Nurture - Monday Musing, August 1, 2022

Dear Church,

Nurture – to care for and encourage the growth of development. In the pages of scripture, God has been compared to a hen seeking out her chicks, to a rock that cannot be moved, to a mother suckling her child, to a wind that cannot be controlled and a fire which cannot be extinguished, to a woman seeking out a lost coin, to a king who invites everyone to his wedding feast, and to an eagle who stirs up her wings and shields the young in her nest. In each of these images, we learn more about God. God guides, protects, and nurtures God’s people.

Some say the concept of nurturing comes naturally. We are born into families who raise us, teach us as we grow, and walk with us into adulthood. We ultimately go out on our own – the nurtured becomes the nurturer for the next generation. Some raise their own families or form families of their choosing where care is given, love is shared. Even nature understands nurturing. Recently a Robin built a nest in the hibiscus in the backyard of the parsonage. I watched the Robin feed the young birds, nurturing them constantly with worms and berries; the mother (and father) Robins were there in the development and growth of the young birds before they left the nest. While this applies to us individually and to nature, what about the church?