Sowing Seeds of Faith

Summer is a great time for growing. During our years in California, my wife Andrea, would often plant and tend an impressive garden. Though I was often most interested in growing chili peppers (the hotter the better!), our Summer garden also produced squash, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, carrots, tomatoes, and the like. In addition to the garden, we also had an orchard with 20+ trees. Fresh plums, peaches, pluots, figs, nectarines, apples, oranges, and more were regular (and welcome) additions to our table. You can plant a seed or a small tree, but it will NOT bear fruit without care and attention. Similarly, our Christian faith is not very nourishing if we leave it unattended for long periods of time.

Sowing seeds, tending to faith practices, and cultivating growth are all prominent themes throughout scripture. From parables of the mustard seed to the fig tree, the analogy of sowing, growth, and harvesting is pervasive— especially in Jesus’ teachings. Although not a favorite scripture of Martin Luther, James 2:14 states that “faith without works is dead.” This reminds me of the truth that a garden without water is dead. In what ways does your practice of faith nurture your Christian life?

Sometimes, when I set out into a new season, I think it’s helpful to “begin with the end in mind.” When I plant a garden with peppers, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, etc., I imagine the delicious bowl of homemade salsa at the end of the season. Similarly, I wonder, “What kind of person do I want to be at the end of this summer?”

More knowledge? More kind? Patient? More faithful in praying for my friends and family? As we consider a season with the potential to cultivate and grow our faith, let us begin with the end in mind. May God bless each of us, and help us to bear fruit that will nourish our own lives and our community.      

Sincerely,

Pastor Adam