By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are soil, and to the soil you shall return.”
– Genesis 3:19 (Pastor Ben’s Translation)
Our Lenten theme this year is “Preparing ourselves to be fertile soil for God’s garden of love and grace.” This theme starts in this verse from Genesis. We come from the soil and shall return to the soil. During our time on earth, we are nourished by our relationships to each other and our relationship to God.
We are going to spend the forty days of Lent preparing ourselves to be fertile soil where Jesus’ ministry of love and grace can grow in abundance in this new season. We will look to the practice of gardening – that we participate in at this church – as a guide for how we can prepare our own bodies, minds and spirits for a new season of growth. We will take time to weed out the sins that can choke out new growth in us. We will add practices that encourage us. And we will discern what in our lives is no longer serving us and add it to the compost pile!
Join us in worship to participate in liturgical acts to nourish us during this period of discernment in the congregation. Join us as we prepare the soil for a new season of actual gardening in the church garden! I look forward to seeing what grows in our ministry together as we prepare for our risen Lord!