May 20, 2021

By Jason Duley

At the first Easter, when Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb of Christ to find it open and empty, she was shocked. In her excitement and confusion, she saw a man who she did not recognize. The text reads, “She mistook him for the gardener.” But the man was Jesus himself.

I would say that Mary Magdalene was not entirely wrong to see Jesus as a gardener. He is, I think, the Master Gardener of life. One with the Father, Christ was there at the beginning, when the first man and woman received God’s instruction to tend to the life growing in great abundance as Eden’s gardenerTo care for the life that God has given us is good. Whether it is tending to your yard or vegetable garden, or caring for your family and your home, or  nurturing your colleagues, friends, pets and even houseplants, God has blessed us all, even the poorest of us, with responsibility for life in this world. All this we do under the watchful eyes of the Master Gardener.

I hope you know that Galilee has a garden, too! Church members Vini and Jane Short created the Galilee Gift Garden to grow good, fresh food—“feeding hope into lives” by supplying fresh vegetables for local food banks. The space is used to grow swiss chard, peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes and more. And planting just began!

Our gift garden (and its twin, Forrest’s Gift Garden at Sterling UMC) is an entirely volunteer-led project managed by Vini and Jane through their 501(c)(3) nonprofit, DeShong’s Gift Back. They and their volunteers do amazing work: the produce goes to four area food banks and will help supply over 1,000 families with fresh vegetables. Their teams pick and deliver vegetables every week all summer.

And you can help! As the Bible says, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Our garden can always use your love and care. Any time you’re ready to help, text Vini at 703-314-9296 or email him at DeShongsGiftBack@gmail.com to volunteer.