I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
Gardening can be fun. It can also be work. My bride, Anna, and I like to make it fun and celebrate 5 wax beans and a tomato to add to our evening meal. Cost benefit it might work out to 50 cents a bean and a dollar a tomato. Nonetheless, there is joy in seeing our labors bare fruit.
In Matthew’s Gospel today Jesus speaks of Gardening in the Kingdom of God. To some up the main message. Jesus spells out the recipe for a fruitful garden. There is the Evil One or the Devil is always there to help us make a mistake. However, Jesus describes in this parable that we have work to do in our gardens if it is to bare fruit in our lives.
Jesus says we have a duty to understand. We should not skip over things that we don’t understand. How can we explain our faith if we don’t understand what we read ? We have priests and concordances that explain a passage or a doctrine of faith.
We all have rocky ground in our lives. Because we have shallow roots, it dies. Building good strong roots takes work. It takes gardening skills to water and nurture. How strong are your roots?
Are you more anxious about riches or success? Do you bare real fruit for the Kingdom of God? Time talent and treasure. What do you spend your money on? What do you spend your time? What do you hold dear?
Now lets get back to my garden. The heat index in Tulsa has soared in recent weeks. My garden was neglected and looked very, very sad. Anna and I got up early on Saturday and weeded and watered and pruned. With the heat index early is better. We worked from 7AM to 11AM and the transformation was marvelous. I was ready to take a nap when we got done but Anna had errands for me.
The message today is this. Your garden will not grow on its own. Your seeds will fail or be strangled by weeds. Your garden needs tending. You also must acquire skills and fertilize and water and not over water. Our relationship in Kingdom of God needs the same thing to bare fruit.
We all have work to do in our own gardens. The Gospel Acclaimation for today is from Luke says. Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.
The answer is our gardens need work by us. The storm and the Devil may come. The garden that has plants with strong roots will find joy.
God Love You Always
Bob Burford
