August 6, 2026 - "The Word Among Us" - A Weekly Note from Pastor Michael

Sow 

Thursday, August 6, 2026 

The Federated Church of Chagrin Falls 

Over the past month, we’ve followed Jesus through the fields in the Gospel of Matthew. 

We have watched seeds take root. We have learned as gardeners of God’s Dream to spend more time tending wheat than pulling weeds. We have discovered that God’s Dream is not simply to make us better individuals, but to form a people who learn to live like love is the truest thing. 

This Sunday we arrive at the final movement of our series: Sow. 

It’s an interesting word. 

When we hear it, we usually think about scattering seed. But by the time a farmer is sowing again, something else has already happened. The seed became a plant. The plant bore fruit. And that fruit was never meant to stay on the branch. 

Fruit exists to nourish others. Inside every piece of fruit is the promise of another beginning. That why fruit, seed wrapped in nourishment, is such a fitting image for the Church. God does not gather us simply so that we can grow. God gathers us so that the life growing among us might become nourishment for the world. 

This Sunday we will gather a little differently. Our worship will happen around shared tables as we hear the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. Together we’ll ask a simple question: What has God already placed in our hands? 

The miracle of God's abundance begins, not with having more, but with -paying attention. It begins by noticing the gifts already present among us—our skills, our passions, our experiences, our compassion—and asking how God might use them to become bread for someone else. 

After worship this Sunday, we’ll remain together for our All-Church Picnic. I hope you’ll think of it not simply as lunch after church, but as one more way we practice the life we're learning together. 

Read Before Sunday 

Matthew 14:13–21 

As you read, notice what the disciples see and what Jesus sees. Pay attention to Jesus’ question: “What do you have?” What happens when compassion begins not with scarcity, but with the gifts already present? 

Questions for Reflection 

• What gift has God already placed in your hands? 
• Who in your life might be hungry for that gift? 
• Where might God be inviting you to become nourishment for the world? 

I look forward to worshiping—and sharing a meal—with you this Sunday. 

Grace and peace, 
Pastor Michael