Tag Archives: growth forces

Seeds Harvest Growth- Worship Resources based on Mark 4.26-34

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open to growth

Open to Growth by Carly Swenson

1. PRAYER: Prayer to the Welcoming One by Lisa Degrenia
He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed… – Mark 4:30-31a

Welcoming One,
Your mercy knows no limit
Your grace knows no margin

You reach out

Like a tree full of branches
Satisfied with the song of unnumbered birds

Like a hen collecting her newborns
Sheltering them beneath healing wings

Like a surprised fisherman
Taking up a bursting, sweeping catch

Like a good shepherd
Extending the flock in every direction

Open us, as you continue to open yourself
So all may come within the reach
Of your saving embrace

2. QUOTE: by Wendell Berry
Sowing the seed, my hand is one with the earth.
Wanting the seed to grow, my mind is one with the light.
Hoeing the crop, my hands are one with the rain.
Having cared for the plants, my mind is one with the air.
Hungry and trusting, my mind is one with the earth.
Eating the fruit, my body is one with the earth

3. PRAYER: Prayer for Growth by Lisa Degrenia
He also said, “The kingdom of God 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. – Mark 4:26-27

Sew your seed, Good Gardner
Root us in your steadfast love
Plant your faithful promises deep within
Shelter and sustain us with your healing and hope
Your strength and light
Your good and lasting fruit is coming
It is here
The glory of the harvest is yours
For you alone bring the growth

4. RESOURCE: Natural Church Development, 6 Growth Forces by Christian A. Schwarz

  1. Interdependence- individual beings are connected to each other in a larger system
  2. Multiplication- healthy beings reproduce
  3. Energy Transformation- energy already flowing can be redirected
  4. Sustainability- healthy processes are cyclical, contributing to the next part of the cycle
  5. Symbiosis- cooperation for mutual benefit
  6. Fruitfulness- healthy things bear fruit (results)

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© 2021 You are welcome to use the original portions of this work in a worship setting with proper attribution. (by Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, http://www.revlisad.com) Please leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in any form.

Advent Photo-A-Day: Day 19, Patience

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bread-dough-risingThe thought behind the photo:
Instant is an illusion
A false preference of progress

Growth takes time
Always has
Always will

Seed to harvest
Mistrust to trust
Conception to birth

The best bread rises
Alive in the leavening
The proof of patience
– Growth Takes Time by Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

SCRIPTURE: 2 Peter 3:9 NRSV
The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.

SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4:1-3 NRSV
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The December 19, 2013 devotion from http://umrethinkchurch.tumblr.com 
SCRIPTURE: James 5:7-10, The Message
Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time. Friends, don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner. Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course!

Patience is a virtue, the phrase goes. Patience is bitter, but the fruit is sweet, said Aristotle. When is patience a virtue and under what circumstances is it appropriate to advise patience over action? When does patience become oppressive?

In this passage, the author is adamant about being patient, like the farmer, who trusts the rain to do its “slow but sure work.”

We are nearing the end of Advent, but the beginning of so much more. It’s hard to wait, especially when the world isn’t as God intended it to be. When nations continue to war, people continue to oppress, hunger and poverty continue to find victims.

This season of Advent, practice an active patience, keeping alive the hope that God is not finished with us yet. The God of creation continues to work in the hearts and minds of God’s people, renewing and restoring hope, love, joy and peace.

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Growth Takes Time © 2013 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting with proper attribution.

Please contact Lisa for information and permission to publish this work in any form.

Thank you Rethink Church for a great way to make preparing for Christmas more meaningful. Join me and thousands more in setting aside time to reflect, focus, and literally picture the deep themes of Jesus’ birth.

Click here for more information on Advent Photo-A-Day from Rethink Church.

Click here for a master list of links to my submissions. Lisa <><