Is This What the Great Commission Looks Like?

Like last year, I am excited about tomorrow, excited about Back to Church Sunday. There is that tidbit of anticipation that bubbles up every once in a while, wondering what God is going to do. I think about that parable of the sower and the seed, about the invitations that have been scattered here and scattered there in hopes of a harvest that is yet to come. One of the things I like about that story is the immense and reckless generosity of the farmer. He does not seem to care where the seed lands. It does not seem to matter that most of the seed lands in places that no one in their right mind would plant crops. The only thing that matters to the farmer is the joy that comes with spreading the seeds.

I have heard a few cool things already, a bit of seed scattered by some of the fine folks of St. Paul's. One young woman in high school who has only been coming to church for a few months, has found our parish family to be a welcoming and nourishing place. She had never been to church before, but she was invited. And now, she has apparently invited five of her friends, three of whom plan to come tomorrow. Another girl in grade 12 has invited three of her friends, and two of them hope to be there at 11 a.m. And I wonder who else at St. Paul's, who else across our Diocese, has been asking, inviting, including, and calling. Who else has uttered those words, "Come and see?" Who else has said, "Would you like to come to church with me this Sunday?"

And maybe this scattering will result in a plant sprouting up for a time, and then fading away. But at least for a time, it will be something of beauty and grace. And my experience as a gardener tells me to trust and to hope. Even a plant that withers and dies will fall to the ground, providing nourishment to seeds that will come at another time. For God, nothing is ever lost. All things are always being made new. Nothing can snatch them out of his hand. And tomorrow, we will get to see something of what God is doing: calling, shaping, planting, scattering. We will see some divine joy spill over from heaven, and land in the most surprising of places! We get to see that joy - we get to see God at work, again - and how cool is that?

So yep - I am looking forward to tomorrow. The church is changing, we are recovering things that have been neglected for too long, some things are happening that I do not fully understand, but I know are good. When two high school kids can invite eight friends to church, I wonder what God is going to do with that. And I am so grateful that God is moving in their hearts, calling to engage in that Great Commission.