“The sower sows the word…And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’” Mark 4:14,20
It is the time of year for planting and growth. I’m always anxious to see the green beans, peas, and tomatoes growing and producing. First I have to break up the soil and prepare the ground, but nothing will grow until seeds are sown, and then nurtured, fed, and watered. Then we can look forward to the harvest.
A couple of Sundays ago we gathered on the site of the church expansion and asked God’s blessing as we broke the ground, and then the machinery arrived to remove the old house and prepare the ground for the expansion of our building.
Here, too, that’s just the beginning, there is much more to be done. Certainly there are days of construction ahead, and we’ll see the building take shape in the coming weeks. But the true growth for our congregation will not be about the building. It is only a framework, like a garden patch, that will need to be transformed into a life-giving place.
This expanded ‘garden’ can be a great place to see growth, but we need to be sowing the seeds now. Jesus says the seed is the Word. It is that Word that must be planted, in Sunday School classes, adult classes, Bible studies, and discussion groups, all the ways we can nurture growth. Along the way there will be times for worship, fellowship, conversation, fun, and fond memories, but it is the Word that brings growth.
So I encourage you to start planning and dreaming of ways to share in the ‘garden project’ and look forward to a new season of life and growth.
In Christ,
Pastor John Twiton
