Sunday, June 29
- Scripture: John 20:15 – “He asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?'”
- Reflection: We may not recognize the gardener in our lives as Jesus, just as Mary couldn’t name the Rabbi, at first, standing with her in the garden outside the tomb. She wasn’t expecting Holy Love to be there, nor for God to return to her, incarnate and present, during one of the most devastating moments of her life. She assumed she was alone in her grief.
Yet Love showed up. Defied death. Came back to stand with her, call her name, demonstrate resilience and resurrection, to affirm healing and confidence that Love has the final word. Life persists.
In our faith tradition, Jesus is the gardener who comes to restore and renew our lives. Throughout scripture, the motif of God as gardener, vintner, orchard keeper, farmer, and shepherd has always been one of care and compassion for humans in all times. We may not realize how Holy Love shows up, yet when we look with different eyes, with altered perception, we can see the evidence. Love arrives as resources and relationships that sustain us, both in the hopeful times and the hard times. - Spiritual Practice Prompt: Spend time in prayer today, seeking Jesus, the gardener. By what name are you called by the gardener? In what way have you felt alone, cut off, and abandoned? Can you find evidence that Love has been present in spite of those feelings?
Song:
- Gardening by JJ Heller: https://youtu.be/FHDT0pY5CiA?si=Vd6ioXnHGQuTZl2i
The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul. — Alfred Austin
June 29 Daily Devotional