Sowing Seeds of Peace

                The swirling winds now gust from the southeast.  Dark clouds gather ominously and greet the arid landscape with flashes of lightning and claps of thunder.  Rainy season has descended upon South Sudan.  Almost every day brings fresh rainfall.  The farmer that has faithfully sown will await his harvest.  Through the veil of raindrops, our eyes perceive another kind of sowing done by farmers with a very different goal.  Theirs is a deeper, more glorious labor and, therefore, brings anticipation of spiritual fruit.

                This gospel farmer sows seed widely into the soil of human hearts.  And as he labors, he does so with the acute awareness that his character creates the environment in which the quality of the seed is evaluated.  The Word of God tells us that, “The seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:18).  The work must be done by the peace-maker; it must be done with gentle admonition, a soothing embrace, and by comforting, healing hands.  It is only then that he labors confidently, knowing that he distributes the seed whose “fruit is righteousness.”  This is increasingly evident in South Sudan, where clouds of desperation are being pierced by the blazing sun of spiritual life and groves of righteous fruit are being cultivated. 

                It is our hope, despite the difficult field, to emphasize the effectiveness of those who faithfully sow Gospel seeds into communities where a tenuous peace hides massive suffering.  It is our goal to exalt the Lord Jesus, by whose Word alone does true peace exist.