A Garden in the Concrete
day twenty one
This has never just been about a devotional.
It’s been about joining Jesus in what He’s already doing — here, in the inner-west of Melbourne. In this dry and hard ground. In the streets we walk, the parks we play, and with the people we love. We’ve been asking: what would it look like for the goodness of God to meet here? For Kingdom life to break through in ways we can see and touch?
That’s why we’re in the river — a trickle flowing out from the temple. Small at first, but it didn’t stay small. It moved outward. Deeper. Stronger. And everywhere it went, life came with it. Fruit trees. Fresh water. Salt turned sweet. Wastelands blooming.
That vision isn’t just a picture of long ago or far away. It’s for here. For now.
Because the temple’s not stone anymore. It’s people. It’s us. The Spirit of God lives in you like a current. And wherever you go — into grief, into joy, into long-haul faithfulness — the river flows.
This isn’t about trying harder or doing more. You don’t make the water move. You let it carry you — into overlooked corners, half-finished conversations, parks and porches and streets that have your name in their story.
And the promise is still good: wherever this river flows, life will come.
DAILY READINGS
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47 The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side.
3 As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. 4 He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. 5 He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. 6 He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”
Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. 8 He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. 9 Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. 11 But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”
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18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
DEEPER
This isn’t the end of the story. The Spirit has been stirring something in us — not just as individuals, but as a church — for this time, and for this place. What we’ve been praying and reflecting on isn’t separate from our lives. It is our life now. And the life of the world depends on it.
Because resurrection didn’t just change Jesus’ body, it changed the future. It broke the cycle. It cracked open the concrete of despair and made space for a garden to grow again. And it’s growing here, in the inner-west of Melbourne, through His people. Through us.
You were made for this: To live the way of Jesus. To bring life to the west.
That’s not hype. That’s our commission. That’s who we are becoming, and who we already are.
To live the way of Jesus means allowing His presence to form us. Not just on Sundays, but in kitchens and driveways and WhatsApp threads and job interviews. It means letting Him shape how we spend our money, how we listen, how we forgive, how we hold power. It means seeing our suburbs not just as home, but as holy ground.
To bring life to the west means we go where the river is flowing — into overlooked schools, burnt-out friendships, broken systems, and stubborn hope. We become people of presence. People of formation. People on mission. Not in our own strength, but in the current of the Spirit.
Because there’s a world here, right here, aching to taste and see that God is good. Not just in theory. But in homes and footy clubs and on train platforms and hospital wards. Through us.
You are not just a participant in church. You are the church. A sign of what’s coming. A taste of what’s possible. A temple, walking.
So keep walking. Keep surrendering. Keep saying yes. And as you go — know this: You are not alone. You are not powerless. And wherever the river flows, life will come.
RESPOND
What’s one corner of your neighbourhood where you long to see God’s goodness break through? Picture the people, the stories, the everyday rhythms of that place. Ask Jesus, “How can I join you here?” Then be open to a nudge — a conversation, an act of service, a simple presence — that could become a doorway for His love.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, you are the source and the stream. Thank you for what You have stirred in me and in us as a church. Now send me. Let your Spirit flow through my life into the dry ground around me. Give me courage to say yes, faith to keep walking, and eyes to see the garden you are already growing.
Also, pray now for your neighbourhood. Bring its people, its struggles, its gathering places, and the things that make it unique before God. Ask Jesus to use you to reveal His goodness in real, lived-out ways.
ACTIVATE
Mark this moment. Write down one concrete way you will live differently because of these 21 days — a step, a practice, a conversation, a place you will show up. Share it with someone in our church family and ask them to pray with you as you walk it out.
“The river does not end here. It runs through us, into the streets, carrying life wherever it flows.”