Growth

Have you ever had a chance to watch something grow?

Sometimes we forget to notice the little steps of growth that take place en route to a finished product - be it a person, a project, or something else. Growth is sometimes hard to monitor. When it is recognized, it is sometimes beautiful and meaningful, but it can also be awkward, and even painful. For this reason, we often want to skip over growth altogether to the finished product. To do so, however, is to miss out on all the good stuff. (Its also quite unrealistic!)

This past week I've been thinking about growth - a lot! The seeds I've planted in our little raised bed gardens are beginning to poke out of the ground, forcing me to not only water them, but also to prune out some of the shoots, in order that a healthy plant will grow. It's painful to cut a healthy little shoot. What did it do wrong? I planted it, didn't I? But the reality is, if two shoots are growing in the same spot, failure to prune back one, will result in two weak plants. Pruning one, however, will result in one strong plant. And so, I prune....
I've also been thinking of my little baby girl who is growing right now. We get emails every week, comparing her growth to the most ridiculously random vegetables and fruits, all for the sake of trying to convey her growth to us. (One even said she was the size of a Sock Monkey this week!) This week we also read that our little girl has finally grown to the size that she would be capable of living were she to come early. Wow, what an amazing thought! (But let's hope she stays put for a few more months!)
And finally, this week, I've been thinking a lot about your growth, about the growth of the congregation of BNC. How can we fulfill our call and commission to make disciples of all the nations? Who is a disciple, and how does one go about making one? What do we need to prune, and what do we need to water? Are we content with what we're doing, or are we ready to journey further up and further in (a favorite expression of mine from C.S. Lewis) with Jesus?
One of my primary jobs at BNC is to shape and guide our efforts at discipleship. I must be honest, for various reasons, I haven't been able to concentrate as much of my attention to that aspect of my job as I would have liked over the past year or so. Now that I am able to, I've been seized by how serious a responsibility that is, and how much work we have to do. Discipleship - your growth (and mine) into the image of our Lord - is one of, if not the, biggest responsibility I have as a pastor. I take that very seriously. We are a church full of disciples, but we must take seriously the call to discipleship, and we must pursue that call with all of our strength, determination, and focus. Discipleship is a never-ending journey. Discipleship is to be our number one priority. This week, I've been spending a lot of time thinking about how we can make that focus a reality.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to be the Interim Pastor for a wonderful group of people in a small town in New Mexico. While there, I preached a sermon series on the Letter of James. While studying James' Epistle to the scattered faithful, the rich, organic imagery struck me. In particular I was drawn to the image that the followers of Christ are to be the "first fruits of the Kingdom (James 1:18, et al....). The followers of Christ, you and me, are to be the first fruits of God's heavenly Kingdom on this Earth. What a wonderful image!

And so, we've come full circle: growth. Growing seeds, growing people, growing disciples. Watering, pruning, discipleship.

Let's not skip over all the small little moments of growth. Let's not ignore the painful moments and only focus on the joyous ones. Let's savor the journey, and let's be intentional about where our destination is, and why we're trying to get there.

May you form us, dear Lord, into your faithful people.