This year, I decided to try winter sowing. What does that mean? Well, basically, since native plants are accustomed to our environment, many seeds need to experience winter before they can break open and grow in spring. So, winter sowing means planting seeds in containers like these which are then placed outside and exposed to the elements so they can sprout in spring and hopefully, transform into flowers like these.
There is quite a difference between the seeds that were placed in the containers and the plants that will hopefully emerge. Seeds don’t just get bigger. They die, break open, and are transformed as they sprout, grow and fully become what they were created to be. It is no wonder that seeds and plants are such a powerful metaphor for God working in the world, in the Church, and in us.
What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as God has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
We sow seeds. Metaphorically, we intentionally create spaces and opportunities in which we invite God into who we are and what we do. We sow seeds each time we pause for prayer and worship, opening ourselves to a relationship with God. We sow seeds when we cast our faith into the world sharing with others our hopes, our trust in God, and our love. We sow seeds when we, as a congregation, proclaim the Good News through the clothing cupboard, through the ways we are affirming and inclusive, and through the ways we offer glimpses of our commitment to live the Marks of Mission. We sow seeds within ourselves and within the community.
We sow seeds and those seeds are exposed to the world. What we plant must encounter the realities, priorities, and perspectives of the world in which we live. Those encounters are not necessarily positive. Not everyone agrees with the principles in which we choose to live. Some prefer to judge whether people are deserving before responding to human need with loving service. Some prioritise the needs of the powerful and privileged rather than seeking to transform unjust structures of society. Some feel the economy is more important than safeguarding the integrity of God’s Creation.
We sow seeds and those seeds are broken open in the encounter with the world. Some seeds die, stomped on by the expectations and angers of a harsh world. Death seems like an end and yet, in God, death leads to new life. To be broken open, to face the negativity of the world and choose love, creates space for God to work in and through us in ways that are infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.
What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as God has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
God gives each seed, each opportunity for a relationship with God, each space for transformation, a body as God has chosen. God takes what we plant and works in and through that. We have experienced the wonder and grace of this work in our journey together.
Remember the seed that was planted when Terry shared her frustration over bags of clothing left out in the rain by donation bins? Remember how that seed broke open and became the clothing cupboard? Notice how that body continues to grow and transform our relationship with God and the community.
That is but one of the seeds we have sown. There are so many others. Seeds sown among our friends at Community Living and the Queer and Trans Community. Seeds sown with all those who use our space. Seeds sown among the Essex community with Legacy of Heroes, markets and pasta dinners. Seeds sown with a growing following through our social media. There are so many seeds we have sown trusting that God, working in and through us will continue to do more than we can ask or imagine because we have already experienced this in profound ways.
I don’t know what this year holds. I don’t know what the outcome of our 3-year plan will be in terms of sustainability and butts in pews and dollars on plates. That continues to be a struggle for us. I do know there are a lot of wonderful plants that surround us because of the seeds we have sown, and God has nurtured. This, and you amazing folks, keeps me open to exploring possibilities and opportunities for sowing seeds. May we all trust that God is working in and through the seeds we plant and have faith that this is enough. This we pray as we sing: (VT) 789 Be a Sower