Grace and peace to you from God the Father, Jesus Christ his only son, and the Holy Spirit.

One of the first things my wife and I did when we bought our home was to prepare the backyard for a garden.

As much as there was painting to do and flooring to take up I was most excited to be digging in the soil.

Gardens are sacred spaces.

I learned that as much as I wanted things to grow, it took patience, love, and attention.

I feel that God is also a gardener.

Beginning with creation and the garden of Eden.

God cultivates and creates us from soil- from dust you are and to dust you shall return.

In many ways people become like the beautiful plants that bloom in our lives.

Imagine when that seed germinates and it's our “hour” as we sprout in glory.

Stretching to the sun, as we fill our lungs with the sweet air that plants produce for us.

In John’s gospel we hear that, finally the “hour” has come for Jesus.

Jesus becomes like the harvest that takes in all of our sin that falls as chafe with his glorification.

For the Greeks visiting Jerusalem on the Passover we can see how far the message of Jesus has traveled.

Yet in this crucial hour Jesus is still cautious, with his eyes clearly set on the cross.

It appears that Jesus’ disciples; Philip and Andrew, even serve as gatekeepers.

There is excitement and expectation that only Jesus can be glorified by God.

Glorification that necessitates Jesus' journey to the cross, death, and resurrection for everyone who will follow.

As we “sprang forward” for last Sunday let’s spring into today.

What does this all mean for us and how have we been preparing over Lent?

Having been given a mild winter, especially after the previous winter, the warm days get me thinking about gardening.

Jesus describes his hour as a seed that will be planted to produce much fruit.

Jesus has a purpose much like a seed is meant to grow, and left alone it dies alone.

Throughout Jesus' ministry he has been preparing the soil to produce fruit.

Soil rich in the grace of forgiveness and love.

As we waited patiently for “his time”, the hour for planting.

Planting begins the process of glorification.

The miracle of a seed that sprouts and produces beautiful flowers and fruit is such a gift.

That is why it is difficult to imagine Jesus lifted up on the cross, as a victory of life.

Jesus must go through death, just like a seed must die in rich soil to grow.

I think of all of the attempts when I have tried to grow something without patience.

I can’t bring dead plants back to life.

That’s what makes the shepherd who lays down their life so important for you and I.

Jesus’ death is a victory over death, “Now the ruler of this world is driven out.”

All of our false hopes and gimmicks are lifted up with Jesus on the cross.

But thankfully the story doesn’t end there, this story is about us and how we have eternal life.

Just as Jesus doesn’t ask to be saved from his hour, we embrace our time together.

We have a gift in Jesus that rejects the world as an empty promise.

What does glory look like on the cross? It points us to God.

God who confirms this glory as Jesus said, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine.”

The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is a joyous gift for us.

Jesus does the heavy lifting for us. Out of love, for us just as we are.

You are loved by Jesus. Jesus who shares our humanity and knows us.

Jesus who says, “follow me” and we do.

We serve Jesus by serving others. Not to gain favor, but to be in service to others.

How we accept this gift and use it is completely up to us.

Throughout Lent we have been walking together on a journey of discovery.

As our days grow warmer I am discovering new plants and the change of seasons.

What an incredible gift to be a part of this journey.

All glory is to God for giving us Jesus and each other to share this incredible life.

A life that is given by Jesus' death on the cross that sets us free.

For this we can say, “Thanks be to God.” Amen