Opening to the Spirit
Today’s word: Seeds
)As our lawns begin to green and the garden becomes uncovered, many of us start to think of the seeds we will plant. It's easy to take for granted such a part of our every day life. But when you stop to think about them, what little miracles seeds are! We could never imagine what they will grow up to be just by looking at them. Every single spring we are witness to the transformation of seeds into maturing plants, plants that beautify our world, feed our populations and serve as resting places for birds and insects alike.
This miraculous power of seeds to transform is mirrored elsewhere in the world, for example in the realm of ideas. Suppose someone plants the seed of an idea, tells his neighbour, tells a friend or broadcasts to the world. This idea may lie dormant for some time, waiting for just the right set of conditions. Then suddenly it blossoms and takes off. What was once considered impossible, impractical or useless enters the realm of the possible and desirable.
Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn reminds us we have a choice of which seeds we water and which ones we let shrivel up. Seeds of hatred, violence and fear are ever present both in our world and in our souls. Likewise we find seeds of love, beauty and peace in our outer and inner worlds. Often we cannot control the ideas or experiences we are exposed to. But we can decide which events or Ideas will occupy our thoughts and inspire our actions.
As I see it there are two paths to choose from. I can choose to be suspicious, fearful and pessimistic and find ample events or ideas to support my attitude. My world becomes a more dangerous place. If I nurture seeds of gratitude, generosity and compassion, I set the conditions for these qualities to blossom around me. Life and all people in it become amazingly beautiful and courageous. Call me naïve, but I will continue down this second path. It seems the better choice to make.
) When I was in elementary school one big project was the School Fair. In the spring we signed up for seeds. I opted for the vegetables. We would get carrots, beans, beets or other seeds, plant them at home, nurture their growth, then harvest them for competition in the fall at the Ayer's Cliff Fairgrounds. If you know me, you know how competitive I am, especially when it comes to family. It was great fun to water the plants and watch them grow, then enter them for prizes and hopefully beat my older sister. Carrots, with their tiny seeds, were especially amazing. How could something so small produce such long orange carrots?
I never did grow up to be a gardener. However I like to think that in my ministry I have planted many seeds. Two of the young people from my first Youth Group in New Brunswick went on to become ministers. Many other people who I have taught or been in close contact have also answered a call to ministry, and countless others went on to serve as Youth leaders or camp counselors. Whenever we offer encouragement, support, and opportunities we plant seeds of faith.
Jesus told many stories about seeds and sowers. We are all called to sow seeds, even in poor or rocky soil. When we plant actions of kindness, offer words of encouragement, or nurture faith amazing things can grow in people's hearts. When I was in elementary school I was given seeds to plant. I believe each of us carries seeds of hope within us. Plant those seeds in the hearts of the people around you and watch the growth.
) I am reminded of a poem by Bishop Ken Untener, in memory of Oscar Romero. Here are some selected portions:
We accomplish in our lifetime only a fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that oneday will grow. We water the seeds already planted knowing that they hold future promise.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing this.
We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.
This coming Sunday, I will be worshipping with a congregation who are celebrating their 160th anniversary. This reminds me of the smallness of our task, and also the importance. Seeds were planted, in this congregation and others, long before our grandparents were born. We are called, not only to plant seeds of our own, but to water the seeds and nurture the fruit of seeds planted by others.
Jesus told many stories about seeds. We learn from him the extravagance of the sower, who throws seeds everywhere: on the rocks, amongst the weeds, in thin soil, and in the good earth. We learn from him to leave the weeds alone. If an enemy sows weeds in your field, just let them grow up with the good grain, and leave it to God to sort out later. The message I hear is to sow as many good seeds as possible, even where it seems impossible they might grow, and even if you are surrounded by weeds. Just sow the seeds. Sow lots of them. Don’t worry about what your neighbour is doing. Let God do the work.
)Seeds - tiny pockets of potential, kernels of hidden possibility. As a child I'd follow my father around as he gardened, learning their names, some shriveled up and crusty, some sleek and dark, some tiny like grains of sand. Corn or beet seeds he'd let me drop one by one into their holes. Others he'd pull out by the handful from his pocket and we'd cast them in a wide arc. Broadcasting he called it: let them fall and sprout where they may. It depends what your planting, he'd say, how and where things like to grow. And planting is only the beginning. I remember the first garden I made at the age of five. He'd given me a tiny plot at the corner of a field near some rhubarb. They were the most watched over seeds ever. Most of the seeds I've planted since grow in secret. Most are poems, words of blessing, comfort and encouragement, silent prayers.
Some questions are like seeds, as in my book The Everything Seed ~ A Story of Beginnings: "Have you ever watched a seed grow…ever noticed how it begins, so still, so small, so quiet, like a gift waiting to be opened,,,and how slowly it wakes up, begins to unfold, growing into something larger…and Larger…and LARGER? Then you know that whatever comes from a seed usually ends up looking very little like the seed it came from…which is true of the very first seed." For me, a tiny seed holding the potential to become the universe, waking up and blossoming into radiant beauty and light, is a more fitting image for explaining the origins of everything.
For me, the miracle of life is that the same energy that gave birth to the universe and all the stars and planets, continues to blossom every day in new ways. That same energy that animates us "just like the idea for a huge oak tree lies hidden inside the acorn." What are you a seed for? What seeds do you plant or scatter in this wild, wonder-filled world?
One word, four voices - now your turn to reflect: What meanings do you find in the word "seeds"?
Rev. Mead Baldwin pastors the Waterville & North Hatley pastoral charge; Rev. Lynn Dillabough is now Rector of St. Paul's in Brockville ON. She continues to write for this column as a dedicated colleague with the Eastern Townships clergy writing team; Rev. Lee Ann Hogle ministers to the Ayer’s Cliff, Magog & Georgeville United Churches; Rev. Carole Martignacco is Consulting Minister to UU Estrie-unitarian Universalists in North Hatley.