In the Garden

"I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily." - Hosea 14:5


"The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." - Isaiah 35:1

"Like a lily among thorns is my darling" - Song of Songs 2:2

I took a brief walk in the church's Memorial Garden this afternoon at 4 p.m.

The plantings in the Garden were carefully selected for our region of Central Florida to provide four seasons of blossoming color, a collection of foliage that will soothe the senses and delight the eye. Many are also favorites of butterflies that visit and ensure a constant living presence in the Garden. A Fountain and Wind Sculpture at the center of the Garden remind us of the “streams that make glad…” Brick pathways lead to the fountain “whence the healing streams doth flow”. Of course, water also reminds us of our church’s name “Wekiva” the Creek word for “flowing water”.

As you can see from my photos, it is a beautiful spot where something is blooming no matter what the day or season. This offers hope to those who visit it, whether they are here to remember loved ones or to reflect upon God's creation or to simply pause in the middle of a busy day. Below is an informational article about the Memorial Garden.

The Courtyard Memorial and Meditation Garden for
Wekiva Presbyterian Church

The Courtyard Memorial and Meditation Garden which had been anticipated for many years was dedicated in 2005. The Garden was designed by our own member, Elder Tom Stahl, and is a lovely and fitting centerpiece to the church campus. Over the course of about three years, about half the costs of The Garden were given to the church as memorial and honor gifts, including a memorial gift for the fountain and the special Advent giving in 2004. Also in 2004 a generous couple in our congregation gave the church a gift for the remaining half of the cost of The Garden. The benches were fabricated by church members, to a Tom Stahl design, as well.

The Courtyard Memorial and Meditation Garden is a spiritually appropriate place on our church campus for the internment of ashes from cremation. The ashes of church members and friends who have died are put to rest in the garden, and their names are placed on a bronze wall tablet adjacent to the entry into Education Hall. Such a garden is ecologically responsible as well as an answer in part to the age-old concern of the Christian community to participate in the proper disposition and identification of the earthly remains of those who have shared in Christian fellowship here. Christians sometimes have questions about cremation, which is an acceleration of natural processes, consistent with the belief in resurrection and eternal life. While it is not everyone’s choice, it is both appropriate and accepted in Christian practice.

The Garden is also a place for members and guests to find a lovely, peaceful retreat for reflection and prayer as they listen to the fountain and appreciate the calm surroundings. The Garden is also utilized from time to time as a place of congregational fellowship. It is a dignified and beautiful place of peace and serenity.

You are invited to visit The Memorial Garden and savor it when next you are with us. Here follows our Litany of Dedication for The Memorial Garden:

The Courtyard Memorial and Meditation Garden
Of Wekiva Presbyterian Church

Litany of Dedication

Leader: Hear God’s Word as recorded in Genesis Chapter Two: “And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there God placed the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.”

All: From the beginning, God envisioned that the perfect place for God’s people to dwell is in a Garden.

Leader: The Psalmist says: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.”

All: God gently calls us to us, to be beside Him, in those green and water-blessed places where we may find rest and experience renewal.

Leader: In the Garden, according to John: Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept… She glanced over her shoulder and saw someone standing behind her. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him. "Why are you crying?" Jesus asked her. "Who are you looking for?" She thought he was the gardener." Sir," she said, "if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him." "Mary!" Jesus said. She turned toward him and exclaimed, "Teacher!"

All: We cherish the wonder of resurrection on the first Easter day, as it was revealed to Mary and through her, to all of humankind, in the Garden.

Leader: We are blessed by the promise of the Living Christ and are assured that all who trust in Him will share in His Kingdom, which will have no end. Now, we offer this Prayer of Dedication:

All: Dear Lord, We ask for Your blessing upon this Garden. May it serve as a tranquil place for meditation and prayer, a place where we may enjoy the beauty of Your world, a place where we may feel Your living presence, and a place where we may remember our loved ones who have gone before us. As it is said, “One is nearer God’s heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth.” We pray this shall be true, as we come to the Garden alone, or in the presence of others, in Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Please join in our Hymn of Dedication: “In The Garden”

Following the Benediction, you are invited to visit the Memorial and Mediation Garden and share in refreshments there.