Uncalculated Generosity
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. Come just as you are, bringing whatever is on your heart today. Take a few moments and allow yourself to just be. Take a couple deep breaths, grab yourself a cup of coffee, light a candle, do something that brings you comfort. Allow yourself to be present in this moment.
Consider what you might scatter today simply because you believe it is good—even if you cannot know what it will become.
We are not called to be successful but faithful, and to be faithful is simply being willing to show up with your whole self.
— Parker Palmer
1 Corinthians 3:6–7
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
Ecclesiastes 11:6
Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.
Food For Thought
Rising with the morning, a sower crosses the field in his wide-brimmed hat, his boots already dusty from the red clay. He knows the feel of the soil, the rhythm of planting, and the patience it will require. He takes a handful of seed, throws it on the ground, and trusts that, given the right conditions, something will eventually push its way toward the light.
That is not exactly how the story begins, but it is how I imagine it.
Jesus tells a story about a sower who goes out to sow seed, casting it without much care for where it might land. Some seed lands on rocks, some in the thorns, some on the path, and others in the good soil. And when I think about this story, I find myself wondering about this sower. What kind of sower does this? What kind of sower just casts out seed without paying much attention to where it is going? It is almost as though he isn't particularly concerned with what will happen to the seeds.
If you've ever planted a garden, you might find this a little strange, too.
We know there is another way to do this. We prepare the soil. We pay attention to where things will grow. We protect the seed. We try to give things the best possible chance.
And yet Jesus tells us about a sower who seems remarkably unconcerned with all of that.
There is something almost extravagant about this sower. Something uncalculated. The sower seems willing to scatter good seed without first knowing exactly where it will land or what will become of it.
And Jesus connects the kingdom of God with this kind of sower.
We live in a world that asks us to calculate almost everything. We think about efficiency, productivity, measurable outcomes, and whether something will be worth the investment. We want to know what our efforts will produce before we spend our time, our energy, or our resources.
And maybe there is wisdom in that. Planning and preparation matter. Being thoughtful with what we have matters.
But I wonder if our desire to be careful can quietly become our need to be certain.
Sometimes the question we ask before we give is not, “Is this good?” but “Will this work?”
And those are not always the same question.
Sometimes I wonder if our need to calculate might limit our imagination for what God’s goodness and God’s kingdom might make possible—what God might be able to do with the small things we are willing to scatter.
A mustard seed. A few loaves and some fish. A word of welcome. A small act of love.
At first, these things can seem almost insignificant. But perhaps the value of a seed isn't determined by whether we can guarantee what will grow from it. Sometimes we know something is good even when we don't know what it will accomplish. Sometimes we know something is worth doing even when we cannot measure its impact.
Maybe that is part of the freedom hidden in this story: offering something good to the world without first knowing exactly what it will produce. Pursuing justice because justice is good, even when we cannot guarantee that we will see justice prevail. Forgiving because forgiveness can make room for something new, even when we cannot control what another person does with that gift. Making room at the table because belonging is good, even when we don't know who will sit down. Speaking hope because hope is worth speaking into the world, even when the circumstances around us give us little reason to expect it. Loving because love is good, even when love makes us vulnerable to loss.
There is something beautiful about the possibility that we don't always have to know what will come of the seeds we scatter.
Our world needs people who can look into its broken places and still believe there are seeds of healing worth scattering. People who will rise with the morning, put on their boots, walk out into the world as it is—rocky ground and thorny brush and fertile soil all mixed together—and scatter whatever goodness they have to offer.
A little kindness. A little hope. A little courage. A little love.
We may not know what will grow, but we can trust that the seed is good. And maybe that is enough for today.
Each morning this week, choose one small thing you can scatter into the world: a kind word, an unexpected thank-you, an invitation, a generous assumption, a note of encouragement, or five minutes of your attention. Don’t worry about whether it “works.” Simply offer it.
Think of one good thing you’ve been hesitant to do because you’re unsure whether it will make a difference. Maybe it’s reaching out to someone, starting a conversation, offering forgiveness, speaking up, or making room for someone new. This week, take one small step.
For a printable version of today's reflection Click Here!
Blessing
God of the scattered seed,
Give us the courage to offer what is good without needing to know what it will become. Teach us to trust that even the smallest acts of love, hope, justice, and welcome can take root in ways we cannot see. May we scatter generously and leave the growing to you.
Amen.
A little Table Talk for your table...
Where in your life do you find yourself wanting to know the outcome before you are willing to take the first step?
Can you think of a small act of kindness, welcome, justice, or love that someone “scattered” into your life without knowing the impact it would have? How did it take root?
What is one “seed” of goodness you feel invited to scatter this week, even if you may never know what comes of it?
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
What is something small and good you can do for someone else this week?
Have you ever done something kind for someone and not known what happened because of it? How did that make you feel?
If you could plant a “seed of kindness” anywhere—in your family, school, neighborhood, or church—where would you plant it, and what would it look like?
Meet This WEek’s Writer...
Lin Story-Bunce is a North Carolina native and lovingly calls Greensboro, NC home. She earned a Masters of Divinity from Wake Forest University and has served a wonderful and thoughtful congregation at College Park Baptist Church since 2009, pastoring to families and their faith development. Most of all, Lin loves the moments she gets to connect with her family, snowboarding with her wife, and keeping up with their four kiddos and two energetic pups. Lin is a teacher, preacher, dreamer, and procrastinator who has a knack for trying to do way too many things in far too little time.
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