminating in God's gracious gift of his own son. Christians call the Bible inspired, in part because we believe that God continues to speak to us through the Bible. Are we listening?

One final way to improve our hearing and understanding is by gathering together regularly with other Christians. We do this, Sunday by Sunday, in the repeating worship life of the church - praising, singing, praying, hearing God's word, sharing in the sacraments. It's a powerful way for God to clarify our hearing.

We also can choose to gather in smaller groups - to talk about our common life of faith in Jesus Christ and to foster discipline and accountability. Jesus promises that, when two or three are gathered in his name, he will be in our midst.

Jesus invites us to enter into more abundant life in him by letting him cultivate the soil of our lives. He invites us to permit him to clean away the rubbish and fertilize the ground. He invites us to discover that, by his grace, we will better hear and understand his call for us.