My Dear Friends,

I ventured into the garden on Friday morning. It was a lovely day and I gave the lawns their first cut of the year. It did feel good and they did look good, better than I expected because I hadn’t cut them last back-end when I should have done! A bit of pruning and a few more light jobs and I did feel pleased with myself. I went to the composter and took some of the very fertile stuff from the bottom. It had become full to the brim and I hadn’t been able to put any more fruit and vegetable peelings in for a while but by the time I’d finished the rotting material had dropped till it was now only half filling the compost bin. And while I might have neglected the garden at times over the past few months, others had been hard at work. Worms that had been active were wriggling around near the base and in the matter I’d taken out.

As I write this we are only two weeks away from Easter, when there will be more stories about a garden and somebody who had been at work there. We shall hear the story of Mary and others going to the garden to the grave where Jesus’ body had been laid. We shall hear of the empty tomb and of the way Mary, utterly distraught, hangs around in the garden. She meets somebody that she assumes is the gardener and then we shall hear him speak and experience afresh Mary’s joy when she realises it is Jesus. ‘Show me that scene in the garden’ an old children’s hymn says.

I would like to think that when we leave Tadcaster people
will be able to see we’ve made a difference in the garden.
More importantly though, I hope folk will be able to tell we’ve spent time with the gardener of the Easter story and not neglected to spend time with him. I often find that time spent in the garden at work can be quite creative as far as thinking about the work Christ calls us to, but it’s spending time with gardener that makes the real difference.

Wishing you Easter blessings,
With much love,
Your Minister and friend,

Ray