Rake to Rake
Posted Tuesday, January 17,2012
The Holy Work Of Landscape Maintenance
By Rich Minkler and Facilities Teams
A holy activity is something you do especially for the Lord. It’s usually done with reverence and often gives you a sense of joy. We can probably agree that preaching is holy. Teaching the Bible is holy. Singing worship songs is holy. But what about using a gas powered leaf blower? No? Well keep reading and see if I can change your mind.
We have to start way back when Moses was giving the Israelites the laws they would live under in their new land. The rules were very strict when it came to the shedding of human blood. If you murdered somebody, and more than one witness could verify it, you would be executed. If you killed someone through your carelessness (what we’d call manslaughter) it was the duty of the victim’s closest relative to hunt you down and avenge his blood. But because you didn’t kill your victim on purpose, God provided a way to save your own life. You had to get inside a designated town called a “city of refuge” before the avenger of blood could catch you. The city elders would protect you until they could hear your case and determine if you really were innocent. There were six of these cities throughout Israel. Three were on each side of the Jordan and located so that every Israelite was within half a day’s journey from the nearest one.
Now here’s where the holy landscaping comes in. Jewish sources tell about men who lived in these towns and who wanted to save as many of the fleeing fugitives as possible. So they went out and repaired the roads to their cities, hauling away stones that could trip a fleeing man, and setting up signs along the way. There were people on the walls of these cities watching a fugitive in the distance—a man running a race for his life with no preparation. As he staggered across the boundary to safety, many of the onlookers would cheer.
In a way our church is like one of those cities of refuge. Each week men, women and families who are not members of our body find their way here. Some are looking for relief from an overwhelming sense of guilt. Some can no longer cope with their shame. All of them have come looking for mercy. Like the men in the city of refuge, we must remove every stumbling block and repair every sign so that nothing can prevent them from coming here. And that includes maintaining our property.
I admire the team of volunteers who spend hours each week mowing our huge lawns and working on the landscaping. It’s the first thing our visitors see as they pull into our driveway. And because the yard work is done to advance the kingdom of God, it’s holy work.
Saturday, December 3, we will stand Rake-To-Rake to battle the dead leaves that have invaded our property. If you can operate a rake, run a leaf blower, or stuff leaves into a barrel, we can use your help. Even though we call it a “ministry,” it’s actually a lot of fun.
Before you put on your gloves, pray that God will use your efforts for His glory, then prepare to be surprised.
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