Beside the Sea

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” Matthew 13:1-9 






Beside the Sea

On this All Hallows' Eve my soul
aches to be beside the sea once more
my holy birthplace and my restoration
deep understanding as the waves roll.

My toes desire the feel the chilly surf
my face and chest want to breathe salt air
all of me is seeking redemption now
in this season of dark and turning.

There is beauty all around me always
yet it can be hidden by a broken heart
it can be invisible when one is trembling
love can seem so completely out of reach.

It is her waves and her majestic tides
always turning always bringing in again
the lost, the broken and the barely living
lifting all the sinking boats around me.

Let us today seek out our baptismal place
the place of turning dunking and welcome
the home that changes and yet always ready
to receive the homeless and the new seed.