Life in ministry is full of changes and surprises. Whilst moving house on a regular basis can be stressful, one of the things I love about settling into a new manse is observing the yearly cycle of seasons in the garden for the first time. I remember my first manse in Myrtleford had a garden that contained a never-ending parade of surprises as spring bulbs would shoot up and then flower, trees would take on spectacular autumn hues, and the delicious fragrance of wintersweet wafting across the back garden in the middle of winter. (This was the biggest surprise of all and took me ages to work out where the sweet smell was coming from).
I’m not much of a gardener myself but am always happy to enjoy the legacy of others who have gone before me; so imagine my delight when I discovered some familiar looking greenery shooting up from the grass outside my front fence a few weeks ago. I love jonquils, and picked a few for a vase inside the house, but mostly have enjoyed having this line of flowers welcome me home every time I approach my driveway. Such a small thing, but just thinking about it makes me smile, and gives me a spring in my step.
So often God speaks to us in unexpected ways through the small, ordinary and everyday things that we often fail to notice because we’re too focused on the next ‘important thing’- where we are going, rather than where we are NOW. In his
Launceston workshop, Andrew McDonough had us wandering about outside, observing the birds, something we rarely take time to do deliberately and thoughtfully. Yet Jesus invites us to “Look at the birds of the air…” and, “Consider the lilies of the field…” as lessons and reassurances of God’s care for us and the creation.
During the month of September, as some of us will be exploring the Season of Creation in worship, let’s take time to look around us and consider the jonquils… and other good works of God’s hands, and the love God has for us and the creation in which we live.
Rev Caro Field
Launceston North Uniting Church