Titles matter. So does the soil.

On this episode of Sermon Brainwave, Matt Skinner, Caroline Lewis, and Cody Sanders dig into the texts for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost (July 12, 2026).

The team wrestles with Matthew's Parable of the Sower and asks what it really means to "bear fruit." Is it congregational growth? Spiritual maturity? Something else entirely? Cody points out the parable's strange, almost anti-strategic logic: why would a sower scatter seed on every kind of ground, including the bad soil? The hosts connect this to Jesus' own approach to ministry and mission.

The conversation moves through Isaiah 55's image of creation itself rejoicing, then into Genesis 25's story of Jacob and Esau, a text the hosts caution can easily be misused to justify xenophobia and tribal hatred if preached without care. From there, they turn to Psalm 65 and its language of a God who answers prayer, before closing with Romans 8 and Paul's teaching on flesh and spirit. Cody offers an important corrective here, naming how "flesh" language has historically been weaponized against bodies, women, and queer people, and pointing preachers toward a healthier way to handle the text.

Whether you're preaching the parable, the psalm, the epistle, or the Genesis narrative this week, this episode offers grounded, honest reflection to help shape your sermon.