Our gardens have never looked better

24th July 2020

There has been a lot of gardening going on recently. I have spoken to lots of people in recent weeks and have told me that their gardens have never looked better. I think the same may be true of the rectory garden
 
There is more gardening in Gospel reading today where after listening to the parable of the sower last week, today we have the parable of the weeds. It is a bit of a puzzle that Jesus tells a story where the farmer accepts the fact that the weeds grow among the good plants. Sensible gardeners keep on top of the weeds. Workers want to tear them up straight away but they told to leave them be. All will become sorted in the end
 
This brings us on to another lockdown pastime: sorting. I doubt there is anyone reading this who hasn’t had a bit of a sort out of something in their house, be it a drawer, cupboard, room, or the entire upstairs. Sorting is a good discipline. I once read an advent book which instructed readers on the first day to go and sort out a drawer as a spiritual exercise: taking time to work out what was and was not needed
 
Throughout our lives we are ever in a process of sorting and refining ourselves. Like the garden or like the untidy drawer. We perpetually need to take stock and see where there is good fruit in our lives and where there is room for improvement by sifting or sorting. It’s not all bad and we don’t need to throw everything away
 
Within the purposes of God there is a heart of love which can take and use our messy, cluttered ‘weediness’ and, in time, it is refined to become something wonderful and fruitful
With prayers and good wishes to you all

Fr Simon

Team Rector, Great Yarmouth Minster

picture courtesy of https://pixabay.com

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