October 19, 2014
Fearless Generosity- Fearless Sowing
- 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
- Dr. Teri Thomas
October 19, 2014
Fearless Sowing
Thessalonians 1:1-10
I don’t believe there is a greater act of faith than planting a seed.
A tiny, dried up piece of something
a pot of dirt
some water
put it in the sun and wait.
It is an act of faith.
There is no reason to believe anything will happen-
except the testimony of those who have done it before
the past experiences I have had
the promises in all my gardening books and trust in the laws of nature.
Sometimes it works.
I plant a seed and I get what I wanted.
Sometimes it doesn’t work
the seed was a dud
I over watered
it was too cold
One time when I was in my vegetable growing phase
someone gave me some seeds for carrots and green beans.
I planted. I tended. I waited.
And in the end I harvested delicious radishes and broccoli.
Not exactly what I had expected, but good just the same.
Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians began with a blessing and praise.
The community at Thessalonika had adopted the faith after Paul’s first visit.
This church had a cohesive faith with a sense of unity and purpose.
The Thessalonians were true to the teaching and example of Paul and his friends. Paul said their reputation had evangelistic power. Their church became an example for others. They planted seeds of faith, hope, and love. They were patient and steadfast. The seeds took root, bore fruit, and spread.
Everything we do and say as a congregation is planting seeds in our members, our community, and the world. Some of them we plant intentionally and we have specific expectations.
Some of them we plant unintentionally and we are surprised by the results.
Some we plant and then forget all about them until one day we notice growth or fruits where we didn’t remember we had done a thing.
Three weeks ago, a young member of this congregation stood in this pulpit and shared her personal struggles. If you were here for that you saw amazing growth you saw a plant that had withered up comeback to life with blooms and more and more buds waiting to bloom.
And she testified to some of the seeds that had been planted in her life.
Seeds of love and attention from her family.
Seeds of acceptance and encouragement from her church.
A prayer shawl was like the mulch that warms the soil and protects the roots.
Youth group offered a place a safety and shelter from the storms.
While most of us were not even aware of her struggles or her needs,
we planted seeds here and there that brought out new life and wonderful fruit.
Did you know that when you teach church school you are planting seeds of trust and acceptance? Did you know that when you serve coffee and donuts on Sunday morning
you are planting seeds of hospitality that will encourage people to return?
When I meet with couples who are getting married I have some standard topics I like to explore. I suggest that within the first year of their marriage they may have a significant fight that will cause them to wonder what they ever saw in each other in the first place. I ask them to tell me what they think that fight will be about.
Over 10 years ago I did that with a couple who were not members of this church.
They both named the same issue, immediately. So we talked about it.
I told them stories of other couples and how they had overcome similar issues.
I told them the church would always be here for them.
I told them resources would be available to help if the time ever came up.
They were madly in love and I don’t think they heard a word I said.
After the wedding I never saw them until about 2 years later when the husband appeared in my office. Sure enough- they’d had the fight. We talked about options and I suggested some marriage counselors.
Next thing I knew they were showing up on Sundays. At coffee hours they drifted toward the old married couples. They were here for several months and then they disappeared again. I always wondered what happened to them.
About 6 months ago I ran into them at Hubbard and Cravens in Broad Ripple. She is expecting their third child. I delicately asked how things were going between them. They explained how powerful it had been to come here when they were in trouble. They watched people who were doing it right. They listened to the stories of other couples.
They followed my advice and sought counseling but it was really the witness of happily married people that gave them hope. Did you know you were planting those seeds? Did you know the way you relate to your spouse or your children is sending a witness to those who seek? Did you know your relationships are bearing fruit through people you have never even met?
The seeds we plant, the examples we share, spread in ways we never imagined, to places we never dreamed.
As a congregation we support the GIP Umoja Project
with our money, several volunteers, and last summer’s mission trip to Kenya.
Paskalia Atieno Boyi, widow and mother of 6 children, is the leader of Kuoyo Primary’s school guardians group. Paskalia is a shining example of how your single seed can spread. Three years ago the Umoja Project provided her with training on poultry farming and a few chicks to get her started.
She now has 48 chickens. They provide eggs, income, and more chicks!
Her success has enabled her to build a new home for her family, drill a bore hole for water, purchase two cows, and establish a small fund to save for her children’s educational expenses. Paskalia has been very involved in Kuoyo’s new dairy project. Along with other guardians from the school, she is learning “best practices” for dairy farming, which will help her with her own business. Paskalia is enthusiastic about this latest program which engages the whole community, saying “it enables us to be keepers of one another.”
We have been given the gifts of faith, hope and love.
We can enjoy these gifts (and we should)
but we can also sow them.
Let’s throw our seeds into this congregation,
into the community,
into the world.
It has been said-
Nelson Henderson — 'The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit. '
Trust in the Holy Spirit to nurture them
Know they will bear fruit
they will change lives
they spread and they multiply
they will bear witness to our faith
but only if we sow them fearlessly.