The Glory of the Garden

My Farewell to the Educators of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System

"Die when I may." Abraham Lincoln once said, "I would have it said of me that I always pulled up a weed and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow".

I don't know how many weeds I have pulled up over the last fifteen years, but I know I have not planted as many flowers as the teachers in this county.  You see educators are a lot like gardeners.  You prepare the soil, plant the seeds, pray for the right amount of rain.  You hope that the sunshine hits your garden at just the right moment. You tend your plants with care and rejoice when the first buds erupt into a blossom.

I remain humbled by your efforts.

You see serving on the school board was a decision I made because my daughter had to attend middle school in Winston-Salem rather than in Kernersville. Whitney is now a Meredith graduate, married with our first grandchild.  My son, David graduated from Carolina last December with two degrees.  He was in kindergarten when I first joined this board.  My goal was to help secure neighborhood schools for my community and for every community in this county. What I did not know is that I would be appointed to this board twice and elected three times and stay for over 15 years.  It has been the most rewarding experience of my life.   

But I have never toiled in your garden.   I have never planted a seed.  And though I may have rejoiced with you over the blossoms. Still, the flowers in your garden were not mine.

As a member of this Board of Education, I have been privileged to enjoy your gardens.  I will not miss long meetings nor  board bickering.  I will not miss arguing with Dr. Martin or campaigning for re-election.  I will not miss the feeling in my gut when I consider the tragic death of a student.   But the thing I will miss is going into to your classrooms and watching the future being created by some of the hardest working, most under appreciated heroes of our democracy- our teachers.  There is nothing more uplifting.   There is nothing more encouraging.  Walking in that garden.  Smelling the sweet fragrance of learning.  Seeing the exploding blossoms of knowledge.   I will miss the garden.

So in tribute to all educators and in recognition of all you do. Indulge me as I offer to you  Kipling's "The Glory of the Garden". 

Our England is a garden that is full of stately views,
Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues,
With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by;
But the Glory of the Garden lies in more than meets the eye.

For where the old thick laurels grow, along the thin red wall,
You'll find the tool- and potting-sheds which are the heart of all
The cold-frames and the hot-houses, the dung-pits and the tanks,
The rollers, carts, and drain-pipes, with the barrows and the planks.

And there you'll see the gardeners, the men and 'prentice boys
Told off to do as they are bid and do it without noise ;
For, except when seeds are planted and we shout to scare the birds,
The Glory of the Garden it abideth not in words.

And some can pot begonias and some can bud a rose,
And some are hardly fit to trust with anything that grows ;
But they can roll and trim the lawns and sift the sand and loam,
For the Glory of the Garden occupieth all who come.

Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
By singing:-" Oh, how beautiful," and sitting in the shade
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knives.

There's not a pair of legs so thin, there's not a head so thick,
There's not a hand so weak and white, nor yet a heart so sick
But it can find some needful job that's crying to be done,
For the Glory of the Garden glorifieth every one.

Then seek your job with thankfulness and work till further orders,
If it's only netting strawberries or killing slugs on borders;
And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden,
You will find yourself a partner In the Glory of the Garden.

Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees
That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees,
So when your work is finished, you can wash your hands and pray
For the Glory of the Garden that it may not pass away!

And the Glory of the Garden it shall never pass away ! 

---

(On the occasion of my retirement from the WSFC Board of Education)

BLESSED ARE THE PEACE MAKERS

FOR THEY WILL BE CALLED SONS OF GOD

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion,“your God reigns!”

                                                                                    Isaiah 52:7

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“May they prosper who love you.

Peace be within your walls

Prosperity within your palaces”

For the sake of my brethren and companions

I will now say, “Peace be within you.”

Because of the house of the Lord our God

I will seek your good.

                                                                                    Psalm 122:6-9

Conflict is relationship’s Siamese twin.

Though nothing would please us more than to enjoy

the relationship without the conflict, the two are bound

together beyond our ability to divorce them.

If you want one you must accept the other…

It is not until we conflict that we discover whether love

binds us together or merely convenience.

                                                                                    Tim Woodruff

The Peace of Jerusalem

            Kernersville Moravian Church dedicated a new sanctuary in November of 1992.  It was only the second sanctuary built in the history of the congregation. Much effort and work went into the dedication service. In fact, one of our members commissioned an anthem for the occasion.  The anthem, based upon Psalm 122, was beautiful and ever so appropriate.  “Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem….” were the words sung over again throughout the song.  It struck me how very few people understood the meaning of the psalmist prayer.  For throughout the history of Jerusalem, the city has been, and remains, the source of conflict, war and much bloodshed.  I have often wondered what really is the “Peace of Jerusalem”?

            Hebrews understand peace in the form of a concept known as shalom.  Shalom is a noun that comes from the root word shalem that means, “to be complete or whole”.  A person who is “at peace” is one who is both self-fulfilled and enjoying a good relationship with God and his fellow men.   Shalom is used as we may use the common greeting,  “How are you?”  It is also similar to the Hawaiian word, “aloha”, in that it is used both as a salutation and a benediction. The phrase literally asks the person whom you greet, “ Is all well with you?”, and implores to someone departing, “May things be well with you.”  Shalom is a concept that includes both personal well-being and success.  In both the salutation and benediction, the use of shalom imparts a hope for health, happiness and well-being.  The concept of peace then is more than mere absence of conflict, but truly is the affirmative presence of good and positive things, both temporal and spiritual.

            President Bill Clinton used the occasion of addressing members of the Israeli parliament to display his New Testament acumen.  Proud of recent efforts to eliminate hostilities between Israeli and Palestinians, the President attempted to quote the seventh Beatitude. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall inherit the earth”.  It is easy to forgive the President for misquoting the Bible.  For President Clinton, and others who read the seventh Beatitude, the words may “sound like a mere conventional religious generalization, even a sententious platitude of the kind too often favored by people who are anxious to be edifying without having anything in particular to say.”(The Sermon on the Mount, by Emmett Fox, p.40)  It may have been politically expedient for President Clinton to bless Middle Eastern peacemakers with an inheritance of the earth, but Christ has chosen to bless peacemakers with a greater moniker, “for they shall be called sons of God”. The phrase, “Sons of…”, is a description of a personal characteristic.  For example, if you were called a “son of a lion”, you would be considered fearless; a “son of a dog”, you would be considered a scoundrel. Therefore, a maker of peace is a person who exhibits qualities of God Himself. Peace is a concept we all understand.  It is a condition of life we hope to maintain. “Peace be with you”, “Peace, brother”, “Make Peace not War”, and “No Justice, No Peace” are all slogans with which we are all familiar.   The Apostle Paul admonishes Christians “as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Rom. 12:18)  Christians should be peaceable people.  We must pray for those who make our lives miserable and bless those who curse us. Vengeance must be left to God.   Christians should avoid conflict for both temporal and spiritual reasons. On the other hand, peacemaking is not a concept so well understood. As with each preceding Beatitude, this is a word Jesus chose to describe His disciples.  Peacemaking, like poverty of spirit, mourning, meekness, hunger for righteousness, mercy, and purity of heart, are not attributes naturally found within the human psyche.  Rather, these are characteristics of the new man Jesus is creating in each of us. With this in mind, let’s consider how we become peacemakers.

            The prophet Isaiah describes Jesus as the “Prince of Peace”.  Yet, history teaches that countless people have lost their lives in war and persecution in the name of Jesus.  Peace among men has not resulted from the presence of Christians in this world. How then is Jesus the Prince of Peace?  Eschatological teaching promises an eternal kingdom in which the Peace of Jerusalem will reign in the hearts of all men. Theologically, Jesus is the “maker” of peace between God and man.  A rift exists between man and God.  Our sin, our enmity breaks down our relationship with our Creator.  Nothing we can do will ever restore the relationship.  Our differences are irreconcilable. God is God and we will not obey. Jesus makes reference to a certain type of peace that He brings to the world.  “Peace I leave with you.  My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give you.  Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid… Find your peace in me.” (Jn 14:27; 16:33)  Jesus is referring to a theological peace.  It is a peace between man and God.  His death and resurrection reconciles the Creator with His creation.  Paul calls Christ “our living Peace”. (Eph.2: 14)  In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul concludes: “Since it is by faith that we are justified, let us grasp the fact that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have confidently entered into this new relationship of grace, and here we take our stand, in happy certainty of the glorious things he has for us in the future.” (Rom 5:1-2)  By our faith in Jesus, we are made right with God. All is well with our relationship with our Creator.  The peace of Jerusalem is ours!  Shalom!

            Becoming a peacemaker does not end with mere acceptance of the saving grace of Christ.  In fact, as Jesus sets forth the Beatitudes, He is not describing the results of justification.  Rather, He is describing attributes developed in each of us through sanctification. As Jesus is a peacemaker, so also shall we be instruments of His Peace. We cannot just bask in the reflection of His great accomplishment.   Instead, we must understand as we are reconciled to God, there are attendant consequences to such reconciliation. Consider the observation of the Apostle Paul:  “All this is God’s doing, for he has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ; and he has made us agents of reconciliation. God was in Christ personally reconciling the world to him…and has commissioned us with the message of reconciliation. We are now Christ’s ambassadors as though God is appealing directly to you through us.  As his personal representatives we say, ‘Make your peace with God.”(II Corin.5:19-20)

            Peacemakers have a burning passion.  Seeing what God has done in their own lives, peacemakers have to tell others.  As disciples of Jesus, we are His living breathing advertisement.   We reflect His glory; we are His light in a dark world. Christians have something that the rest of the world is looking for.  We have the peace of Jerusalem residing within the walls of our hearts.  Merely coexisting with our fellow man in earthly harmony is not the type of peace Jesus brings into the world.  On the contrary, the peace of Jesus is apt to be unsettling to the status quo.  Jesus warns: “Do you think I have come to bring peace on earth?  No, I will tell you, not peace but division!” (Lk 12:51) If the peace of this world is based upon mutual coexistence and the absence of overt hostility, Christians are apt to turn the world upside down.   As an instrument of the peace of Jesus, we will be fostering a revolution. “I believe a real impact will be made on society through the life of one who passionately desires peace, who really longs to see peace, and to produce it in his or her own life.  Many Christians lack this heartfelt desire for peace. They prefer to settle for mutual coexistence . . . One of the basic characteristics of Christian character in a non-Christian world is a desire to see other people discover that peace.”(The Sermon on the Mount, Stuart Briscoe, p.40)   How blessed are those who as peacemakers work for the reconciliation of man with God!  Shalom!

            Consider the father of the prodigal son.  A rift had developed between the father and the son. The rift was in no way the fault of the father.   The son was greedy, inconsiderate and rebellious.  He took his inheritance, sold it for cash and moved to a far off country.  There the son squandered his money on the wildest of extravagance and soon found himself destitute and alone.  Knowing his father to be a good man, he decided to return home, hoping for mercy.  At worst, he would be killed; at best, he may be allowed to work as a servant. Seeing the son approach, the father had a choice to make.  He could reject the man as his son. He could accept the man as a servant.  He could embrace him as his lost child returning home.  The relationship with his son was broken through no fault of his own.  Yet, the choice he was to make would determine if rift would be mended and reconciliation would take place.  The father understood something about intimate relationships. Without hesitation, the father ran to meet his son. Embracing him, he led him home where he clothed him with his own robe and celebrated his return with a feast. The father is a peacemaker. As he watched his child walk up the road, the father was moved with emotion.  His son was a most pitiable sight.  Understanding the plight of his son, any father would have had compassion.  Unfortunately, emotion alone is not enough to foster reconciliation. Seeing the needs of his son, and feeling compassion for him, the father could have exhibited mercy by allowing the son to work as a servant.  This act of mercy would have met the needs of the son, but would not have reconciled him with his father.  In addition to compassion and mercy, the father offered grace. Peacemakers must be more than compassionate, and must do more than offer mercy. 

            Peacemakers must be bridge builders.   “A peacemaker is a person who comes to that difficult point in a relationship – when it’s time to put up or shut up, stay in or get out – and decides to ‘make every effort to do what leads to peace’. A peacemaker refuses to give up on people they are tied to by blood or commitments or faith. To the best of their ability, peacemakers preserve the relationship by pursuing peace.” (Walk This Way, Tim Woodruff, p.161)  In a world of disposable families and unreliable friendships, how refreshing is it to see Christians working to restore broken relationships?  How blessed are those who work to reconcile relationships with family and friends! Shalom!

            In 1992, Kernersville Moravian Church dedicated a new sanctuary, only the second in the 125-year history of the church. Much attention was given to historical detail in the architecture of the new facility.  One feature repeated was a weathervane atop the belfry. At the tip of the steeple of the old sanctuary, a weathervane has pointed the direction from which the wind is blowing for many years.  To the amazement of the building committee, the new weathervane pointed in the direction the wind was blowing!  Looking at the two sanctuaries, the weathervanes always point in opposite directions.   The architect explained away the snafu as providential, opining that the weathervane atop the old sanctuary pointed to the past, signifying the direction from whence the church had come, while weathervane atop the new sanctuary pointed to the future, signifying where the church was going.  A more seasoned member of the committee offered another explanation.  She stated that the weathervanes pointing in opposite directions accurately reflected the attitude that some church members had toward each other.  Sadly, isn’t this observation typical of 21^st Century Christianity?  Within the walls of every church exist simmering conflicts, big and small, gnawing away at the souls of believers. Be it from doctrinal disagreements or petty personality conflicts, Christian denominations pull in opposite directions as often as they pull together to further Christ’s kingdom.  What should “distinguish followers of Christ from the world are not perfect relationships or the absence of conflicts, but the way disciples treat each other when relationships become strained. Christians - serious Christians - take peace seriously.  They respond to the breakdown of relationship with a reflexive urge to reconcile.” (Walk This Way, Tim Woodruff, p.160) 

            Christians must take responsibility for their own attitudes.   That is why Jesus instructs His that should a disciple have anything against another brother in Christ, that such conflict should be confessed, and the slate cleared immediately, lest the conflict interfere with their relationship with God. (See Mt. 5:24)  While a disciple cannot be responsible for the attitude of the other person, the disciple is responsible for how he or she may respond to that attitude.   A disciple can by confession and a desire for peace make sure that nothing separating the disciple from another person will come between him and God.  The relationship of Christian brethren is meant to last for an eternity.  Christians cannot afford to hold eternal grudges. Qualities of mercy and integrity are the salve for most all wounded relationships. Jerusalem is meant to be a city inhabited by citizens bound firmly together by a love of God.

            How blessed are we to enjoy the peace of Jerusalem!  Shalom!

           

            Lord make me an instrument of your peace!

            Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

            Where there is injury, let me sow pardon.

            Where there is doubt, let me sow faith.

            Where there is despair, let me sow hope.

            Where there is darkness, let me sow light.

            Where there is sadness, let me sow joy.         

                                                                                              

                                            St. Francis of Assisi