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| Our Garden Containers |
Rev. Molly F. James, PhD
Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, CT
June 17, 2018; Prober 6B
May God’s Word be spoken. May God’s Word be heard. May that point us to the living Word who is Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
It is that time of year again. Planting and growing season! We don’t have a large lot, so we opt to be container gardiners. Thanks to a friend, we have a great system that involves two five gallon buckets with a piece of PVC pipe and a yogurt container. The result of this contraption is that the containers end up watering themselves for days at a time. This is a really good thing, because as anyone in my family will tell you, I do not have a particularly green thumb. This system means that we actually grow herbs and tomatoes as opposed to ending up with a lot of dried out plants.
While these containers can go untended for a few days, they cannot be ignored completely. They need weeding, they need water, and they need fertilizer. Not to mention picking! Particularly with the herbs, if we don’t keep up they will all go to seed and be no good for eating.
This gardening experience makes me want to push back a bit on our Gospel reading from Mark. This parable of the mustard seed makes it all sound far too easy. It talks about how the earth just produces and all you have to do is plant it. Now my gardening knowledge is somewhat limited, but I think there are very few plants that you can just plant and ignore. If there are such plants, I would like to know more about them. They sound like the perfect fit for those of us lacking a green thumb!
No, I think our Gospel is missing the middle. It is not as though we plant a seed and presto we have a bush big enough for birds to nest in it. It takes time, care, and attention. And so it is with our faith lives. They too take time, care, and attention. We do not magically grow in our understanding of God or ourselves. The Kingdom of God does not just magically appear without us working to help build it.
Our reading from 2 Corinthians reminds us, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” Absolutely. Our lives and our hearts are transformed by being in relationship with Jesus. And that transformation requires work. Harvests don’t just happen.
So, I think there is a two fold invitation in our readings today. First, there is an invitation to be on the lookout for what is new. Where is God at work? What seeds have been planted that are just beginning to sprout? Where are we finding signs of hope and possibility? Then, the second part is to see how we might be God’s hands and feet in the world to cultivate those seedlings into strong and sturdy plants.
I hope you all have a good long list in your own lives of how you see signs of hope and transformation at work in the world. We need those lists. We need to share them with each other, so that we do not become disheartened or overwhelmed by the challenges or losses we will inevitably encounter in our lives.
Here is my list for today, and I hope you might share some of your lists with each other in the coming days.
I find hope in:
- The beauty of God’s creation and the tenacity of plants to grow in adverse conditions.
- The joy and laughter of our children.
- The steadfast commitment of the young people (particularly the students of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School) who are working for change in our government and our society.
- The myriad of ways, particularly in recent days and weeks, religious leaders and lots of faithful followers of Jesus have become more public in affirming that the way of Jesus is first and foremost a way of Love.
- My daily work of helping to form future leaders of The Episcopal Church who are inspiring and who see so much possibility in the midst of change.
- All the ways I see hardwork and faithfulness result in growth, whether it is in meaningful relationships or at the gym.
I am sure that by tomorrow I will have more things to add to that list. And I hope I will always remember that I am more aware of the signs of hope that are ever present around me when I take time to pause and reflect. When I ground myself in the abiding love of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit. When I remember that I am a follower of Jesus. I do not need to be out there trying to figure it all out on my own.
Being aware of the signs of hope is the first step, and then we must cultivate them. The wonderful thing is that it is just like working toward any good goal. It is like eating better, praying more, sleeping more, getting more exercise or prioritizing more family time over work. If we can just get started our practices will become their own reward. We will feel so good that we won’t stop, even if it is hard work.
So, be on the lookout for signs of hope. They are everywhere. Be on the lookout and be ready. Be ready to help those tentative seedlings grow into sturdy plants. Just imagine all the wonderful growth we can inspire together! AMEN.
