At Kippax Uniting Church yesterday in our interactive service we were discussing the things that are wrong with the world and the reassurance of hope. As part of the service we put some new indoor plants for the foyer into pots. These plants are to be a symbol of hope as we walk past each week, and the act of planting them was our prayer. I really enjoyed watching the activity. Everyone was bustling around in their gardening gloves, working as a team to get the plants out of their old pots and into the new ones, fill the pots with potting mix and water them. Older church members worked with the youngest members of the congregation, everyone on their knees together (it was a great photo opportunity). Both those who regularly garden and those who rarely do exchanged ideas and got the job done. It was uplifting to see. But there was one thing, for me, which really stood out. A small girl walked past me talking to something on her glove. She had picked up a tiny spider and was calming it with her voice while she calmly took it outside. My heart warmed. To see such kindness and empathy in a child towards a creature many hate or fear was uplifting. This is what I want to see in the future - a world where everyone cares for even the tiniest and least lovable creatures as much as they do themselves and each other.
For those who would like to repeat this activity, you will need:
- Sheets to protect the floor
- Pots
- Trays for under the pots
- Jugs of water
- Potting Mix
- Gardening gloves
- Plants
- People
In memory of Steven M. Wise
1 month ago
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