Gardeners of Spirit & Faith
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. Take a couple of deep breaths and do something that brings you comfort. Allow yourself to be present in this moment.
Consider the magic of a garden - the miracles at work beneath the surface of the earth, the intentional nurturing it requires in order to yield its treasures, and the love it can inspire in those who share in its bounty.
If we want a garden
We're gonna have to sow the seed
Plant a little happiness
Let the roots run deep
If it's love that we give
Then it's love that we reap
If we want a garden
We're gonna have to sow the seed
~ Crowded Table by The Highwomen
Psalm 23:5-6
You prepared a meal for me in front of my enemies.
You welcomed me as an honored guest.
My cup is full and spilling over.
Your goodness and mercy will be with me all my life,
and I will live in the Lord’s house a long, long time.
Food for Thought
From my earliest memory, my parents had a garden. When we lived in Michigan, it was on shared property with some church member friends. I remember the weekly family drives to tend to the garden and pick from its bounty. Frequently, it was impossible to wait until we got home to taste the cucumber, or tomato, or blueberry. It was all magical to me. We put tiny seeds in the wormy dirt, and then...they grew...into these amazingly tasty, pickable treats. When we moved to North Carolina, we had a big enough backyard that Mom and Dad could have a garden right there. I remember watching my Dad till the soil each year and getting to pick some of what we grew. Dad and Mom tended a garden and enjoyed sharing the joy of it with others. Dad had even prepared a new garden bed just months before he died. It was clear he had garden plans!
I recently moved to a new ministry in a town 40 minutes south of Boston - the city where I lived for 13 years, raised my son, and engaged in work supporting survivors of abuse and trauma. Truly, there is a lot of beauty in the city - lots of natural beauty, even. And, what I found was I had very little time to slow down and appreciate it. I was always busy – parenting, advocating, marching, exercising, doing. I am not being hard on myself, here. I did all the things I wanted to do. But I struggled to give myself space and time to plop down in the dirt and take delight in all that was growing around me.
In July 2020, I moved to the church parsonage in Norwell. Prior to my coming, the congregation took the time to plant me a garden, to paint the house freshly, and to leave my son and me a welcome basket on the kitchen counter. Even though we could not be together in person because of the pandemic, I felt a welcome like I had never experienced before. People wanted me to know, and feel, and see (even taste!) the love. Because I showed them love via Zoom during this bizarre time, they offered love back to me. The beautiful thing was that we all took the time to savor and accept love – even during a pandemic.
Living through COVID was an invitation to slow down, to take stock, to dream a new world, to plant seeds for our uncertain futures together. I experienced a welcome in moving to Norwell - in the yard, and the woods, and the lovely garden that was lovingly prepared for me by members of the congregation here.
I may not be a gardener like my parents were, but I greatly appreciate the gardening of others. Even today as I write this, there are gardeners right out my window digging and planting, watering and tending, laughing and sharing with one another. Through the gifts of the summer garden, I am reminded of the great love of God, Mother Nature, the Holy Spirit, my Mother and Father, the members of the congregation where I serve, and gardeners of spirit and faith across this great planet.
Get your hands dirty! Give gardening a try by planting your favorite flower or crop. Spread some love by sharing the finished product with a neighbor!
Blessing
God of bountiful love! You remind us that we are much like a garden. When we tend our communities with space, time, and attention, a beautiful harvest is in store. Help us to slow down, to plant seeds of hope, to till compassion, and to yield understanding so that we might be a reflection of your love in the world around us.
A little Table Talk for your table...
Share with a friend something that helps you feel grounded during times of busyness or uncertainty.
Consider a garden. How can you see God at work in its simple beauty?
During the pandemic, how have you planted seeds of love, and in what ways have you accepted acts of love/kindness extended to you?
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Talk about what is needed to make a garden grow (water, sunlight, time, attention, etc.).
Make a list of the things we need to grow, and discuss how we are similar to the garden.
Plant something together (maybe just a small seed in the window sill) and watch it grow! Talk together about the ways our acts of love can grow like that seed.
Meet our Welcoming Voice!
Susan Chorley is an ordained American Baptist minister and is co-founder & current Board President of Exhale. She is currently serving as the Minister at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Norwell. Previously, Susan served as the Associate Director and Minister of Programs at the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry in Roxbury, MA where she began innovative survivor-led work weaving together faith/spirituality and restorative justice principles. Susan is a survivor, a single mother, a Southerner, and an activist seeking to co-create justice through building authentic relationships within communities of care.
To hear more from Susan throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!