Psalm 86:11-17
Deuteronomy 6:20-25
Acts 8:26-39
John 4:31-38
For all gardeners, late winter is a time of planning and anticipation. By summer, I’ll be able to go out the back door and cut basil and chives for dinner, and ponder the difficulties of urban tomatoes. But right now, I’m thinking up a new design for my small back yard. In today’s reading (John 4:31-38), Jesus asks his followers to look around, and appreciate what is already there to be harvested. He talks about the joys of both the planter and the harvester.
I’ve created a new garden each time I have moved. I take great joy in laying out a design, selecting different combinations of plants, and happily digging in the mud to prepare them each spring. I’ve planted trees thinking of how they will look in five, or maybe fifteen years. Now, when visiting those cities and neighborhoods, I sometimes make the time to pass by a former home. Perhaps we all do that, returning to our past work to see what remains, and what has changed, but most importantly, to see if what we planted has come to fruition. The people living there now can pick apples and cut pitchers full of hydrangeas. I hope they see the harvest.

– Julia Koster