Dear Friends
In our gospel lesson this week (Mark 4:26-34), Jesus compares the preaching and sharing word of God by Him and His disciples to seeds sown in the soil. How that seed germinates into faith may be unique to each one of us based on our different personalities, backgrounds and circumstances. How we come to believe might be explained by philosophers and sociologists in different ways. But we who are in Christ; His followers and disciples need only to wonder at the mystery of our faith.
By this time of year, spring is turning into summer and seeds which have been sown are already springing up and flourishing. Due to the need for a succession of flowering in our vegetable and flower gardens, some of us might be planting and sowing in preparation. The miraculous interaction of soil and seed is mind-blowing. Something in the seed responds to the perfect conditions of warmth, moisture and darkness when it is buried in the soil. The nurture of those tiny plants depends on the gardener to provide the right conditions as they grow.
With Father’s Day approaching, there are many events springing up with fathers in mind. Yesterday, I answered an invitation to join in a game of kickball with Robert’s second grade class. It was “the best time” according to Robert. That was the same response he gave when we helped park cars at another community event.
Many of us will be celebrating the joy of fatherhood and the gift of being part of our families’ lives.
Perhaps we’ll get to sow some seeds this week and enjoy watching them grow into something as wonderful as our children and the faith we share.
Pastor Cliff