The Seeds of Faith Fell Into Good Soil

The Parable of the Sower
(Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:4-9; Luke 8:4-15)

Again he began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen.”

I am not one to quote from religious texts, but I thought I’d share how my First Central Church experience mirrors the Parable of the Sower and a bit about my spiritual journey. Although I studied scripture at church and then in college, I find that only now have I begun to really appreciate its many stories and lessons. For example, someone recently read the Parable of the Sower out loud. Now, had it been 2 years or even 5 years ago, I would have tuned out, but this time I sat quietly and truly listened to the words and message the story had for me at that moment. For me, I immediately thought of my spiritual journey as the seed, and First Central as the good soil. I have always been the one to question, doubt and explore. First Central nourished these traits, welcomed my questions, and let me explore and find my own spiritual path- no matter what. Because of this, I can say that First Central was not a stone path, which left the seeds of my faith unprotected; it was not rocky shallow ground, which left my seeds of faith without a firm foundation on which to grow, nor was First Central a patch of thorns which choked my seeds of faith before I was given the chance to grow tall. First Central’s open and loving community only fertilized and enriched my faith experience, and helped shape my values and beliefs. I can truly say that because of my supportive family and First Central that I have seen my spiritual journey develop and mature over the years. It has brought forth a deeper understanding of myself and my community, therefore increasing a hundredfold my love and appreciation for all. Posted by: Hanna W.

Checking Our Balance

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted …(Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2)

How about these improvisations on this familiar text about the “seesaw” of life:

A time to break down our budgets – at home or church -- in new ways, and a time to build them up by asset mapping. A time to weep for recession, unemployment and homelessness, and a time to meet doomsayers with humor and hope. A time to mourn for the time-famine of contemporary families, and a time to dance with our faithful volunteers. A time to embrace generosity, and a reminder to refrain from embracing consumerism. A time to keep – recycle, re-use, renew – in church and home -- and a time to throw away responsibly. A time to tear our clothes on a mission trip with teens, and a time to knit prayer shawls in the parlor. A time to love our children enough to teach them stewardship, and a wake up call whenever and wherever they learn hatred for themselves or others. A time-out for war, and an always time-enough to work for peace … a peace for every season that blesses God’s purpose under heaven.

It is March – the month of balance. Life isn’t like Daylight Savings time – we cannot “make” hours or resources or energy or sunshine. On the other hand, the Spring Equinox is a true teaching moment. We even use the word “balance” financially. The “balance” is what we work with, give with, use to care for ourselves and others. Financially, emotionally, and spiritually, as individuals and as communities of faith, this is the season to commit ourselves to balance.

This UCC stewardship message is brought to you by: Maren C. Tirabassi, Pastor of Union Congregational UCC of Madbury, NH. Her most recent book is God in My Life: How and Why We Share Faith Stories.

Ode to Winston

The following is an excerpt from a speech Liz Sharpe made at Pastor Winston Baldwin’s going away party. After which there was not a dry eye in the audience…

“When I think of Winston, there are a lot of things that come to mind … I think of confirmation class in seventh grade, when everything was confusing enough at 13 and it seemed like all of us were out of place no matter what. I never said the right things and I was always too loud and I look back and wonder how I even stood myself. I had glasses as big as my face and bangs that covered my eyes and I towered over everyone awkwardly because I didn’t know how to handle my newly acquired height. But on Wednesday nights, when I would come to confirmation class, I belonged. In the fireplace room on the third floor, sitting in the rolly chairs in one big circle, I belonged. Winston let me know that I was wanted, that what I had to say meant something, no matter how loudly it came out of my mouth. He taught us that faith was not, as much I had wanted it to be, black and white. Faith and religion was not some category we could just passively toss ourselves into, but something to be explored. Winston assured us that questioning and even being confused about it meant that we were thinking and beginning to carve a new little place for ourselves in the church family. And at that age, that was all we really wanted- to finally start finding a place somewhere … Thank you for making all of us feel a sense of belonging and community that everyone should experience at some point in their lives, and for being such a wonderful friend and teacher. I love you to the moon, and am so excited to see what other wonderful things you will do for these new churches. Thank you for everything.”