With the month of March also comes “garden fever.” Don’t know what this is, you say? It’s the annual springtime frenzy of people flocking to garden centers, big box home stores, and local places in the community that sell flower and vegetable seeds as well as plants. With the coming of springtime and warmer weather, people want to beautify the place they call home – patios and decks, backyard retreats, front walkways and flower beds. Everyone wants to have that picture-perfect outdoor space, whether it be planters and containers, raised beds, or in-ground plots. With the coming of spring, the earth is awakening with signs of new growth all around us.
Within Scripture, the story of salvation begins and ends in a garden. Already in the opening chapters of Genesis 1-2, God’s marvelous plan for his good creation begins in the Garden of Eden. The very word we often associate with this is “paradise,” which comes from an Old Iranian word meaning “walled enclosure.” I love that! To this very day, a walled enclosure, or garden, is a sheltered place. Its walls are places for beautiful plants and flowers to climb on. The Garden of Eden, in its state before the fall into sin, was such a place. Sin, of course, changed all that, and the trajectory of God’s good creation was forever altered. But in God’s wisdom, the promise of a Savior was made already at the time of Adam and Eve’s sin (see Genesis 3:15). God’s promise was eagerly anticipated and watched for by the prophets, priests, and people of Israel. With the coming of God’s own Son, Jesus, the trajectory of God’s good creation was realigned and restored through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Although we still live with the effects of sin and death in our lives, these are not the final word. The final word is life – the full and abundant life that Jesus came to bring (see John 10:10). Just as Israel of old waited and watched for the coming of the promised Messiah, so God’s faithful people today wait and watch for His promised return when He will make all things new. The final book of Scripture contains beautiful imagery of the river of life flowing through new Jerusalem, with the tree of life bearing its twelve kinds of fruit each month (see Revelation 22:1-5). How beautiful to think that these gifts of creation – water and trees – will be part of God’s new creation! A beloved Lenten hymn that my congregation sings is “There in God’s Garden” (With One Voice 668 – go to ELW 342 "There in God's Garden" Virtual Hymn Lutheran Hymn - Samm Hills Worship (youtube.com) if you want to listen to this). This text of this beautiful and moving hymn was originally written by a Hungarian, Kiraly Imre von Pecselye (1590-1641), and was translated into English by The Rev. Dr. Erik Routley (1917-1982). The hymn makes the connection between the story of creation, redemption, and eternal life. The tree in the Garden of Eden from which Satan deceived Adam and Eve has given way to the tree of life, which is the cross of Christ.
Many wonder what we will be occupied with for all eternity in that heavenly home which God has prepared for those who love Him from the foundation of the world (see Matthew 25:34). We will certainly worship and praise our glorious and gracious God, that is for certain. But I do wonder if we might not return to that paradise of God that was Eden, and once again, like Adam, be occupied with caring for God’s new creation. Before the fall into sin, this was Adam’s God-given calling to “till the soil” and keep the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 2:15). Prior to sin, working in the garden wasn’t drudgery and toil, but a thing of joy. And there were no weeds to contend with, either (see Genesis 3:17ff.)! For those who enjoy gardening, this may sound wonderful. For those who don’t enjoy gardening this side of heaven, the thought of doing this for all eternity may get a less-than-enthusiastic response. These, of course, are just my ramblings. Scripture doesn’t give us a play-by-play list of what we can expect, only “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (see 1 Corinthians 2:9).
A Community Garden Task Force has been at work for several months to explore the feasibility of such a garden for St. John’s. This flows out of my 2023 Summer Sabbatical which had as one of its objectives to visit various great gardens in the British Isles and find inspiration from them., as well as visiting gardens closer to home. A take-away from this is to see what is possible for our own congregation. This is still very much a work in progress, but I’m happy to report the group has been meeting regularly, connecting with other churches who have community gardens, and envisioning possibilities for our own particular setting at St. John’s. We have a good group of people represented on this Task Force, some of whom are seasoned gardeners and others who are new to this. In October 2023, St. John’s Church Council authorized formation of this Task Force, and the Task Force will be reporting back to the Church Council with its findings and recommendations. Celebrating the goodness of God through the goodness of His creation is a real connecting point with the community around us. More to come on this!
The highpoint of our Christian faith occurs in this month of March in which the season of spring begins. The resurrection of our Lord, Easter Sunday, will be celebrated this year on Sunday, March 31 – a bit earlier than usual. But because Easter can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25, depending on when “the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox”(the formula in the Western Church to determine the date of Easter) occurs, it can be early or late. With the burst of spring flowers already happening, the greening and reawakening of the natural world seems to herald Christ’s bursting of death’s strong bands with His rising from the dead. You are welcome and invited to join us for special Lenten, Holy Week, and Easter Sunday worship services. Go to St. John's Lutheran Church: Alexandria, VA > Lent and Easter 2024 (sjlc.com) to learn about these.
However gardening may look in your life situation, may this season of new life bring you joy and gladness in Christ Jesus who has passed over from death to life.