Christ Episcopal Church
	Riverton, New Jersey
	Planting seeds, expecting results! July 2006 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. (I Corinthians 3:6-7) Grace be unto you and peace! This quote from St. Paul came to mind when a parishioner shared with me a story. She was in the bank, and a teller recognized her as someone she had seen here at Christ Church when the teller was here for a baptism. The teller spoke highly of the beauty of our physical structure, the warmth of the people and the quality of the worship. The parishioner invited her to come again, and in relating this story said to me, “Now only if we could get her back here”. In her chapter entitled “Pastoral ministry support” in the book Pastor and People, Susan Lang, a Lutheran minister writes Much of the ministry that pastors engage in is seed planting that does not produce immediate results. In fact, pastors may never know the difference they have made. Seed planting is a major part of Christian work, and not just that of the pastor. Church school teachers, for example, often never know what effects they may have with those committed to their charge. As well, we don’t know what ultimate effect a kind word, an offer of support or prayer, or just being present at the right time in the right place for someone whose faith is dim or non-existent might have. Of course, there is no assurance that a planted seed will germinate. Jesus, when speaking of his own ministry in terms of planting seeds in his parable of the sower (St. Luke 8:5-8), acknowledges that most of the seeds never made it to maturity. In an age and culture where the desire for instant gratification is a major force, waiting for something that may or may not happen seems almost quaint. (I knew a corner had been turned when my father, a livelong gardener, started buying germinated plants in peat pots rather than starting from seed a few years back!). While it would be nice if we could show up one Sunday and the pews were filled with tithers who were intensely committed to the faith and were talented every way under the sun, there is to my knowledge no such shortcut to building God’s Reign, God’s garden, in this or any other place. It has been gratifying to me to see the seeds that have been planted in the last year. Christ Church received some wonderful publicity in several newspapers over our 150^th anniversary. We were highlighted in an article on Riverton in June’s SJ magazine. Good things and good opinions of the church have been reported to me by parishioners and neighbors. Much, indeed most, of this will never produce a thing, but we believe that “some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold” (Lk. 8:8). As Pastor Lang continues, Seed planting is a job that requires faith. Pastors get their hands dirty as they dig into the soil to plant the seeds. They water what they cannot see in the hope that is will grow. By virtue of our baptismal covenant, planting and nurturing seed in the world is the call of all Christian people. After all, we say that with God’s help we “will proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ”. And we have the assurance that the more seeds we plant, the more likely we are to see results. It is hard work, but it need not be discouraging as long as we continue to revist and rely upon the source of refreshment and renewal. As Susan Lang concludes [our] job is to constantly return to the waters of baptism as a reminder that it is God who will produce the harvest. That’s a promise! And like all God’s promises, it is one that will not fail. See you in church?!