Hello, Friends!
     Every morning, and quite often during the day into the evening, I’ll find John out in our front yard, peering intently at the ground.   He’s “talking to the flowers,” he says—the wildflowers, that is, that he seeded back in the fall.
    “Come on, everybody—bloom!”  is the essence of his part of the conversation.
    For at least a month there have been various little shoots promising new life, sporting different varieties of sprouts and tiny leaves, some even with what looks like the promise of buds.
     It’s really hard to tell the difference between those designated as “wildflowers” and ordinary (dare I say garden variety?) “weeds.”   What was it Lady Bird said?   Wildflowers are weeds with press agents?
    Anyway, as of this past week we have a number of unmistakable flowerings that are promising much in variety of color, size, and type of blossom.
    Each plant is taking its own time, and deciding to bloom in its own way—and John’s eagerness for their full, glorious expression is in itself a delightful blooming thing for me.
    We’ve also got rocket snapdragons that have been greening and growing for months, with no blooms in sight, and have “finally” decided to begin sporting buds.
   The timing is theirs, not ours, and though we’ve been watering and waiting, we don’t cause the plants to bloom and grow—Creation does.
     Where wildflowers are concerned, the wise ones who know tell us that sometimes seeds need to germinate for as much as five years or more, before conditions are right for blooming.   If it’s too dry, or too wet, or too cold, or too hot, or just not quite right, they’ll wait—until Nature’s wisdom says conditions are prime for blooming.
         Here at St. Luke we’ve been tending our faith community’s fields for some time, seeding and nurturing dreams of flourishing,  deepening life in the Spirit, growth in fellowship, compassion, and wisdom.
     And Dear Friends, it seems our blooming time is here.   Signs of new life are all around and within our community and our congregation.
     Easter Sunday was a glorious expression of Christ’s life in our midst, and God’s creativity given beautiful expression.   Our Resurrection cross has never been more beautiful, nor has our sanctuary ever been more full to bursting with the human family’s lively, lovely variety.
      St. Luke kind of reminds me of a wildflower field—a community of distinctive individuals with their own creative path, brought together in love to create a gorgeous, harmonious, life-giving landscape in which everyone can delight.
     Some of our seeds have yet to reach their full, blooming expression—still others haven’t even been planted yet.
    I’m blessed beyond words to be with you this Eastertide, and I look forward to this coming week, and all our blooming times to come.

Shalom,
Sarah