Week 12 Sunday

“Tending the Garden”

Today’s scripture selection: Mark 3-4

Key verse: Mark 4:8

“Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

I’m a lousy gardener.

It’s not that I have anything against a good garden or that I don’t appreciate the beauty – or practical benefits – of a well tended one.  I have a good friend (and accomplished gardener himself) who can grin ear to ear and exclaim, “I love a good turnip!”  And you would think he was describing the Hope Diamond, just by the expression on his face.  No, I’m all for good soil and what can come out of it.  Just don’t expect me to be the one growing those fine turnips – it’s just not my “gift.”

On the other hand – I can very much appreciate what Jesus was talking about when he spoke about spiritual seed falling in places that allow it to sprout; or not.

There is so much in this world that can scorch or choke that seed before it ever has a chance to grow.

  • Distraction
  • Shallowness
  • Anxiety
  • Evil
  • And much more

It takes tender, loving, persistent care to take what God showers upon us – that is if we want it to grow and flourish.

Sadly, some of us spend more concentrated effort on our front lawns than we do on our spiritual lives.

So – if you are reading these words right now – good for you.  Give yourself a pat on the back.  Trust that the effort you are making, right now, may come back in the form of blessing thirty, sixty, even a hundred times magnified.

And even if, like me, you can’t grow a turnip to save your life – don’t fret.  Your spiritual life is about to sprout – and no telling what will happen then.

Prayer: Lord, may I take the seed of your Word, and tend to it carefully, each and every day.  AMEN.

Paul Simrell's avatar

By Paul Simrell

The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. Elpis is the Greek word meaning “expectant hope.” He also serves on the associate clinical staff of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, Richmond, Virginia, both as a pastoral counselor and a ministerial assessment specialist, specializing in executive, clergy and relationship coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program. Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

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