ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
May 1, 2026
Last year, I didn’t get my tomato plants in the ground early enough, and though I saw a few tomatoes in early June, my plants were nearly dead by mid-June. The heat was simply too much. It’s about timing, though the weather does have a lot to do with it, especially if the brutal heat holds off until mid-July. This year, I planted my seeds at the end of February, and by the end of March, I had some pretty good starter plants. And as of today, I have about 60 tomatoes that are within a week or two of being ready to harvest. Some might say I’m bragging, and in this case, there might be a tiny bit of truth in what is being said. I am also sort of giddy, while hoping that nothing strange happens like a major storm that blows down the fence and crushes my tomato plants. I love playing in the dirt, and if you take a good look at my hands, 75% of the time, you’ll see dirt under my fingernails. Most every morning, after my workout, I go out and water my plants and pull weeds. Yes, I wash my hands, but there is always a little dirt that remains behind.
I don’t know if Jesus did a lot of gardening or weed pulling, though he did play in the dirt when he broke up the crowd that was about ready to stone a woman. And then there was the time that he made a mud pie that he put over the eyes of a blind man to heal him. Whether he did much gardening or not, he sure loved stories and metaphors that used seeds, planting, manure, weeds, harvesting, etc. There is something earthy about the earth, and because life often leaves us in the muck, waist-high in the weeds, and often hoping for some of the promised rain to fall (whether I’m among the just or the unjust), images that connect us to the earth and the promises that it provides can be quite effective. I just don’t believe Jesus randomly made up his stories and parables without any sort of interest in what might connect with people. Just the opposite! He wanted stories that left a little something under people’s fingernails.
God of Creation, Source of sun, soil, and seed, we are thankful for this amazing world in which we live. We are grateful for the sustenance that springs forth from the ground, providing us nourishment and life. Continue to keep us connected to the earth, where deep truth can be uncovered for those who are willing to dig a little. Amen.
