In the parable of the sower (today’s Gospel), I’m struck by the image of the sower sowing so recklessly. He just chucks seed around all over the place, with no regard to the soil or conditions for growth. There’s no plan, no strategy, no technique for ensuring optimal positioning of the seeds; nothing that in any way looks like the marketing, results-driven approach to Mission and Church growth that seems so prevalent today. In Jesus’ world, like the ‘helicopters’ from sycamore trees, the fluffy seeds from willowherb, or the seeds from dandelions, God’s word just blows wherever it will. Jesus’ approach to mission is equally reckless. In doing so, He gives us the freedom to take risks and He endorses an extravagant generosity in sowing the word.  Though we may wonder about the wisdom or efficiency of his methods and the ordinary everyday encounters with who ever you come across, on the telephone, in the street or wherever else, might not sound like promising mission fields, but you just never know what might happen if you adopt his reckless methods.  The end result might just be a bumper crop.