Shoots

“For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.” Isaiah 61:11

101! Today’s Old Testament passage from the Daily Texts has me thinking about our yard again. When Erika and the kids went away last week, I was left to tend the newly planted grass seed. Thankfully, I managed to keep it growing. Now, under Erika’s care, the seeded area is growing lushly, blending in with the rest of our lawn. After clearing the area, there was only dirt. Now, life shoots forth abundantly.

Our passage from Isaiah reminds us both that God brings forth life from the earth and that this growth is meant to remind us of everything else that God is drawing forth from creation. Isaiah tells us that both righteousness and praise shall spring forth from all nations, just as lush vegetation bursts forth from the ground.

In the soil around us, we see shoots of righteousness emerging. Calls for justice and equity, peace and equality, shoot heavenward. Growth is happening, new life emerging. Let us praise God! Then, let us tend the soil as growth continues. The full plant won’t blossom overnight, but it is growing. Thanks be to God.

Be well, friends. You are loved.

God of growth, in the resurrection of Jesus Christ you have set new life in motion. Help us to see abundant possibility where others see only dry ground. Guide us to tend the work of justice, that peace may abound. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Image: Undergrowth with Two Figures, Vincent van Gogh, 1890 (public domain).