Welcome to the year 2022! That date has sounded futuristic for so long, but now it is here. Recently, I have been thinking about sowing and reaping as it relates to my life in ministry. As I look back over what I have sown during the forty years I have been in ministry; I realize that I am still in the cultivation process.
I have planted many seeds during my years, and I am in the cultivation process with every seed sown. In the 80s, I sowed seeds while working with the youth in Chicago. And, today, I am seeing the fruit produced from that time and some that have multiplied. In the 90s, I was a part of planting New City Church, and today the congregants say that they are the product of the seeds sown by that church.
I have been planting seeds of relational oneness between people separated by color, class, culture, and communities throughout the years. Little did I realize that as the maturation process has continued for over 40 years, I would see the real fruit produced for Peace. Oneness leads us to Peace. The seed of our faith is first produced by our love for the Father in our own hearts and lives. The seed grows so that we are producing loving relationships with others which helps us see the world in a different light. Then, we want to produce fruitful lives and share our stories and lives with those without faith. We show them the way to a relationship with our Father. Then the seed cultivation process starts in their lives. The reaping occurs during our lives because, like an apple seed, it does not produce just one apple but a tree full of apples for many seasons. When we sow seeds of peace with God, humanity, and all his creation, we will produce a harvest of peacemakers who will work on earth and live for eternity in the presence of our Peacemaker.
For the last 12 years, CSM has built relationships with churches and leaders to see communities thrive. Our goal is to see disciples made and to work together in Kingdom work with righteousness and justice as our pillars – working as one unified body to bring us in line with the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. Let this year be the year to produce more peacemakers in our sphere of relational impact. CSM is maturing, with over 85 active churches partnering to sow peacemaking seeds for a more fruitful impact of the gospel in our communities.
