Saturday morning was gray and misty, but warm as we gathered to speak words of blessing and break ground for Triple Ripple Community Gardens at the Huss School property. Many denominations, ages, colors, neighborhoods and vocations were represented around our circle and each minister brought a distinctive angle to the task at hand, calling God’s abundance onto the land in so many different voices.
There have been many moments since *cino’s purchase of Huss School last spring that Rob and I have felt overwhelmed with gratitude at the sense that this project is being carried beyond our limited human efforts, and the garden blessing was one such moment. To be sure, God will require our practical participation in the weeks and months ahead, from recruiting young gardeners to hauling watering cans. But as Pastor Bennett reminded us all during the blessing: God provides the water. We are gifted with the raw materials and with the imagination to put them together in a new way in a new place. And in this sense, all our labor is pleasure, whether it’s the welcome pleasure of a successful tomato transplant or the more difficult pleasure of trusting the Spirit to help us overcome a relational challenge.
In the moment of the garden blessing on Saturday, I believe we all glimpsed what is possible in that place beyond what we were expecting.
Watch for video footage of the community garden blessing soon. In the meantime, enjoy these photos.
