Jesus tells a story in the gospels, a story about a person who plants a seed. It’s a tiny seed, from the mustard plant. The person plants the seed with intention and care, and the seed grows. It grows until it becomes a great tree, and becomes home to all kinds of creatures. What started as a tiny seed became a garden-shaping plant. This is what God’s good news does, Jesus says – it reshapes whatever it encounters, and beyond, for good. God’s good news leaves things better than when they were found. This fall in worship we’ll be celebrating the seeds of the kingdom Messiah has partnered with God to plant over our 206-year history, and we’ll look forward to what’s next for us to plant as we continue to leave our community, and our world, better than we found it, in Jesus’ name.