Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 67; Isaiah 41:1-16; John 4:31-45; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Psalm 138
One of the most important experiences in my life occurred during my first job out of college when I found myself teaching in the juvenile corrections system from nearly six years. Let me tell you why that work was so important to me. You see, like many folks who work in a helping profession, I liked to see the results of my work. Most teachers who work with students over a period of time (say a quarter/semester or school year) get the luxury of being able to watch as their students grow. In many cases, the students will be in the same school building following the conclusion of your time together, so the students come back and occasionally check in. Not so with the students I worked. The average length of stay by the students in the detention center I worked was 2 weeks. The students that did come back to the detention center were often transferred to an institution for a longer stay. Consequently, I had to learn to fully invest in the teaching process for whatever period of time the students were there and then let go - without seeing results. I had to trust that God and others would nurture the seeds I had planted. Jesus recognized that this same scenario plays out in our spiritual lives as well. He calls those who are in positions like the one I was in at the detention center “sowers”; he calls those who have the luxury of seeing the results of the labor “reapers”. And he notes that each of them have an important role to play in the overall process. In John 4:35-38a, for instance, Jesus is quoted as saying, “Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor” (NRSV). As I think about the concept of what it means to be a sower and a reaper, I’ve noticed that rarely does God place us in only one of those roles during our lifetime. Often there are some situations in our lives where we play the role of the sower and other times when we play the role of the reaper. The ability to occasionally reap the results of others/our own work is a blessing that helps us continue sowing when we might otherwise get burned out. In the meantime, however, let us not lose sight of – or commitment to – playing the role of the sower. It may be a less glamorous role than that of the reaper. But without the sower, there would be no reaping. Today, I invite you to spend time examining your life and seeing those areas where you play the sower. Then give thanks for God’s ability to work through you in this vital – yet often overlooked and underappreciated - way. Til next time…
One of the most important experiences in my life occurred during my first job out of college when I found myself teaching in the juvenile corrections system from nearly six years. Let me tell you why that work was so important to me. You see, like many folks who work in a helping profession, I liked to see the results of my work. Most teachers who work with students over a period of time (say a quarter/semester or school year) get the luxury of being able to watch as their students grow. In many cases, the students will be in the same school building following the conclusion of your time together, so the students come back and occasionally check in. Not so with the students I worked. The average length of stay by the students in the detention center I worked was 2 weeks. The students that did come back to the detention center were often transferred to an institution for a longer stay. Consequently, I had to learn to fully invest in the teaching process for whatever period of time the students were there and then let go - without seeing results. I had to trust that God and others would nurture the seeds I had planted. Jesus recognized that this same scenario plays out in our spiritual lives as well. He calls those who are in positions like the one I was in at the detention center “sowers”; he calls those who have the luxury of seeing the results of the labor “reapers”. And he notes that each of them have an important role to play in the overall process. In John 4:35-38a, for instance, Jesus is quoted as saying, “Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor” (NRSV). As I think about the concept of what it means to be a sower and a reaper, I’ve noticed that rarely does God place us in only one of those roles during our lifetime. Often there are some situations in our lives where we play the role of the sower and other times when we play the role of the reaper. The ability to occasionally reap the results of others/our own work is a blessing that helps us continue sowing when we might otherwise get burned out. In the meantime, however, let us not lose sight of – or commitment to – playing the role of the sower. It may be a less glamorous role than that of the reaper. But without the sower, there would be no reaping. Today, I invite you to spend time examining your life and seeing those areas where you play the sower. Then give thanks for God’s ability to work through you in this vital – yet often overlooked and underappreciated - way. Til next time…
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