Garden Time

My church, The Church of the Resurrection, holds a vigil in the courtyard which is an open air space in the middle of the building, from Maundy Thursday service until the noon service on Good Friday. We spend the time in prayer and meditation while taking turns saying with our lives that we can stay awake one hour with Christ on this fateful night. The hour I picked was 1:30 - 2:30 AM when everything is quiet and settled in the building. The Light of Christ candle was processed from the church to the garden at the end of the foot washing service and the stripping of the sanctuary of all the signs and symbols of Christ's presence. The whole courtyard is decorated with plants. Orchids, palms. lilies and a large assortment of other plants bring real beauty to the area. I was surprised as I knelt to pray before the angel and the Christ light that a little triangle of bunnies were just to the right in front of me. Everyone who knew Marsha must remember that she was the bunny lady. I still have a cabinet with many bunnies, some as small as 3/4 of an inch, and made of many different materials. Last night it was as if Marsha and I were praying the vigil together once I saw those bunnies. It felt like her spirit was right there with me, and made the hour even more powerful. The size and shape of the courtyard also remind me of the patio garden we had at the rectory in Taunton. Marsha and I spent many hours sitting together in the garden as the world swirled by just beyond the hedges. It was like a peaceful oasis in the middle of a busy world and we loved it. It is always remarkable when God uses the time you give for his service to create a wanted and often needed experience for your own life. I felt close to Christ as I prayed in the garden and was blessed with memories of Marsha that touched my heart. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.