For The Tillers of Soil

Ancient gardens outside of Bethlehem.

Imagine an ancient garden: a small plot on a terraced hillside. Rocks cleared from the land form walls to hold the precious soil in place. Within this garden, a fig tree, an olive tree, some stalks of wheat, and a few grapevines thrive. It is enough to sustain a family.

In the Bible, the garden is a profound metaphor. The Bible text begins and ends in a garden. God meets Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and after His resurrection, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene in a garden. Gardens are depicted as places where people encounter the divine presence.

Moreover, the Bible uses the garden metaphor to teach us about God. God is the ultimate gardener, the one who makes plants grow. This metaphor extends to our faith journey: the Bible is like a seed planted in our hearts. As God’s words take root, they grow within us, transforming us to reflect God’s image to the world around us.

But God also invites us to join as tillers of the soil. When we till the soil, we create an environment where growth is most possible. This curriculum is for those tillers of soil, the educators who work diligently and tirelessly in classrooms around the world, helping students fall more in love with God and God’s words.

The Bible tells us that when we till the ground for the sake of others, we become like a well-watered garden. Educators become a place where, day after day, learners come to experience the very presence of God.

This curriculum is for you, the dedicated educators who cultivate hearts and minds, nurturing seeds of faith and knowledge to bloom in the lives of your students.

(Genesis 2:8, Genesis 3:8, John 20:14, John 15:1, Matthew 13:23, Genesis 2:15, 1 Corinthians 3:6, Isaiah 58:11)