I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow... What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God’s field in which we are working.
I Corinthians 3:4-9
One of the joys of preparing a Daily Moment is the opportunity to dig into the stories of saints who set an example for us to follow, “not only by their words but in their lives.” Today in the church calendar is the
feast day for Bertha and Ethelbert, Queen and King of Kent.
King Ethelbert (560-616) was a pagan Saxon King who rose to power at the age of 14. He was a just king with a love for all things French, including a French Christian princess named Bertha. Although Ethelbert was not a Christian, he promised Bertha’s father that, when married, he would not hinder the practice of her faith. He not only welcomed his bride to Kent but also her chaplain and later built the Church of St. Martin, which still stands today.
In 597, Augustine, a Gospel missionary from Rome, arrived in England. King Ethelbert, no doubt influenced by his wife, welcomed Augustine and stated, “I cannot accept [your words] and forsake those beliefs which I and the whole English race have held so long . . . . But, as you have come on a long pilgrimage and are anxious, I perceive, to share with us things which you believe are true and good, we do not wish to do you any harm . . . nor do we forbid you to win all you can to your faith and religion by your preaching.”
The following Pentecost, Ethelbert was baptized and became the first Christian King of England. The seed that Bertha planted had begun to blossom.
Under the reign of Bertha and Ethelbert, many churches and cathedrals were founded and filled with Christian converts. It is reported that neither sovereign used their position of power and influence to coerce belief but used kindness and charity to plant and water the seeds of faith among their people.
The more I researched this story, the more I was encouraged in my own faith journey. Bertha, Augustine, and Ethelbert were all workers in God’s field. As we read in today’s scripture, Apollos, Paul – indeed all of us – have servant assignments. We may not be kings, or queens, or missionaries, but we can be assured that our faithful service will yield growth.
Of course, we cannot force growth, rather growth comes through God’s power. God brought about the growth of Christianity through the faithful planting and watering of Gospel seeds in the 1st Century (Paul, Apollos); the 6th Century (Bertha, Ethelbert, and Augustine); and throughout the history of the Church. And God is still at work in the 21st Century!
How is God calling you to serve in his field today?
God bless you!
Lois
