Back in April I shared about the flower seeds we received at the Women’s Retreat and their importance at the retreat as symbols of Hope. We planted the seeds in one of the church garden beds along Iowa Street in April and, if I’m completely honest, I didn’t actually have a lot of hope for them.
At the retreat we each received a packet of flower seeds — each person received a different type of flower. We went around the room and shared something we Hoped for Platt Park Church. After we shared, we poured a few of the seeds from our packet into a jar and then passed the jar to the next person. I kept the jar in my office until April, so when we went to plant the seeds on April 29 the jar contained a combination of many different types of flowers: with different sun/shade needs, different watering needs, various planting depths, and final growing heights. I loved the idea of it at the retreat but when I was faced with the actual planting I had serious doubts. (I actually went as far as casing out fully-grown plants from Home Depot that I could plant if nothing came up so no-one would feel discouraged about their “hope” not working.)
And then the seeds grew.
And I have spent the entire summer thinking about those retreat Hopes every time I arrive at the church and see the amazing color and towering sunflowers along Iowa Street. Not only did the flowers grow, they are beautiful: they are prolific, they are happy, and thriving. Those seeds — all jumbled together and cast into the soil all at the same depth and probably way too close together — grew into plants and bloomed and have made our church gardens such a delight all summer.
At the retreat in January Cari Jenkins talked about the difference between “hopes” with a lower-case “h” (external things we desire or place our hope in) and “Hope” with a capital “H” (our expectation that Jesus will always find and be with us). She shared that “hopes” are often tied to personal desires and outcomes. “Hope” (capital “H”) in the Christian sense is rooted in faith and the belief in a divine plan that is beyond individual wants. Jesus is the embodiment of Hope with a capital “H.” He is a beacon of light and a symbol of redemption and salvation for believers.
As we head into the fall let’s take time to celebrate the fruits of summer — not only the actual delicious produce, but also all of the beautiful growth, energy, relationships, and adventures from the past months. Below are just a few of the Hopes that were shared for Platt Park Church at the Women’s Retreat. I love reading through these and thinking of how God has led us and fulfilled so many of these Hopes over the past nine months since the Women’s Retreat.
It is such an incredible honor and joy to journey with you all.
In gratitude and Hope,
Holly
Hopes for Platt Park Church
- That we would know the Shepherd
- We would be a strengthened and healthy community
- To be rooted in Jesus
- Personal and communal growth
- Trust in the process
- Embrace one another to go through all seasons together
- Open to the surprise
- Healing and respite for the staff
- Be a place where people can transform and heal
- Move forward with humility, honesty, integrity, and transparency
- Transformed relationships with God — to grow in strength
- To love Jesus more
- To find Joy
- Enter the scripture with depth and growth in learning
- Be formed more in the way of Jesus
- Hope bigger