August 12, 2002  

WHEN WE FEEL LIKE DOZING OFF

Pastor Connie and I recently had a conversation about how busy we are this summer. Many churches slow down in the hot months; some even close their doors. But we found that our summer church activity schedule had become so full that we were having trouble coordinating our vacations. And here we are, just finished with Vacation Bible School, and trying to plan and promote next week's "Friendship Sunday" service on the church lawn. Hardly time to breathe.

You could write this off to poor planning; but actually, the planning came through our Departments and our Deacon Board. Our congregation doesn't want to slow down during the summer.

When you think about it, you realize that this is really very good strategy. It's as if we've turned one of Jesus' parables upside-down. In Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus taught through the story of "The Wheat and the Tares." ("Tares" are particularly stubborn weeds that represent evil forces trying to prevent a good crop in God's field.) Here's how Jesus began his parable:

"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up, and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well."

If the enemy is clever enough to wait until everybody's asleep to sow his weed seeds, then we should be able to learn from his example. In another teaching, Jesus pointed out that "the children of this age [unbelievers] are more shrewd . . . than are the children of light," and he encouraged believers to learn from them (Luke 16:8).

So in the sleepy summertime, when the enemies of our faith are dozing off, we are turning the tables on them by sowing seeds of Eternal Life in our community. And we have this encouragement from the Bible:
"Let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9)

Right now, you can sow some spiritual seeds by calling a few friends and inviting them to Sunday's service on the lawn. But keep quiet about it; we don't want to wake the enemy.

–Pastor George VanAlstine