As I write this article, it is the beginning of winter in Chicago. The soil in which I work is hard and crusty, like a cold, dark quilt covering the bulbs planted in the earth, waiting for their time to awaken and show their colors. Perhaps as you read this, the hope and promise of fall planting have now been revealed in the spring renewing and awakening of the earth. It is God’s plan, this cycle of the seasons.
Gardening connects me to the roots of my faith. My mother is a gardener; she taught me about God and God’s care for me through the theological lens of God’s work as creator and sustainer of the earth. The ways that seeds are gently nurtured in their growth and the work of our hands in enabling that process form a vivid example of the life of faith. We live on this earth in community with all creation. We are interconnected with every living thing. How we respond demonstrates our faithful living.
How do you respond to the living world around you?
Today we remember Andrew, the Apostle. This message was adapted from “Gardening for the Soul” written by Elizabeth Caldwell that first appeared in the May 2006 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.
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