Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.”  – Genesis 1:11-13

Beloved of God,

Paleo-botanists tell us that the first seeded plants started appearing on Earth during the late Devonian Period, about 385 million years ago.  Today, seed plants are some of the most important organisms on Earth and life on land as we know it is largely shaped by the activities of seed plants. From the coniferous forests of the Cascade and Olympic Mountains, to the orchards of central Washington, to the grain fields of Eastern Washington—even our backyard gardens—it’s impossible to imagine life as we know it without these life-sustaining harvests.

According to Genesis, the abundance of Earth’s seed and fruit bearing plants and trees paved the way for more complex creatures to emerge. God’s pronouncement on all of this? TOV!  The NRSV translates this “GOOD,” but I prefer the translation proffered by a former professor of mine: WOW!

Jesus used seeds as a lively image for the reign of God: It is “as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.” (Mk 4:26) And remember the mustard seed?  There is great mystery and extraordinary potential wrapped up in these tiny packages.

The seeds for what would become Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church were sown by Pastor and Mrs. Otto Karlstrom and volunteers from Gethsemane Lutheran Church, who organized Sunday School classes in the Gatewood Hill area in the early 1920’s. They tilled the soil for what later would become the seedbed into which PLC was planted twenty years later. Forming faith continues to be a central priority for our congregation.  The seeds we sow now in the lives of our children will produce a harvest that will keep Jesus’ message of abundant life visible, alive and relevant both in our time and in succeeding generations. This is why we’re kicking off the yearlong commemoration of our congregation’s 75th Anniversary under the theme SOWN SEEDS on Rally Sunday, September 16th. On five occasions over the next 15 months we’ll be lifting up aspects of our congregation’s mission and ministry under the overarching theme: OUT OF MANY – ONE, leading to culminating events on the final weekend of November 2019.  Our theme reflects both the history of Peace, which has received significant groups of folks from other area congregations (1st Lutheran, St. James, Calvary), as well as many recent individuals, couples, and families who have moved to West Seattle from other parts of the city and nation, and have come to call Peace home. It also reminds us of what God is about in baptism—taking diverse and varied individuals and knitting us together into the one body of Christ.  How does your experience at Peace connect to this theme?  It will be fun to explore our answers to this question during the coming months.

September is a great time to renew our relationships with each other and to reconnect with our Lord.  I’m looking forward to seeing you as September unfolds, and to discovering with you how the Spirit will engage and equip us for our continuing work of planting seeds!

With you on the Way,

Pastor Erik