When I was in seminary and avoiding a particularly dense reading assignment, I went to the common room in the dorm of the seminary to watch television. I had anticipated finding a room full of friends to distract me from my homework; but apparently in this instance they were being better students than I was, so I was alone. Flipping through the channels, I stumbled upon a documentary about the Canadian Pacific Railway and the grand railway hotels they constructed across Canada, particularly western Canada, to entice vacationers to take the train. The hotels were stunning and only exceeded by their setting, many in the Canadian Rockies, including the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise. Both were gorgeous hotels in the midst of amazing natural scenery that were travel destinations year-round. I was captivated that such a place could exist. My procrastination eventually ended and I went back to reading, but I filed away those images in my mind. Many years later, my wife asked me where I wanted to go for my 40th birthday. We wanted to take a special trip. Out of the blue, the images of Banff and Lake Louise came back to me, and we hatched a plan to visit in late November. The trip was more and better than I could have possibly hoped. The weather was colder than I could have imagined, as well, but it was a joy. We hiked and explored, snowshoed and enjoyed the hot springs. The entire time, I was amazed that seed that was planted fifteen years before had, somewhat randomly, sprouted into the adventure of a lifetime. I wonder how often something similar happens in our lives of faith -a thought spoken in a conversation on faith that leads into a deeper understanding of God years later? A story about a church that “really cares” results in a spiritually hungry individual risking entrance into that church some point down the line. A life changed by an encounter with a Christian who openly spoke about their own journey of faith only making sense decades later when you are going through something similar. Do we plant enough seeds? Do we trust enough that someday they will sprout? On this side of Pentecost, I am heartened by our renewed interest in the Holy Spirit. Through most of the liturgical calendar, it can feel like the Holy Spirit is absent with so much emphasis placed on the other members of the Trinity. During this time following Pentecost, however, the work of the Holy Spirit features more prominently. Particularly in our Reformed faith, it is this Holy Spirit that is so active in moving and growing faith -- and even planting seeds of faith to mature later. While I am sure we appreciate seeing the fruit of our labors in the church and among people of faith, how do we cultivate an equal appreciation of planting seeds that we may not see grow, but that others will? Blessings, Rev. Tim Blodgett
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