It is the seventh Sunday after Pentecost. Today’s Bach cantata is “Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan” (What God does is well done):

Today’s Gospel reading is Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43:

The Parable of the Weeds

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

. . . .

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

The text of today’s piece is available here. It contains these words, which reinforce the Gospel message to leave judgment (and all else) to God alone:

What God does is well done,
His will remains righteous;
However he begins my affairs,
I will silently keep to Him.
He is my God,
who in need
knows well how to sustain me;
therefore I let Him alone rule.

. . . .

Therefore I will place my confidence
in God alone,
for He does not forsake His own.

Happy listening! Soli Deo gloria.

UPDATE: In our online service this morning, we heard a hymn I don’t remember hearing before: “We Plough The Fields and Scatter”:

I realized I had heard the tune before but it took me a minute to place it. I’ll place the answer below the fold so you can guess on your own. Leave a comment if you got it!

I don’t know which came first: the traditional song or the hymn. I love the ploughing connection, though!