Liturgy
The harvest moon welcomes us into a new season.
Summer seeds grow to maturity
and slow but steady change unfolds,
with a new world dawning before our eyes.
Divine Sower, you remind us that the best work
comes not through careless and urgent hands,
but slow labor rooted in patient love.
We hope for a day when all can feast
together at your table,
when the sweat of our brow
gives way to a harvest of plenty,
and when what you’ve sown for generations
will finally be ripe for reaping.
When we ask “How much longer Lord?”
You answer with sunlight and water and soil,
ingredients to feed the hidden but inevitable kingdom.
We are eager for quick fixes, craving instant results.
May you teach us to trust in the unhurried
cycles you’ve set in place.
We pray this in the name of
God, our nesting tree
Christ, the fruit that nourishes
And Holy Spirit, the cool shade of morning
Amen
(Vox Prayer Team)
Scripture
We invite you to hear from the Gospel according to Mark 4:26-32
26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter
seed on the ground 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the
seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth
produces of itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the
head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle
because the harvest has come.”
30 He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what
parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown
upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is
sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs and puts forth
large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
The grass withers and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Amen.
Homily & Reflection
Podcast: Know That You Are Loved
When hearing the text for today, what stands out to you in the parable of the growing seed?
What spiritual practices are grounding for you?
What are ways that you know you are loved or you witness the kingdom of God surrounding you?
Benediction
Beloved Vox community,
May the Lord grant you the tools to tend each seed in your garden.
For the seed that will not sprout, gentleness.
For the stalks that have not blossomed in years, patience.
For the shrubs that erupt with color at the most unexpected moments,
gratitude.
And for the roots that grounds us, continued strength.
May God’s canopy shelter you this week
as we share our diverse harvest with one another,
gathering wisdom from our fellow laborers.
As we depart from these doors, remember that the kingdom may not
arrive with a trumpet sound,
but with the gentle thud of fruit falling from God’s branches.
Go in the name of
God our Patient Sower,
Christ the Tree of Life,
And the Holy Spirit, our Nurturing Soil
Amen
(Vox Prayer Team)
[Photo by William Krause]