Have you noticed the crocuses pushing through the earth at the foot of the tower as you enter the church? They remind me of a very special place in Manitoba known as the 'Shell Valley'. It was an exquisite place made up of rolling hills and gentle pastures that was carved over eons by the Shell River. Each spring in the timeless parade of life literally millions upon millions of wild crocuses would burst through the sandy soil and for an all to brief span, paint and scent the valley in a very life-sustaining way. It was as if the Creator wanted to create a breath-taking sacred place. As our minds turn to our gardens, flower pots and window boxes, we too, like the Creator want to bring forth beauty and goodness so that we can be arrested and marvel at the creation around us.

        Do we really grow a rose? If the truth be told we can be agents of growth and transformers of the world around us if we're attentive to those things, those actions, those fertilizing moments that aid and abet all that struggles to live. I like to think of us all as gardeners. We are called and invited to participate in the creation of an environment that allows and promotes the growth of our congregation and our community. The growth itself actually comes from our connection with God. We can turn the soil, plant the seeds, water the seedlings and protect the garden. The rest depends on the creative spirit that comes forth and begs us to live. The bible tells us "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You can hear it, but you cannot tell wither it comes or wither it goes. So it is with everyone born of God's spirit." Everything that is creative, everything that causes us to see the world freshly, everything that offers profundity, that allows for awe, everything that comes and serves to new vistas, everything that pulls us towards the "yes" to life, all that stirs us up are the works and intimations of God's spirit. Do you feel the tug?

        I would invite you to consider, as we approach this spring time, the ways in which we engage and encounter each other in our own faith community. What are the tools we use with each other that promote beauty, life and growth? What are the things that we are doing with each other that offer insights, shelter and protection from the storms that blow through our garden home. Are we pulling up what has been planted or are we nursing each other when our roots are barely clinging on and our buds have not yet blossomed? Are we opening ourselves like the spring flowers toward one another, are we taking the time to hear the birds sing and feel the breath of God caress our cheeks? May you find during this spring the courage to banish all that is dead within and then find the lively presence of God filling you, moving you and dancing with you in this verdant time of the year.