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Will you BEE my neighbor?
When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment in all of sacred scripture, he replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40
Did you know that one out of every three bites we take when we eat is made possible by pollinators? Without the butterflies, bees, and other critters, whose life vocation is centered around passing pollen between flowers, our diet would be quite bland and our food much less colorful!
Jesus’ response to the greatest commandment invites us to wonder ever more deeply about who is our neighbor. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the neighbor is the one who shows mercy…the one who cares for another as if it is part of our DNA. Bishop Desmond Tutu, of South Africa, defined the neighboring word “ubuntu” as “I am, because we are.” For him, neighboring is about living into God’s reality (the kingdom of God), where we are fully aware of how we are connected and dependent on each other…people…butterflies…bees…all creation.
Last year at our weekly pastor’s text study (10+ years running!), I asked your pastors, Rev. Dave and Rev. Claire if Trinity might consider me creating a bee yard on some of the extra land of the church. We walked and discussed where it might be, and talked about how bees would be a good neighbor to the Community Garden. As a pastor myself, my understanding of neighbor is every expanding, and in my own call to beekeeping, I think bees have a lot to teach us about what it means to be a neighbor. I believe if we can practice neighboring with our closest neighbors (creation), we will grow in our compassion, skills, and courage in practicing neighboring as humanity.
My son Henry, and I, joined the Williamson County Beekeepers Association last November, and began our journey in neighboring with bees. My bee mentor is Randy Oakley of Oakley Apiaries in Waco, who has created a “Texas style” of beekeeping that fits our climate and the ways bee naturally want to live in tree hallows. The “Trinity Bee Yard” has three hives (fitting for Trinity!) that were installed on April 20th. Right now these new “nucleus” hives are growing from about 10,000 bees to 50,000, as the honey flow is…well…flowing. Every two weeks, Henry and I will be doing a hive inspection to make sure all is well, and care for the hives as needed. Bees have been in decline in recent decades. In 1990, 10% of hives would fail. Today, due to a new mite, the number is about 30% - 50%. Honey bees are quite tame and can happily coexist alongside humans. Yet, I am planning on putting up a couple simple bee signs, so all know where the bees are. I also look forward to updating and sharing learning from the bee yard. Thank you for letting me practice neighboring in this way. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at hvanicek@gmail.com. Peace,
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