Hello Everyone

This week as the weather seems to be improving and the first day of spring is nearly here we are being led more and more to the outdoors.

I have also been thinking about gardening.

My dad was an avid gardener and grew many things in his garden that bore fruit but is did not come without time, effort and patience and sheer graft.

This week, I have also been reminded of the story of the fig tree that was not bearing fruit when along came the gardener who tended it in the hope that it would within the year. This is of course teaching us that we need to tend our spiritual gardens so that they will have a chance of bearing fruit. This could be us personally in our lives but also the life of our churches and what we offer to the community.

So my spring challenge is simply this:

• What needs weeding ?
  

• What needs trimming ?
  

• What needs sorting ?
  

• What needs addressing?
  

• What needs watering?
  

• What needs repairing?
  

• What needs feeding ?
  

• What is dangerous ?
  

• What needs planting or sowing?
  

You know these are all things we do in our gardens at this time of year, for those of us who are blessed with a garden. We are being led are we not to that Easter garden ?

Let’s get our gardens metaphorically speaking ready for resurrection. It will take time and effort but it will be worth it as all of the “gardening” leads to produce and a crop of fruit. If we don’t then we risk failure and certainly not anything other than abundance of weeds. And ground not ready for growing anything.

Blessings,

Helen