Dear colleagues,

One of my first summers after moving to New England from Kentucky, I decided to plant a garden (really I just wanted to plant 20 tomato plants). I began digging up the soil to prepare it for my tomatoes, and discovered just how bad lots of New England soil really is. We’d always been taught as children that the pilgrims had issues because the soil of the northeast was sandy and rocky, but it took me trying to plant my own garden to see that this really was true. I remember saying to my mom “why didn’t the pilgrims just keep moving? How am I going to grow anything in this?” I managed to eke out a few tomatoes that summer, but in future years discovered the necessity of a box garden to make up for the bad soil quality in our part of the world.

I share this story because I’ve had soil on the brain lately. Last week I was at a conference in Atlanta called “Rooted in Jesus.” At this event, over 1000 Episcopalians gathered to pray, learn, and talk about the various ways we are rooted in Jesus, and what kind of transformations we can effect from that place. Our Gospel lesson for Wednesday fit nicely with that, as we heard about the sower and what happened to seeds that took root in different kinds of soil. All of which came together in my head to mean: dirt matters. Or, to put it more spiritually, the soil in which we allow ourselves to take root is vitally important in our lives.

Think about it: have you ever tried to grow something in substandard soil? Or watched a flower try to grow in a sandy, abandoned lot? Some plants manage, but I wouldn’t say they generally thrive in those conditions unless they’re desert plants. I think humans are a lot like this. We might be able to grow and blossom in some way, but if we’re not rooted in good soil, it’s going to be a struggle and we may find ourselves blown away by the first stiff breeze we encounter.

As Christians, that good soil is the Good News of God’s love for us made manifest in Christ. It is from that life-giving and life-saving news that we are called to draw our strength, and it is that which will nourish and sustain us. But we are also called to actively cultivate that good soil. There are a number of ways we can do that, and seminary is a particularly fruitful time to explore and establish spiritual practices that will keep you rooted in Christ.  What are the things that sustain your relationship with Christ? How can you incorporate those intentionally into your daily life? We will enter Lent in a few weeks, and this is a good time to start thinking about what you may wish to take on this Lenten season. I encourage you as you do so to think about cultivating the soil that keeps you rooted in Jesus. Doing so will help you grow in Christ, and change the world while you’re at it.

Faithfully yours,
Hilary

This message was written by the Director of Pastoral Studies, Hilary Bogert-Winkler, for this week’s Wingèd Ox, a weekly news digest distributed to the college community.