Blooming in Faith: Pentecost, Community, and God's Beautiful Creation
And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.
[EF. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby”]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ of Peace and Grue Parish,
Blessings to you as we continue our journey together as brothers and sisters in Christ. I hope you’re all enjoying the sunshine and milder weather of our summer months, with a special shout out to our returning snowbirds, most of whom beat the hummingbirds and orioles back north.
All the seasons are special, but with its extra dosage of daylight hours and the vibrant colors and sounds of returning birds, blooms and butterflies, all of creation seems to speak out in loud and glorious voices of nature during the summer months. In the same way, we are propelled in a time of transformation following the Easter Season in Pentecost.
If you recall from scripture, Pentecost Sunday is what launches the original disciples of Jesus into uncharted territory for them, through Christ’s death and resurrection, they are transformed from Christ’s followers to becoming the first leaders of the Christian church. A bold, bright and beautiful movement that grew in dramatic ways, just like the buds and blooms explode into their element during the summer months.
In this summer boom time of horticultural growth, I’m reminded how God has created all this amazingness with the same interconnected sense of community as he created us. Within the rich diversity of my garden, the various plant varieties remind me of the diversity of humanity. The give and take between varieties and species as God designed them improves the quality of life for all the plants and critters in my garden, from healthy microbes in the soil, to aphid killing bugs, to worms that work the soil, to the plants and trees themselves that feed pollinators and shelter birds.
All of these individual components of my garden and yard are beautiful in and of themselves, but so much more enhanced and healthy when I tend and enjoy it as the gorgeous whole that is far more stunning than the sum of its parts. Then, if that wasn’t enough, I can visit other people’s gardens or botanical gardens that are unique to themselves, but just as beautiful.
Likewise, the disciples of the early church, and we as church together in the present day have distinctly unique gifts to offer, creating a beautiful bouquet of loving service that the entire world can enjoy and be enriched from. Through Christ, we are called to integrate together to create community that hopefully makes life more beautiful and richer for everyone.
Monty and I continue to pray for all of you, for enjoying God’s abundance in all its forms in this season, seeing the transformation in nature that mimics our transformation through Christ. May you bloom and grow in your faith and in community together as part of the beautiful bouquet of the Kingdom of God. God’s peace to you and all you hold dear,
Pastor Julie
God said, “Let the earth grow plant life: plants yielding seeds and fruit trees bearing fruit with seeds inside it, each according to its kind throughout the earth.” And that’s what happened. The earth pro-duced plant life: plants yielding seeds, each according to its kind, and trees bearing fruit with seeds in-side it, each according to its kind. God saw how good it was.