The earth comes to life

From the Gospel of Mark, 4:26-29, today's lectionary reading:

He also said, 'The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would
sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain
is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.'

The mystery of life: He would scatter seed and "would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how."

Spring comes earlier to Florida than to most of the country. I've been noticing the past week or two how green the grass has become. The trees are budding. Delicate green leaves of tiny proportions are suddenly there on all the trees and plants, popping up from nowhere. Azaleas, in profusion of reds and pinks, shout their existence to the sky. Where did they come from, so suddenly?

New life becomes evident each day. "It sprouts and grows" joyfully. This is the work of God's hand.

I planted the rose bush that's so full of buds, I scattered the seed of the green bahia grass. I can water them and tend them. But I cannot make them sprout and grow. I can only watch God's work in awe.

So it is with the Word.

Note: Go next door to Today's Gospel Insight(see "Links") to read a great exposition on today's Gospel reading.