Isaiah 55:10-13 "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. 12You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! 13Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the Lord's name; it will be an everlasting sign of his power and love. (NLT) Psalm 65:(1-8), 9-13 L. (What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion. C. We will fulfill our vows to you, for you answer our prayers, and to you all people will come. L. Though our hearts are filled with sins, you forgive them all. C. What joy for those you choose to bring near, those who live in your holy courts. L. What joys await us inside your holy Temple. C. You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. L. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas. C. You formed the mountains by your power and armed yourself with mighty strength. L. You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations. C. Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. L. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy.) C. You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile. L. The rivers of God will not run dry; they provide a bountiful harvest of grain, for you have ordered it so. C. You drench the plowed ground with rain, melting the clods and leveling the ridges. L. You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops. C. You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance. L. The wilderness becomes a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy. C. The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep, and the valleys are carpeted with grain. L…They all shout and sing for joy! (NLT) The second lesson Romans 8:1-11 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. 3The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. 5Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace. 7For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will. 8That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. 9But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.) 10Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God. 11The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you. (NLT) The Gospel Lesson Matt 13:1-9, 18-23 1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop-- a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 He who has ears, let him hear." 18 "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." (NIV)