Planting for New Growth

A Journal During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Reflections and Inspiration from Maple Grove
April 12, 2020 - Easter Sunday

Here we have been in our fourth week of stay-at-home confinement due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.  We enjoyed beautiful Spring weather again this week, even reaching into the low 70's F.  Last week we cleaned out the flower beds and mowed, and this week we power-washed the deck and porches, got out the porch furniture, and set up the sunroom.  Of course, my favorite part of springtime is getting ready to plant my Kitchen Garden.  Fortunately, I bought my seeds several weeks ago and had everything on hand to get them started indoors.

I planted tomato, bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper seeds.  I used to plant heirloom seeds, but a few years ago I turned to the hybrids as they seem to be more disease and pest resistant.  Last year when I was purchasing my seeds, another customer nearby told me that he loved the Big Mama tomatoes better than any he had grown.  So I gave them a try, and I have to agree.  The plants were so healthy and productive. The tomatoes are of a paste variety and are very tasty. My grow light stand is a homemade one that we came up with several years ago.  You can read my post about starting plants from seeds, including how to make the grow light stand here.

Already, in just a week's time, the seed leaves have pushed through the soil, and the seedlings are starting to develop.

"When a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to Him, [Jesus] said in a parable,  'A sower went out to sow his seed . . . .'  and when His disciples asked Him what the parable meant, He said, 'The seed is the Word of God . . . . As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.'"  (You can read the whole parable in Luke 8:4-15.)

Spring in Pennsylvania is unpredictable, as it is in most parts of the country.  We enjoyed the beautiful warmth and sunshine most of the week, but Tuesday night we had a severe storm in our area: lightening, high winds, hail, and a tornado took off the roof of a nearby church.  We lost our electricity for several hours.  And then Friday we woke up to snow covered ground. Life is like that too.  This pandemic we are experiencing teaches us how quickly life can change . . . how things can seem to be going great one day, and then suddenly life becomes very stormy and threatening.

We are members of a close-knit church family.  We gather weekly to worship and study God's Word, and we minister to each other throughout the week.  It has been difficult during this pandemic to be separated, but the seed of God's Word is firmly planted in our hearts, and so when these difficult times occur, we are rooted and grounded in trusting Him to see us through. Like many hundreds or thousands of others, we have been "gathering" through social media in our individual home sanctuaries for devotions, Bible studies, and worship services.

We just concluded Holy Week, a time of preparation to remember Jesus' suffering and death which paid the debt of our sins, and now today, on Easter Sunday, we celebrate Jesus' Resurrection, in which we are granted the promise of Eternal Life. After a crazy weather week, God looked upon us with favor and granted us a most beautiful Easter day.  It's sunny and warm. We would love to have our family gathered here with us today, but we know we are together in heart, in spirit, and, most important, in Christ. 

Just as flowers burst out of the ground in springtime, the empty tomb on Easter morning is the assurance of a new life in Christ.  Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!  May God keep you safe and healthy and provide for all of your needs, and may you find strength, hope and peace in His Word.

Lord God, we rejoice that you have overcome sin and death and won the victory for us.  Thank you for giving your life for ours, so that we may live in your righteousness.  Help us to grow in your Word, to be strong in the face of struggles, and to be faithful to you always.  In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Links:

Easter Sunday Worship
Good Friday Worship
Maundy Thursday Worship

April 5, 2020 - The Grass is Always Greener
March 29, 2020 - Stay at Home
March 22, 2020 - Look Beyond the Challenge

Growing Plants from Seeds

Other Devotions by Katie:

Pea Gravel
Red Sky at Night