This Sunday is the Spring Equinox and right on cue, the hopeful signs of spring arebeginning to emerge. I have seen geese flying overhead, and robins have been spotted in backyards. We are all enjoying the warmer temperatures and more hours of
sunlight in our days. No matter what the winter has held, there is something reassuring about seeing the seasons turn once again and knowing that the sacred promise of new life and new growth is quietly waiting underground. With just the right amount of warmth and light, the birds, plants, and trees all know what to do.

In conversations and study groups this week we have been thinking about my reflection title for Sunday – Sow Seeds, Trust the Promise. This is certainly part of our lived experience, especially at this time of year. Many of you have reminded me that preparing for the gardening season begins early. We do our part by preparing the seeds and the right soil mix, and then by holding a vision of what could be. Then we must trust the promise that is held in those seeds, the promise of new life
renewed from the old.

On Sunday we will hear the parable of the fig tree, and a gardener who won’t give up on it despite the fact that it hasn’t produced any fruit. With the right attention to soil and fertilizer, the gardener is ready to trust the promise of what is yet to be.

This Lenten season, the walks we enjoy together on the trails, and the spiritual questions we ponder, are like the seeds we sow in preparation for Easter. May we trust the promise of new life waiting underground. The signs of hope are all around.

Peace and Joy, 

Nancy