This morning I woke up and went to make my coffee. On the window sill is a basil plant my friend Ingrid gave me 2 months ago to care for because she and her husband were leaving on vacation. The plant now has overgrown the pot, it is becoming root bound. And there is not enough soil for this plant in its small container. For the last few days I have been looking at it, thinking about taking some stems to restart from the plant and giving the original plant back to my friend. Well today, seemed like the day to get started. While taking my clippings I was reminded of this passage from Isaiah.
Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”
This past weekend we had our first retreat at St. James Event and Retreat Center in Payette. This soft opening feels like a new shoot out of St. James, built in 1892. The original St. James was built with faith and hope, to serve God and God’s people. When you sit in the chapel, you sense that you are in sacred space. For 126 years people gathered, prayed, celebrated and hoped in this blessed space. There has been so much love shared and anticipated here.
The church as we knew it closed in 2018, but like the shoot from the stump of Jesse, a new shoot has emerged from St. James and it is St. James Event and Retreat Center. It is growing out of hope. Hope for a new life.
As St. James Event and Retreat Center grows, may there continue to be celebrations of marriage, community, family, reflection and prayer. We look forward to welcoming all of you to gather with us in this new beginning. How appropriate is it that this is happening just as winter has turned to spring?
(Look forward to regular blogs about our mission and vision at stjamesidaho.org or follow us on FaceBook at St James Payette and book your next event with us.)
Comments