16th Sunday in Ordinary time, Year A

And [Jacob] dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
~Genesis 28:12
 
He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 
~Matthew 13:24-25
 
These ancient stories! How they hold us with tales of lives twisting, turning, unfolding, growing. Herein lie stories of calling, of promise, of purpose, of blessing. It turns out they are not simply tales. They speak to our own lives and to the twists and turns, the unfolding and growing, the mixed metaphors of our spiritual lives, and most astonishing of all, to the deep roots that nourish us—even us!—in nurturing love.
 
We welcome Rev. Daniel Wolpert to worship this Sunday. Dan, a healer and student of the spiritual life, worked as a research scientist, psychologist, spiritual director, farmer, teacher, and construction worker before earning his Masters of Divinity degree at San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS). Over the past forty years he has taught in the fields of psychology and spiritual formation, led retreats, and delivered talks in such settings as the Art of Spiritual Direction Program at SFTS, the Youth Ministry and Spirituality Project, Luther Seminary, and the 5-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation. His most recent book is Looking Inward, Living Outward: The Spiritual Practice of Social Transformation.
 
Enter into worship.
 
Readings: Genesis 28:10-19a † Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24 † Romans 8:12-25 † Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
 
About the Art: Wheat and Weeds. Photo taken at the Minnesota Institute of Contemplation and Healing Retreat Center. Dan Wolpert.

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