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Messages from the Ministers

A Message from David

11/12/2020

2 Comments

 
My Dear Friends--

As many of you know, I’ve recently returned from spending time with my family in Georgia, near Atlanta. The weather was beautiful, and I spent a lot of time with my mom in her new garden. (Some of you may recall that my last trip to Georgia involved the relocation of Mom’s sizeable compost pile-it was especially rewarding to see the fruits of that labor!) As we toured Mom’s garden, I marveled at her industry and struggled to remember the names of myriad plants while she told me their stories. At one point she chuckled, acknowledging that there were “no end of lessons” to be learned in the garden-plenty of fodder for the sermon writer!

As I’ve been abiding with the Parable of the Talents-our rather difficult lesson from Matthew’s gospel this week-a moment from my time with Mom in her garden comes back to me. The gardeners among us will be familiar with the art of propagation: the taking of a clipping or cutting from one plant and repotting it in the hopes of creating another. For me, a novice with far more enthusiasm than experience, this is usually a rather fraught exercise. Firstly, I’m always loath to take shears to any plant that’s been gracious enough to survive under my care. And secondly, what if the cutting doesn’t survive? I’ve only got so many plants, after all!

But as we walked among Mom’s many new beds, planted with the plants she’s carried with her from house to house, place to place, over the years, she wielded her clippers with a joyful, untroubled ease. “Listen,” she said, coating the tip of a new cutting with rooting hormone before plunging it into a pot, “no need for any angst-if it grows, it grows! If not, well....” At this she straightened and took in the backyard with a sweep of her arm. No need for angst when you’re surrounded by abundance.
There are many questions we might ask about this week’s lesson from Matthew-many elements that might trip us up or provoke anxiety. But at its core, I believe we find an invitation to embrace abundance. The trouble for us is that too often it’s easier to get lost in a human economy of scarcity than to trust in a divine economy of abundance-grace doesn’t always appear as vividly and vibrantly as Mom’s many flowers. Nevertheless, it’s there: sprouting, growing, blooming-in us, and in our world.

In faith and love,
David
2 Comments
Bob Gulick
11/12/2020 05:27:50 pm

Having read the passage from Matthew -- the second in a row that I find problematic -- I will be especially interested in how you deal with it in your sermon.
Meantime, what a great story about your mother's garden. I grew up helping to tend gardens every summer; the connection has become greater the older I get!

Reply
Jennifer Kronstain link
11/13/2020 06:13:03 am

I get very caught up in what I don’t have vs. what I do have. There are good points and bad points to that - on one hand, it keeps me motivated to be better and always be learning, yet on the other it deprives me from enjoying simple pleasures. I’m working on that last part. 🙂

Reply



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    Messages from King's Chapel's Ministers


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  • Home
    • About Us >
      • Welcome
      • Calendar
      • Clergy & Staff
      • Contact Us & Directions >
        • Send A Message
      • Employment Opportunities >
        • Pianist/ Music Leader
        • Verger Position
  • Worship
    • Holy Week 2022
    • Sunday at 9 AM
    • Sunday at 11 AM
    • Lent 2022
    • Sermons
    • Special Annual Services
    • Book of Common Prayer
  • Music
    • Tuesday Recitals
    • Concert Series
    • Musical Inquiries
  • History & Tours
    • Plan Your Visit >
      • 2023 At A Glance
      • Guided Tour Offerings >
        • Group Tours
    • Explore Our History >
      • A Brief History
      • The Stone Chapel: Art & Architecture >
        • The Wooden Chapel
        • Georgian Architecture
        • Box Pews
        • Interior Colors
        • Memorials
        • The Chancel Windows
        • The Last Supper Painting
      • Crypt and Burying Ground >
        • Crypt >
          • Crypt Highlights: Crypt Entrance
          • Crypt Highlights: Tomb Structure
          • Crypt Highlights: The Stranger's Tomb
          • Crypt Highlights: Research and Family Connections
          • Crypt Highlights: Remaining Memorials
          • Crypt Highlights: Hand-Hewn Beams
        • Burying Ground
      • Religious History >
        • Online Exhibit: Independent Country, Independent Church
        • 334 Years of Ministry
      • Slavery at King's Chapel
    • Online Exhibits >
      • Revolutionary King's Chapel: Online Exhibit
      • Literary King's Chapel
      • Uncovering the Past: Exploring Black History Through Primary Sources
    • History Events & Programs >
      • Past Events & Programs
      • Recorded History Programs
    • Christmas History at King's Chapel >
      • Decking the Halls: The History of Decorating with Greens
      • Christmas Lights: Then and Now
      • 18th & 19th Century Christmas Services & Music
      • Christmas Feasts & Treats Throughout History
      • Holiday History Trivia
    • History Program Blog
    • About Us >
      • History Program Staff
      • Contact Us
    • Support the History Program
  • Community
    • News & Updates >
      • Parish Community News
    • Community from Home
    • Community Action Committee >
      • Anti-Racism Resources
    • Memorial to Enslaved Persons
    • Environmental Action Initiative
    • Join King's Chapel
    • For Members >
      • Budget Meeting 2023
      • Partner Church Sunday 2022
      • KC Bylaws
      • 2022- 2023 Church Leadership
  • Giving
    • Why Give
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    • Stewardship >
      • Pledge
  • Weddings & Baptisms
    • Weddings >
      • Dear Prospective Couple
      • Wedding Inquiry
      • Wedding Service
    • Baptisms
  • Space Rentals