Church is like an onion patch

For my writing class, I had to write two similes to describe "church". Last night I had a fit of inspiration and stayed up till midnight writing. This was the better of the two. Enjoy!

 (Not my picture)

There’s a plant in my garden known as a walking onion. Where we got the first one, I have no idea, but that one plant has become a patch measuring several square feet. Walking onions are used in cooking like other green onions. Its narrow, hollow stalks resemble large chives. Whenever I desire to use some in the kitchen, I simply step outside and pick whatever I need. 

It seemed to me that the church is rather like these walking onions. It grows in clumps, each bulb sending up several poking fronds. Seeing this reminded me of a family, and seeing all these “families” growing alongside each other reminded me of the church. The reason for the name “walking onion” is because when the plant comes to maturity, it bears fruit, in this case, onion bulbs. These bulbs are not like the big Vidalias you buy at the store, nor do they grow in the ground like those. These grow as a cluster of thumb-sized bulbs at the very top of the stalk. Eventually, the bulb cluster grows too heavy for the stalk to support. Whomp! The bulb pulls the stalk to the ground, taking a “step”, claiming new territory for the cause of onions. The newly fallen bulb plants itself in the ground, and will become a new plant the following year. 

Do you see how we are sort of like those onion plants? Not only are we growing alongside each other, but as our lives bear fruit, we are step by step gaining ground for the kingdom of God. Our usefulness is accomplished by bending, humbly accepting the will of our Lord. We are available as His servants whenever He needs us, even if that means being consumed. Like the onions’ distinct aroma, we bear the aroma of Christ. We are stronger (smelling) together! To some the aroma is pleasing, to others completely unappealing. Although we may spend our whole lives rooted in one spot, serving in the same region our parents did, we also may be transplanted by the Gardener to spread our kind in new and distant soil. As we grow, it’s not due to our own power and self-sufficiency. We are dependent on the One who gives sun, rain, and all increase. (1 Cor. 3:7)