Plant, Water and Harvest

I will be preaching at Trenton, MO on Sunday. I left there about 19 years ago. This sermon will be based on 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 and this poem came to me as I worked on the sermon.


Plant, Water and Harvest
By Larry Linville

For the spreading of God’s work to take place
People are employed as God’s points of grace
There are three tasks that must always be done
And we may be called to do more than one.

The first task is always to plant each seed
To meet each person at their greatest need.
We cultivate the soil for the sowing
And after that’s done we may be going.

Watering the seed must always come next
Moisture and seed in the ground soon connects
The maturing small seed begins to sprout
And then several roots begin reaching out.

The harvest comes when the time is just right
When the plant grows to its ultimate height
The crop is finally placed in the bin
There to be eaten or planted again.

Sometimes we plant God’s seed in tender love
But its growth always comes from God above.
Sometimes we pour water so it can grow
while we wait for growth which God can bestow.

Sometimes we get to harvest the new grains
Which from the beginning God will sustain
And sometimes we are asked to do all three
With the help of others we never see.

Seeds we have planted while we are here
someone else harvests in another year.
This cycle would seem to be very odd
If the growing wasn’t done by God.

So plant, water, and harvest where you are
so humbly because you are not the star.
And in God’s kingdom your heart will know
You had a big part to help it grow.