Tending Our Garden

Pastor Jason posted a photo to Facebook of his beautiful backyard area with flowers and a fountain.

He then posted a photo of the same area a month earlier with the comment, "What a difference a month makes."

Consider one of the garden plots in my front yard. It looks much the same as it did last month. The daffodils and lily blooms have run their course. The two Easter lilies I brought home have been well-watered thanks to the rain, but have yet to actually find their way into the ground. Generally, it looks just as messy and unkempt as it did a month ago.

Our gardens had the same month.

It wasn't the month that made the difference. It was the gardener.

Yes, things happen simply as a function of time. Flowers bloom and die. Grass grows taller. Things get dusty and dirty. Mold grows. Wood rots. Things rust.

That sounds like a pretty uncomfortable (and unhealthy) world to live in.

So we take action. We make other things happen.

We learn to tend our gardens, mow the lawn, do some basic maintenance to keep things functioning.

Time doesn't make food appear on the shelves of the LCS Food Pantry at St. Stephen's. But time, and the work of community gardeners help fill the shelves of the food pantry with fresh produce.

Time doesn't make Sunday worship happen. But time and the work of the staff, altar guild, volunteers and worshipers, combine for beautiful Sunday worship.

Time doesn’t bring up our children. But time, the work of teachers, and the support of family and friends give us children who are our pride and joy.

Jesus didn't tell his disciples to just wait for things to happen. He told them to go out, to baptize, and to teach.

All too soon it will be September, and we will wonder where the summer went.

What will you do to make summer more than the simple passage of time?

- Ann Iona Warner