I have asked myself, “what is my role in the building of the kingdom of God? What is being required of me? What is God calling me to do?” The answer remains the same year after year: Venice, always and in all ways, you are called to plant seeds.
Sometimes these are tangible seeds. I have planted carrot, beet, basil, tomato, pepper, cilantro, watermelon, eggplant, parsley, and more.
Other seeds are silent. Sitting, simply sitting, with someone in the midst of grief or trauma is a seed. So is praying in my head – the exchange known only to me and the Creator – while surrounded by hundreds of other people, while on an exercise bike or while resting my head on a pillow. More often than not, the seeds I plant are spoken and written – notes that encourage, sermons that challenge, workshops to inspire, magazine and online articles penned to reach deep within. All of these are planted in hopes that tiny seeds will grow into large branches in God’s kin-dom, the spiritual, faith-filled scaffolding for God’s children.
This message is excerpted from “The seed power on our doorsteps” by Venice Williams in the January/February 2022 Gather magazine. Today is the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost.
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