Cultivating Community (compost included!)

For several weeks now, actually since the beginning of Lent, I have been slowly working my way through Jeremiah 29. This book contains a well known verse, one which is actually on the cover of a journal a dear friend gave to me as a Christmas gift. It is verse 11, and goes like this - "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope." I have been slowly finding that there is so much more to this particular book than just that familiar verse.

As I have been reading and contemplating its' meaning, I have been drawn to a variety of thoughts and ideas, (and so far I have only made it to the end of verse 19). God has sent his people into exile, with instructions on what to do while they are there. He asks the people to plant gardens and eat their fruits, and to increase in number. The verse that I have been reflecting on this week is number 7 - "Promote the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you; pray for it to the Lord, for upon its welfare depends your own." 

We need to cultivate a life of dignity and devotion in the city in which we find ourselves right now, in this present moment. Our families, our neighborhoods, our workplaces, even our churches. Our life, our welfare depends on the strength of the city in which we are serving our "exile" here on earth. The community in which we find ourselves needs to be a flourishing one. It is a community that, just like my gardens, need to be nurtured and cultivated.

This week I have spent time with a group of fellow exiles. We have grown together in friendship as we have gathered to learn more about our faith. We have shared stories of our lives, our struggles, our fears, our joys. We are beginning to know each other more deeply, and are cultivating a flourishing little city of God. We come from different geographic communities, but are united in one faith community. We are learning to accept that while we may only be able to do small things, we can do them well to help that community grow. 

I am so glad to have a part in cultivating this community. My strength, my personal growth, my sense of peace comes from the support of this community. So, while I am cultivating (and composting) my gardens in the next few weeks, I will be working at cultivating a thriving faith community as well. For upon its welfare depends my own!