From the Pastor

What’s Going on in the Garden?
(Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)

It’s summertime! The hours of sunshine are longer. Rows of corn seen in gentleman farms from the side of the road are getting greener and taller. It’s unpleasantly hot and humid outside. And of course, July 2026 in the United States means it is time to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday!  Summer is also a time to ask what’s going on in our gardens. Are the weeds taking over? Are the deer munching down on your hosta? Is that plant you started back in mid-spring starting to hit its stride? Is your fig tree or are your new tomato plants producing more fruit than you know what to do with? July is a time to consider how our gardens are doing.

Jesus, of course, has something to say about what goes on in the garden where His Word is proclaimed. It’s like seed scattered all over the place… in conditions that are both good and not so-good. Jesus wants to tell us something about the garden of the human heart where the seed of His Word produces fruit. There are all sorts of situations that make the harvest of that fruit challenging. There is misunderstanding which our Adversary, the Devil, uses to snatch the seed away (13:19). There are trials which make it difficult for the seed of God’s Word to produce roots that go down deep into our hearts (13:21). And then there are the cares of the world and the “deceitfulness” of material possessions which choke the plant that the seed of God’s Word begins to grow into (13:22). If gardening under these conditions was all there was, there’d be no hope! But Jesus also talks about “good soil.”

The Holy Spirit, gifted to you and me through the message of sins forgiven, does what we cannot. The Spirit makes bad soil good! The Holy Spirit sees to it that even seeds sown in hearts where there are misunderstandings, trials, and worldly cares thrive! And like a fig tree in July, that seed WILL produce more fruit in the heart than the sower will ever expect. It will be all he can do to share that harvest with others.

Join us during July at RLC as we continue our journey through St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. We give thanks to God for the fruit the Holy Spirit bears in our hearts! Please keep those who are considering involvement in our congregation’s mission trip to Cambodia in February 2027 in your prayers. The deadline for submitting interest in the trip (please indicate your interest to the CCMET email address: ) is the end of the month. We look forward to letting our church family know more about our capital campaign, Faith in Action, as the campaign kickoff event in August draws near. Many thanks to Campaign Chair Randy Bowling as he leads our congregation on this journey!

As you take time to give thanks to God on our nation’s 250th birthday, savor all that makes summertime here special. No matter what the state of our backyard gardens again this year, may the Holy Spirit continue to produce an abundant harvest in and through every one of us!

Peace and joy in Christ,
Pastor Jonathan