​Sowing Seeds

Seeds are the beginning of something new. Plant a few seeds into the ground, water them, feed them, give them good soil and just enough sun, then watch them grow. Carrots, tomatoes, zinnias, morning glories. Vegetables and flowers of all kinds start with just a seed.

But planting the seeds isn’t really the beginning. You have to find just the right place for your garden or flowerbed. You have to prepare the soil, adding fertilizer and loosening the dirt. You have to wait until the last freeze and before the weather gets too hot. Then, once everything is ready, you plant.

We have been preparing the soil. Not the literal dirt around the building, but the soil of our church. We have been preparing and waiting for just the right time to begin planting. And now it’s time! We are starting to plant some seeds of faith in our church and in our community.

We begin with prayer. Prayer is always the first seed we plant because it feeds the others. Prayer supports and strengthens us and connects us to God.

Next up, community. Community is not an easy seed to plant. It takes time. It takes work. It takes constant attention. But when it begins to bear fruit, the fruit it gives is healthy and strong. It draws us into life with others and gives us courage and strength for our faith.

Giving is the next seed. We start small with this seed and then plant more and more. Generosity becomes a plant that strengthens the lives of others and draws them into a deeper relationship with God.

Our next seed is service. As we sow this seed, we develop a heart like God’s. Through our service to Him and to others, we begin to have the compassion and grace for others that God has for us.
Finally, we sow the seed of witness. This seed spreads like a weed, but with the best fruit yet. As we share our faith with the people around us, their lives are filled with a longing to know our God the way we do. They see in us the fire of His love and they want it too.

We are planting all these seeds because we want a harvest. We want our church to be overflowing with an abundance of prayer, people, giving, service, and witness. We want to see the fruit that will grow in our congregation and in our town.

Farmers don’t plant seeds for the sake of the seeds or for the sake of the fields. They plant seeds for the sake of the harvest. That is what we do now. We will plant these seeds for the sake of the harvest to come. That means our field, our church, will start to change with new life cropping up throughout. That means our neighborhood and even our town will begin to change with the new life we will share with it.
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So, just one question remains: Are you ready to start planting?