Advanced Lay Speaking
Matthew 13:31-32 & 17:20
Our Little Seedling
I have had the joy of being the Worship Leader at VBS this week. I have been able to have the fun of getting the kids all pumped up for the day and then pumped up at the end about all the things that they learned for the day. Being Worship Leader, I was able to walk around and talk to, to watch the kids as they hunted for treasure in the Treasure Seekers Vacation Bible School. I was in awe of the leaders and the kids.
As I was walking around one child caught my eye. She was really getting into the whole VBS thing. She was singing the songs with all her little heart and learning all the movements. She was one of the first to try and answer all the questions that were asked (and most of the time she was right). You could see her excitement and joy. This child was my daughter Shanequa. I knew she had a love for God but it was great to see it in action.
Her “little” seed was planted when she was small. She was a week old when she started going to bible studies with me. She would be very quiet and just take it all in. Every one was amazed at “what a good baby she was”, never disturbing the class (except to be passed around to the women of the class). The seed was being planted, that tiny little beginning of her faith. She has been part of a church family from the day she was born and it has been a joy, a blessing, to see that little seed inside her grow. To see her and her faith has been an amazing thing. What a wonderful calling it has been to be a part of the watering of that seed. It has been and honor and joy for my husband and myself.
Her seed has been nourished by the living water for four and a half years now and she amazes me….she gets it. She understands God better than I could ever have hoped for in a four year old. She has the kingdom of heaven within her and it is growing. She has flourished even more since we joined Wesley United Methodist 2 years ago. Oh yes…she has faith.
I remember a time when she was helping set up the Lords table one evening before our Rejuvenation service. When was helping put out the elements and one of our Pastors, Lori Eldredge, asked her what they were doing. She said “putting out the bread and juice.” Lori then asked her when does it turn into the body and blood of Christ.
Well…her answer was priceless…She put her hand on her hip and said “when Pastor Joel blesses it”. Now picture a 4 year old with her hand on her hip, looking at you as if you have lost your mind asking her such a stupid question like that. You should know the answer to that one! The seed is growing. Another time she went to the grocery store with her dad and they were getting some snacks and when he picked up rice cakes she shouted out “The Body of Christ…we are getting the body of Christ!” My husband, with tears in his eyes could not have been more proud. The seed is being watered by the living water of Christ and it is growing.
Our little seedling…to watch her faith grow from a seed, to germinate, to shoot up through the ground, to begin to have leaves. What a wondrous thing. To see her have the faith to move mountains, to see her faith in actions has been a joy.
I remember one day when we were visiting with our neighbor and her grandchildren. Shanequa went up to her ad told her that God loves her. Well…our neighbor just shrugged it off and said “yah yah I know” and continued to talk to me. Well…Ms. Shanequa took her by the face and looked her straight in the eye and said “No…God loves you.” I could not have been more amazed and proud as the tears flowed from my eyes. She is now giving shade, a place to rest, sharing her joy of God with others. Wanting others to rest in the shade of her Creator.
Children are seeds. They need nurturing, watering and love. They are God’s seeds, His hope, to the world. Are our children planted on the fertile ground of our God or are they planted in the rocky soil of the world around us? Do they know the Cultivator and Waterer of their soul? Faith grows from glory to glory. Are our children rooted enough in our Lord to face the trials of life and stand firm on the rock of our salvation? To hang on until they can see God’s glory in the end of this season.
In closing I would like to share a poem written by my favorite poet of today. It sums up how we see our little seedling. It’s called “Her Mustard Seed”…
Her Mustard Seed
It is there, deep in her young heart
bearing fruits of faith, in our lives
sharing the belief she has that
“God loves you”,
knowing that the bread and wine
are just that until they are blessed
giving hugs when they are needed
loving as a four year old can
Oh yes, she has faith of a tiny mustard seed
and then some
But it is growing too deep inside her
in the fertile ground of her soul
with water and sun and the gift of your church
and gifts of the spirit
flowing within
the place she loves so much
where she is now
getting ready for the flowing spring of your word
in vacation bible school
Fill her Lord, fill them all
with the living water
to bring forth a mighty mustard bush
bearing more fruits, being shelter in times of strife
in their lives and the lives of those they touch
Help her nurture and prune and care
for that growing seed, for the plant
deep in her heart
Our seed is growing. It is turning into a mighty shrub. May it continue to grow and be nourished by the Bread of Life and the Living Water of our Lord Jesus Christ. May it become the tree that God has intended all along even from its’ tiny start. That tiny little seed planted so long ago.
Amen
by Pastor Ruth Foss
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Suncook United Methodist ChurchSuncook, NH
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See all 35,240+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
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