It was 50 years or so ago. Harriet Pollard remembers because her son who is now 52, was only about 2 when it happened. Harriet and Helen Seppa Leigh (now in heaven with Jesus) were on a walk. As they passed by the seed barn Helen said, "Can't you just see this as a church?" They went inside and looked around. Helen remarked, "The pulpit would go over here." And so the seed of a thought of a building for the newly formed church was planted.
It was just an ordinary seed barn used to store the grass seed that was harvested from the nearby fields. It was dirty and unfinished. It hardly looked like a church! But Helen saw past the externals to what could be and what it would be.
How often do we pass by what is "ordinary" without thinking about what could be or what should be? Ordinary lost people are much like seed barns. Dirty, unfinished, not much to look at. Paul said to a group of believers--"Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 6:11).
It is a good thing that God has looked upon us as Helen looked upon that old seed barn. He looked past what we were to what we could be and what we would be in Christ. He chose us, predestined us, adopted us, redeemed us, forgave us, enlightened us, enriched us, and sealed us--all that we might be holy and blameless before Him (Ephesians 1:1-14)."
He took us as we were--dirty and ordinary in sin, and is now transforming us into a holy temple in the Lord (Ephesians 2:21). Thank God for His ability by His grace to transform ordinary lost sinners into saints and true worshippers!
Pastor Jerry
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
MORE THAN A SEED BARN
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3 comments:
“More Than A Seed Barn” is real food for thought regarding our awesome God and His perfect plan. Amazingly, God’s plan provides for everything, forever, right down to the minutest detail, and notice God’s perfect economy; His plan wastes absolutely nothing, not even a thought! What an incredible realization this is, but it should not surprise us; after all, would you expect anything less from “The Creator?”
Physically, God transformed an old seed barn into a newly formed church, but is that all He did? When we examine His work in this, we find an astounding analogy within its scope. The building structure itself, although new, is functionally still a seed barn; it just stores seeds of a different type now – seeds of thought. Continuing on with the analogy, we find that this is not the only change though. Because seeds have no practical value until they’re planted and because God always does things on a grand but economical scale, the building now also doubles as a garden where the seeds of thought are planted, hopefully sprout, are nurtured and grow according to God’s will!
Since each plant is unique, has an individual purpose and is tended to, personally, by our Creator, they grow at different rates, but always in His time and for His pleasure. When a plant has fully matured and brought forth the fruits that God desires from them here on earth, He relocates them to His Eternal Garden where they will continue to live, forever. God’s plan did indeed produce more than a seed barn – much, much more, and we are so happy that He chose us to be His seedlings!
Bob West
I am that young son who walked - or was toted along - with Helen and my mother. I was too young to recall the details of their conversation on that day, but I distinctly remember what happened later. We had a church - a community church where the children of Lewis and Clark Road could learn about God's love in a safe place for children. We were taught Sunday school in rooms framed in on the first floor of that seed barn. We had rooms with open stud walls, but nobody minded the rusticity. We were learning God's Word. We momeroized the Psalms. I learned Psalm 23 then, a great comfort to me my entire life. The Holy Spirit inhabited that seed barn. We cared for it as if it were the Sistine Chapel because, as humble as it was, it was our church - the place where God's Word was taught to us and where Christians gathered to glorify His name. At the time I didn't know that it was only a barn. I had never seen any other church, so I didn't know. All I knew is that it was OUR church, the church that my mother worked so hard for and that I attended evry Sunday. Pastor Jerry has it just right - God will take every imperfect gift and make it perfect in His sight, whether that gift is a rustic worn out building or a broken man or woman who worships God.
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