Has anyone ever planted a garden for you? Not someone you hire to do your yard work, not a neighbor offering you some extra plants from their own garden, not your adult children or family members helping out because you can’t dig or stay on your knees like you could 25 years ago. I mean, a complete stranger planting a garden in the yard of your new home, so that when you moved in, there would be fresh vegetables right in your back yard.
Well, I knew some people who did, and considering who they were, it really wasn’t unusual or surprising. A pretty long time ago, when my family still lived in my home town, I was talking with my dad on the phone, and we were having a nice visit about what was going on around town. He mentioned that the church we’d always belonged to had called a new pastor and he and his family would be arriving a little later in the summer. Our house was just a couple of doors down from the parsonage, and Dad said, “Oh, and Kenny and Elsie Anderson came over the other day and put in a garden.” Wondering if I’d heard him correctly, I said, “They what??” He logically explained that by the time these folks arrived it would be too late to plant a garden, so the Andersons went ahead and got one started. (Now that’s my kind of Welcome Wagon!) They thought it would be nice for the new family to have the fresh lettuce, carrots, radishes, peas, cucumbers and tomatoes that everyone else had. This couple had farmed for years, raised their family, and were such faithful members of our church, that as I reflected on this bit of news, I thought, “Of course they did. That’s how they are. That’s what they do.”
It’s not hard to see where I’m going with this, is it? I think putting in a garden for someone is more than a random act of kindness — it’s really a commitment. It’s not just the planting — there’s weeding, hoeing, probably some watering, and generally caring for this little plot of hospitality. So here is down-to-earth (rather literally) example of the kind of service we all are called to — which basically is to be aware of what our abilities are and then to use them to serve God by serving others, keeping our eyes and ears open to the possibilities.
“Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.”
– 1 Peter 4:10 (Lutheran Study Bible)
Your Friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers