27 October 2018 - branching out

Today's Readings (Audio)

Sir, leave it for this year also, 
and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; 
it may bear fruit in the future.

We have been dead and lifeless trees. We are meant to bear the fruit of love, joy, and peace. We are meant to manifest all the fruits of the Spirit. But we are often only concerned with our wood and branches and perhaps our leaves. These, we believe, are the necessities of our life. Fruit is for someone else. It is the optional extra when there is time. But this whole perspective is wrong. In this analogy trees exist, not simply for their own sakes, but to bear fruit.

We need the help of the gardener to succeed. On our own the conditions are to barren. We need grace that only the gardener can give. Only his cultivation and fertilizer can give us life abundant enough to bear fruit. We're overly self-protective because we're used to living without relying on his help.

Grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

The gardener pours out blood and water on the earth. He nourishes us with the water of life that is his Spirit. This is the source of our fruit and our gifts. There is now nothing to stop us from bearing fruit except our old stubborn selfish habits. We're used to being barren so this abundance of life seems almost impossible. We believe it is too good to be true. We test and taste it at first but eventually ignore it rather than take the risk entailed in growth.

Let us receive the grace the gardener wants to pour upon us today. Let us see the ways in which he desires us to bear fruit and to grow.

And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the Body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood
to the extent of the full stature of Christ

This growth keeps us grounded in love because its source is love. It protects us from waves and wind that arise from human trickery, from cunning in the interest of deceitful schemes, because what makes us grow shapes us more and more into Christ who is our head. We fear the future and so we hedge our bets by protecting ourselves. But if we simply trust in Jesus our future is assured. He himself is that future and all threats to it have already been overcome.

from whom the whole Body,
joined and held together by every supporting ligament,
with the proper functioning of each part,
brings about the Body’s growth and builds itself up in love.

Let us welcome the gardener's help. Let us delight to bear fruit for the LORD.

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.