Grass Seed

Some road work in front of my house last week left a bare patch in the curb lawn. As I have planted grass seed there and begun watering it for the last few days, it strikes me that this is an act of hope, intention, and commitment.

Hope: I have hope that this grass seed will grow. Seed from the same bag worked well, earlier this summer, in a more shady part of my yard. I hope that it will also grow in the sunny area by the road. I hope that nothing will destroy it before it can grow.

Intention: I am trying to create beauty and order, restoring the grass to be even nicer that it was before--just as the street crew repaired the curb to be better than it was before. In this tiny way, I want to make my corner of the world better.

Commitment: My commitment is to water this grass seed twice a day for a week or more. If I don’t do my part, the chances of successful growth are much lower. In the past I have honored commitments—and failed to do so. With humility, I commit anew.

I have come to understand faith as a partnership between humans and the divine. In this case the divine is Nature: I partner with Nature by doing my part (planting and watering) and hoping that Nature does her part (germinating and growing). It is not a passive faith, expecting the divine to create and do everything. I must do my best and have faith that things will work out OK.

Of course, bigger things are bothering me and worrying me—things over which I have much less control than a patch of new grass in my yard. I embrace this task because it feels like I can do something; I can make a small difference and enjoy a small success. Perhaps this will keep me inspired, hopeful, and resilient as I engage with bigger and more difficult problems. In growing grass seed and in working for love, justice and beloved community, I act with intention and commitment, having faith in the inherent goodness of the world.

PRAYER:

Spirit of life and love, we have faith that you are there: a benevolent energy that creates  life; the good in human hearts that fosters kindness and love.

We do our good works in this world hoping, trusting, praying that they are not in vain.

May the grass grow lush and beautiful, through the magic in the tiny seed and the work of the human hand.

May love and peace thrive in human communities, through the loving work we do and through our trust in the goodness of human hearts.

May it be so.

Rev. Drew Frantz

August 18, 2026