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There it drooped, in the landing of the stairway to the second floor of the church.. It was in terrible shape. Instead of standing proud it was hunched over like it was giving up, losing its will to live. Instead of healthy green, it was a sickly yellow. The restoration of the church had taken its toil and it was clear that it would not last long. As we looked at it, a suggestion was made to pitch it in the dumpster..."Purchase a new one when the building project is over." was the verdict of my companion.

Standing there, I thought to myself, "This is the type of plant I wanted for my office..." plus it presented a minor challenge. I wondered if I could get it healthy again. So, I asked the custodian to help me move this ailing plant, suffering in its heavy pot, from its dark place to my office window. After we relocated the plant, the custodian left, shaking his head in amusement at me.

Alone with my new companion, I studied it, wondering what I could do to help it. It was almost dead. Its leaves were sagging sadly under the weight of dust. Stranded in dry, powdery soil, it thirst for a drink of water. Looking back, I realize that life struggles mightily to survive neglect. Thus began my personal mission to restore…

With a huge wad of wet paper towels in hand I closed my door (because this was going to look a little silly to anyone who happened to pass by) and gently washed the dirt off the plant’s leaves. It took time because it was so big. It wasn't ordinary dust on its leaves, but plaster dust and grime that was coating the whole building, grime that came from the work of the contractors trying to breathe life in an old building. After filling my wastebasket with soiled, wet towels (giving the custodian more to shake his head about), I gave that old plant plenty to drink.

I was surprised by the interest others had in what I was doing, because who cares about an insignificant plant? Well, it didn't take long before the plant responded. Refreshed by sunlight and water, it soon stood proud in its pot - a healthy sheen instead of dull, unhealthy yellow. Before long, new leaves (two or three at a time) were appearing. This was not a plant of the past, but a plant growing into the future. All it needed was committed attention. I was surprised at the number of people who would drop in to see how the plant was doing and even more surprised that they were telling others (about the plant).

When I was appointed to be the pastor at Constantine, I wanted to bring the plant with me. I wanted to bring it with me because it ceased to be an ordinary plant. It became an important symbol to me. The trouble was, it grew too big to put in my car and I doubted that it would survive the moving van...besides, it belonged there, in the church transforming itself for the future.

Odd that I should remember such a minor incident when there are more important things to think about. Yet, sometimes it’s the minor things which help us understand the important matters of life.

Many of us can relate to that plant, because many of us have been there – wilting under the harsh challenges imposed upon us. In fact, there are many, inside and outside our church who need constant affection and attention, who need basic care and love to carry them through their difficult times. People don't survive or do very well in dark isolation. Rather, they flourish in the light of love and companionship. In today’s world, there are too many people struggling in this world of enormous and confusing change.

Perhaps, the simple truth we can learn from this is that an important part of our ministry is about caring: for those burdened by the dirt and dust of their lives, weakened by neglect, and written off as undesirable or unsalvageable. There are too many who feel as though the world is a "dumpster", a dead-end.

For a long time, after I left that church, I wondered, “Was my plant still being cared for and alive? or was it moved and neglected? or did it matter to anyone any more? Hopefully, its survival didn't depend upon me for its life when others could easily do what I did. The ministry of a church is not its pastor, it’s its people.

So it is here. We are the “Gardeners of plants"... lovers of life. We have such an important purpose in a parish that is filled with people who are “stranded in the dark stairways of life.” Yet, I think, this is what it means to be disciples, to do what Christ calls us to do. Christ cared about the marginalized, the defenseless, the scorned….the “disposables”… and so do we. This is about resurrection of dying spirits.