Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

My word that goes out from my mouth will not return to me empty. Whether you recognized it or not we have been part of the Word going out and not coming back empty.

The readings for today are tied so beautifully into our experiences I couldn't help but use these memories today.

When you think about it we have had some incredible twists in this place. The fact that we are still worshiping here is an act of providence. The facts that our little group is able to exist without financial assistance and send out a tithe every month and even go beyond that to support mission work is part of the demonstration of the Word going out and not returning empty.

The time we had with Daniel and Paola is another wonderful demonstration for us to learn by. This couple came to us in the most unlikely of circumstances. Daniel came as a missionary from Chile to the United States. Although we were their home congregation Daniel preached at several Spanish churches in the tri-state area. We have been blessed by their talents and by them being part of our family here. Now they have moved on to do the Spirits work in another place and in that transition people have been moved by the Spirit to assist them in many ways.

In South Carolina a number of unexpected blessing came upon them in the house they live in, furniture to replace what they had to leave behind here, even the long wrangling to straightening out the title on the Bronco was resolved. They now have their own vehicle to drive.

As missionaries they have been blessed by the church they now serve. They have already started evening bible studies and will begin Spanish services within two weeks. The interesting twist again is that while we had difficulty in the LCMS getting Daniel status, the church they went to has ties to another Lutheran organization that is decidedly mission oriented.

Daniel and Paola have demonstrated a trust in God to lead them to a place where they can minister to people that need the Word in their lives. Ultimately they put their entire trust in God to provide for them in every need. Many of us would never put our livelihoods in the hands of God as they have. Through them God has shown us that when we trust Him He provides in ways we would not expect.

The departure of the Sanchez's leaves a void in our little congregation. As I prayed about where we were heading next I received an email. The email was not from God at least not directly. A family from Elverson has taken an interest in worshipping with us. A little reminder that God is still very interested in this place.

In all three readings for today the emphasis is on the power of the Word. And I can say in all conviction the power of the Word has worked mightily here. We may be saddened by the departure of part of our family and we may be discouraged that are ranks are not growing as we would want. The truth in terms of the Spirit, great things have occurred.

The parable of the sower is a familiar one to most of us. We have heard many times over the years. The thing that we want to remember is that the audience Jesus spoke to was a varied group just as we would see today. The cynical, the worldly, the doubting, and those that are merely curious.

Jesus knew that in that crowd no one would stand with Him on the day of his own trial and crucifixion. He also knew that some will join the persecution of Saul against the new Christian movement. Others will bring about the attitude of hatred which will result in synagogue prayers in the late first century AD beginning with a curse on anyone who follows the Nazarene. This parable is describing those in the crowd that day and those in the world today. The seed falls on all sorts of soil, some provide a place to grow and flourish, others do not.

In our experience we see the seed falling on good soil in our support of Daniel and Paola. The seed will flourish to produce a crop a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. We are blessed in taking part in the sowing of those seeds. We may be discouraged that that didn't happen locally, but that experience has given us an opportunity to be introduced to a group that is mission focused. That connection may or may not be our lead to the next steps we take. Regardless the Spirit has blessed us to date and there is no reason to expect otherwise in the future.

Our purpose is to help those where the seed falls on the path. Those that don't understand the message so it is taken away by Satan like the birds that snatch away the seeds. Our efforts to help them understand may help some but we don't really know who those people may be on the Spirit knows them.

Our purpose also is to build up each other and all brothers and sisters. We all fall on times when we are the seeds among the rocks and thorns. We become tired or burned out. Our roots are not deep enough or we are choked by events in our lives. By building each other up we get a transplant to better soil where our roots can go deep into the soil and help us weather the trials of this world.

I'm sure our missionary family had concerns if not doubts about their new home and church family. I can tell you that I did as well. My doubts were quickly dispelled when I met Jorge, the elder from their new church. It was evident his mission was to care for this family and as we have heard since Jorge is living up to that mission.

We have no reason to fear or doubt God has given us a most precious lesson in His faithfulness to those who hold the faith in Jesus Christ. As often is the case in the summer months attendance drops parts of the family move to other places. The wonderful thing in this is the Spirit and the Word never fails us. The blessings are apparent and will continue flowing as long as we have faith.

In the name our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.