WATCHWORDS:
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
Meditation
Bamboo
Anyone have bed sheets made from bamboo? I do. Very soft, luxurious. How about bamboo planking on floors in your home? How about small, indoor bamboo plants in your house? It’s a very interesting plant, very versatile.
During my time volunteering at Heifer Ranch, near Perryville Arkansas, I learned a lot about livestock, farming, water buffalos, how to milk a goat, how to kiss a camel and, yes, about heifers, and any number of other things. The Ranch is actually an educational facility, like a spectacular zoo, a demonstration farm with educational programming that attracted thousands of visitors and kids on school field trips every year.
On the ranch, there are two international villages, each one with three to five habitats, authentically reproduced to represent homes in third-world countries. One of those villages wraps around a large pond, with a beautiful walkway. At one place, you walk through a bamboo forest, where the bamboo trees are perhaps a foot in diameter, and anywhere from 20 to 35 feet tall. The seeds for the bamboo forest were planted 30 or 40 years ago, and, I was told, for the longest time, perhaps five or six years, nothing happened. They had pretty much made the decision to dig it all up and start over when suddenly there were bamboo shoots. And, in span of one or two weeks, the grove had grown to 20 feet and covered the whole area along the walkway. That’s the nature of bamboo. You plant the seed and it may take a while, but you will be rewarded.
You could almost hear Jesus telling the parable of the bamboo seed, a little like His parable of the mustard seed. The thing about mustard seeds is, you scatter them, they fall on good and poor soil, and grow accordingly. But, with bamboo, you have to intentionally plant the seed, in the ground, and you wait, and, over time, you will see the result.
In both parables, we share our relationship with Christ by word and deed, by what one author calls, “blood and ink”. Blood means by behavior, actions, our character, our compassion and generosity. While “ink” means our actual witness of our faith, by what we say, or write, or sing, thus communicating our faith.
Years ago, in my travels, I stopped in Steubenville Ohio, and visited the Congregational Christian Church, where my father had been pastor for the first 10 years of my life. I walked into the sanctuary, studied the beautiful three-panel organ, recalling its history. I stepped into one of the Sunday School classrooms, and there, covering one wall, was the Cradle Role, list after list of the names of newborn babies, from 1930 to the present time. I searched the lists and, finally, found my name! Little Stanley Escott, right there, evidence that I had been there.
Without carrying this too far, I would liken myself to bamboo: seeds of my faith, planted long years ago, when I was growing up, the ‘son of a preacher-man’, as one of my kids would say. I have to say those seeds sat there for a very long time before there was any sign of growth, before a Christ-loving shoot stuck its head up in my life. It took some pretty heavy nudging along the way, to get me back on the right track within the will of the Lord. But I think a seed or two were planted in that little classroom where the Cradle Roll hung on the wall.
Plant your seeds, and let God do the rest. So be it.
Bulletin Board:
Think about this: Advent, the coming of our Lord into the world (again). This is the same Jesus who is the source of our eternal happiness. We join a small crowd of Mary, Elizabeth, the shepherds, Simeon, Anna, and the angels, overcome with happiness at the arrival of the Messiah, and even the preborn John leaped for joy at the presence of Jesus. Yes, my friends, tis’ the season to rejoice and be glad.
Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, You sent Your messengers to tell of the birth of Your Son, that people might believe in Him. Open our ears to hear Your call, to repent of our sins, and to seek our heavenly inheritance. May we profess Christ until we stand by His grace before the glory of Your majesty; Help me to hear your voice. Touch me once again. Give me the courage to be your beloved. Give me courage to choose joy. I need you now this Christmas. Be born in me again. Today. Grant this for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
