The garden reminds me that every Spring, you get to start again. Even in an established garden, there are opportunities to try new things, plant new flowers, and start anew. Starting seeds and watching them sprout, grow and burst out in colorful displays brings me such joy.
I was also reminded of new beginnings when a pastor told the story of Mary, the sister of Lazarus (the same Lazarus who was raised from the dead. Talk about new beginnings!) Mary was the woman in the Bible who came into the house of a Pharisee where Jesus was reclining at a table to eat. Mary took expensive perfume and applied it to Jesus’ feet. Then using her own tears for water and her hair as a towel, Mary washed the dirt of the roads off Jesus’ feet. The other men gathered around the table felt various emotions, no doubt. Disdain toward a despised woman. Embarrassment that she was making a scene. Disgust that Jesus allowed the display. Perhaps dismay that the host had not taken care of the task himself which was the custom any time you invited a guest into your home. A host should have a servant provide water and a cloth to wash the dust off the guests’ feet. Instead the task had gone undone, and left an opening for a disreputable woman to come into the middle of an austere gathering.
This was not Jesus’s only encounter with Mary. Luke tells of Jesus going to the home of Mary and Martha, her sister. While Martha is bustling around getting a meal ready and hosting Jesus and the disciples, Mary sat at the feet of Jesus listening to his teaching. Martha complained about her unhelpful sister, and Jesus basically told Martha that at the moment, Mary understood what was more important. Spending time with the Lord, learning about the things of God, trying to become a disciple herself—Mary was in the right place at the right time. Jesus affirmed that Mary was seeking the “better things.”
Then in John 11, we meet Mary again. She’s surrounded by people who are grieving the death of her brother, Lazarus. Both sisters recognize that if Jesus had been present while their brother was sick, he could have healed his friend. They got to witness firsthand Jesus’ power over death and his invitation to new life.
There are so many things happening in our country and in the world that are impossible to understand. I find that studying God’s Word and trying to draw closer to Jesus are what give me the most hope and comfort in the chaos, deception and violence that are everywhere.
Jesus invites us to experience new life, new beginnings, new hope.
Thoughts From the Garden 