Lessons in Mulch

Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your name,

the name you gave Me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

John 17:11b

Although I have always known that mulch came in different shades of brown, this year I discovered that you can have the mulch color of your choice:  you can have black [a very deep brown which has always been my favorite, or red [my least favorite], or “deep forest brown,” which is just plain old brown mulch.  I went to the nursery the other day and bought five bags of the black mulch – a beginning purchase for my many containers and gardens.

One of my daughters asked me what in the world I needed all that mulch for.  I did not insult her by saying, “For the garden!”  She knows where I am going to put the stuff, but her question was, for what purpose?  Decorative?  Surely one could find a cheaper way to decorate!  No, my dear – it is for protection.  Mulch enables the soil to hold in nutrients and the precious water that rains down.  It is a protective layer between the roots of the plant and the sometimes overwhelming heat of the sun. 

In this prayer recorded in John 17, Jesus tells His Father that while He was here on earth, He protected His people.  Now He is following the path to the cross, the resurrection, and His ascension back to heaven.  He prays for His Father to release the protective layer that will cover His disciples from that moment until He comes again in glory – the comforting blanket of the Holy Spirit.

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:25-27