Yesterday Bryan and I went with a friend to a market here in Prague that sells plants and fruits and vegetables. We had a great time wandering through stand after stand of fresh ripe fruits and veggies, admiring all of the new growth on the herb and vegetable plants and enjoying the beauty of the flowers around us. Bryan and I ended up buying a tomato plant, some lettuce, some herbs and two pepper plants to grow on the balcony. We will plant them on the balcony this afternoon and I’m really looking forward to getting my hands dirty with this task.

Then last night I read the book Hope for the Flowers. It is a beautiful little story about a caterpillar’s journey to becoming a butterfly and I loved it. I will definitely be reading it again. It was also the first story that I read aloud with the thought of reading to my baby. From what I hear it’ll still be a few more days (maybe about a week) before the baby’s ears are developed enough for it to hear what’s going on outside the womb, but for some reason as I started to read this story I thought of the new growth and change that is happening within me and I wanted to read it aloud to my little baby.

Then this morning when I woke up my brain was writing a short story in my head about a little tree that was transplanted. I forced myself to wake up faster than my body really wanted and rushed to the computer to try and get the story out in writing. I got some of it, but I think that what my brain was writing in bed was a little better than what I put down by the time I got to the computer – funny how it works that way sometimes. But, I still have hope for this story about new growth and change in the life of a little tree.

Then the first blog I read today was Christine Sine’s post on Earth Day. She talks about gardening and all the metaphors for life and God’s work that can come from the garden, but she also mentioned briefly something that really struck me… “the sacramental nature of gardening.” She writes, “how differently would we view God’s creation and our faith if each time we planted a seed we entered into an experience of the death and resurrection of Christ. And what about if we saw the watering of the garden as a partaking in the baptism of Christ after all each time we water it does bring new life to the plants we are tending.” That really struck me. To be honest, I’ve never had much of a green thumb, and I’ve killed more plants and flowers in my day then I’d like to admit, I’ve never had much patience for it and often forgot to tend to the plants. Lately, I’ve been recognizing the importance of tending to creation and also been really liking the idea of growing my own food and living more simply (I guess I fit in with the rest of my generation and a common trend right now – did you know sales of vegetable seeds and transplants are up 30% over last year in the U.S’s largest seed company?). Anyway, I like the idea of gardening a lot, but I’ve had a hard time really getting into it myself, but this picture helped me in some way… thinking of it as a sacrament. I just really like that.

Anyway, I guess God’s been surrounding me with a lot of garden and planting and spring time stuff the past 24 hours and I thought I’d share J

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany

 Photograph by Beth Stedman

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“But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt^[a] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

16“In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

17Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

19Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

This Mother’s Day may we all remember the Mother of us all, the Bride of Christ – The Church. For with Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit Jesus breathed life into us all and the Church was born. She was not born for herself but for the world – to be a witness to all of the great Love of God. Oh, Bless the Church and reach out in love to her, for however broken or blemished she may be she is God’s and the Spirit of God lives in her! Bless the Church!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedman

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Then after reading through a few other blogs of friends I started looking through blogs by people I don’t know and came to one blog that had this beautiful Pascal sermon posted on it. It struck a chord with me today so I thought I’d share…

For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.

The Lord gives rest to those who come at the eleventh hour,
even as to those who toiled from the beginning.

To one and all the Lord gives generously.
The Lord accepts the offering of every work.
The Lord honours every deed and commends their intention.

Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!

First and last alike, receive your reward.
Rich and poor, rejoice together!

Conscientious and lazy, celebrate the day!
You who have kept the fast, and you who have not,
rejoice, this day, for the table is bountifully spread!

Feast royally, for the calf is fatted.
Let no one go away hungry.
Partake, all, of the banquet of faith.
Enjoy the bounty of the Lord’s goodness!
—A PASCHAL SERMON by St. John Chrysostom (347-407)

Where ever you are today – tired or well rested, hungry or well fed, longing or contented, confused or certain, failing or standing strong – where ever life finds you today may you grab a glass and drink, pull up a chair and eat, hear the music and dance, for Christ has come and He invites all to the banquet and gives new life, full life, to all who will come. Rejoice together! Christ is risen! Rejoice together! Christ is good!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedman

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It came to my attention – just this year in fact – that Easter is not a day. Easter is actually a 50 day season of the church calendar starting at sundown on Holy Saturday (starting at the Easter Vigil) and ending at the day of Pentecost, when the church remembers and celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit. This year Eastertide lasts until Sunday May 11^th (Pentecost).  

It seems right to me that Easter should be longer than a day. It is (or should be) the central focus of our Christian walk. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! And with Him we are risen as well from death to life – not just in the age to come but in the here and now. We were dead but now we live. We were lost but now are found. We have life and hope that cannot be taken from us. Our God is not dead and buried – He is alive and well and active in our lives. And remembering that and choosing to live in that should create joy. Thus, the season of Easter should be a time of celebration, a time of feasting, a time of pure joy.

May the coming days of Eastertide be days of joy for you. May they be days filled with play and celebration and laughter and delight in knowing that God delights in you, He has given you life – life to the full! May each day of Eastertide build on the day before until we come together to Pentecost and with equal joy remember that God is with us, that He has given us His very Spirit and has sent us out with purpose and mission.

Rejoicing in the journey –
Beth Stedman

Photograph by Beth Stedman

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