Behold I am Making All Things New
Memorial Day Weekend 2017, my husband and I had a decision to make. We would either have a backyard garden or we would adopt a puppy. We knew we couldn’t do both. Once we met Pancake, who is now our beloved Luna, we set aside all dreams of having a garden and began transforming our yard into her play space. This meant a grapevine had to go.
We hated to kill this beautiful vine, but grapes are toxic to dogs, and she was our priority. So my husband did the labor of bringing down the vine. This was the last plant other than grass, trees, and the weeds in our yard, so it was sad to see it go.
By the next spring, Luna was fully house trained, graduated from two levels of obedience school, and we were a happy family of three. She loved spending time in her yard, and we loved not having to walk her every time she needed to go out. The decision to cut down the grapevine was the right decision. Yet God worked a little miracle in our backyard beyond our expectations.
Where the grapevine had been, a bunch of daffodils sprung up! Bulbs that must have been buried in the earth by homeowners past or neighborhood animals were blooming before our eyes. The soil surprised us! We knew we couldn’t have both a garden and a dog, but God showed us a different path. Our yard could be able to be a safe place for Luna and bring forth flowers as well. These blooms were pure grace and a sign of the resurrection to us that spring and every spring since.
In getting to know the soil of your congregation, you may have found some surprises as well. Surprises that delight. Surprises that hinder. Surprises that raise questions about what moving forward may look like. Through all of these surprises, God will show a new way forward. God will lead you to make decisions that will likely include both pruning and planting new seeds. Ending beloved ministries that no longer serve their purpose or fit the mission of the congregation can be sad and difficult. Yet doing so is a necessary and natural step in preparation for new growth.
The words of Revelation 21:5 resonate here,
“Behold, I am making all things new.” Right now God is with you and alongside you as you dig into the soil of your congregation. God is a good gardener, who will help you sow the seeds, manage the weeds, prune in due season, and bring forth good fruit. God takes what is dead, barren, and worn down, and brings new life. Even we when we kill something, like a grapevine, new life comes forth. New life that may even surprise us!
God remains with you and your congregation throughout this process. God is at work in you and your congregation making all things new. Together let us give thanks to God “for the plowing, sowing, reaping, silent growth while we are sleeping.” (ELW 679-For the Fruit of All Creation) Amen!
Author: Pastor Colleen Montgomery