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Posts Tagged ‘transformation’

What is the Fruit Anyway?

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 17, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 15:5b, 8
“If a man [or woman] remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

The whole issue of the fruit metaphor has plagued me over the years. I got hung up on it when a well meaning friend pronounced fruit as the number of converts I brought into the Body of Christ. For him, the process of “harvesting fruit” (probably based on Matthew 9:37) was a frontal assault: bring the person through the “sinner’s prayer” or share the “4 Spiritual Laws” or whatever it takes to close the deal and get the person to “yes.” It reminds me of sales talk: get to the “ask.” [“Ask” in this context meaning to pop the question: do you want to buy this product or do you want to support this cause with a donation?]

First of all, let me say, I am not against drawing others to Christ, far from it. But I’m thinking differently these days about the way. I’m thinking it’s the fruit that actually draws a new believer, not the other way around. The fruit, like fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) or the description by James [3:17] of being wise, peace-loving, considerate, merciful and so forth, these are transforming energies. These fruits come from the heart. These are fruits of love. These are fruits that draw others to us. And when they are drawn to us, they are drawn to Christ.

Ezekiel says [47:12] “…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.” This is our future. As the water/spirit of God flows through us, we offer the fruit of love and healing for wounds, both emotional and physical. We are in the restoration business. As we give of ourselves, we are giving life-changing fruit.

Doesn’t it make so much sense that God uses the idea of “feast” … the abundance of fruit … available to us all. And how foolish of us to miss such a feast.

Lord, mark the time for me today. Give me awareness that I might recognize the hunger of others. I don’t want to just “invite” them to the feast, I want to give them a taste of Christ’s fruit. Keep my heart tender, receptive and transparent.

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Pruning or Cutting

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , on August 16, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 15:2
“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

Do I know the difference? I’m not sure I do. Conceptually I understand. Pruning is supposed to be that little snip here and there, deadheading, and shaping, while cutting is chopping off a dead branch or even more drastic, the whole top of something and starting over. One action is a hopeful trim while the other is not so hopeful, more resignation I’d say. Oh sure, there are times that a major cutting happens and the plant regroups and sprouts all over again, but how often does that happen?

My husband and I have always wanted a willow tree, but we’re too cheap to just go out and buy one. So, he keeps coming up with these little willow tree sprigs and shoots to try and generate some roots from them… either in a jug a water or sticking them directly in the ground (according to “his” daddy, this is possible). Anyway, to make a long story short, none of these methods have worked to date. That is, until the last one. He stuck it in the ground (we have a very wet area of our yard) and no surprise, the little thing up and died. So we didn’t bother to prune it, we just cut it down. Guess what? That little guy interpreted that action completely differently. For that little willow, it was pruning, and up from nothing, came a healthy willow branch, ready to face the world. Go figure.

What’s the lesson here? Anything is possible. Pruning and cutting can look the same sometimes but it’s what the plant does with it that matters.

When an idea or a planned future is cut off from out lives, how are we interpreting it? I have assumed that broken dreams were God’s way of saying, “no, not that!” But really, it’s possible that it was just a re-direction. It was really a pruning… maybe it felt like cutting because I had carried the plan along too far without checking in. Who knows?

I know I’m in Christ. I’m in the plant… the vine. And if that’s the case, it’s all pruning, every change out of my control and in God’s control has tremendous potential. I think it’s time to really embrace the shifts and snips.

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How Many Rooster Crows?

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , on August 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 13:38b
“…I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”

Living in the city, I don’t really hear roosters crowing. And yet, I do resonant with the idea that each morning, roosters herald the dawn and a new day. But how many mornings have I betrayed the very God I love through inattention and disregard? How often have I “disowned” Him from fear?

There is a powerful skit I used to perform for small groups where Jesus would surprise me one morning when I was getting ready to go to work, but running late. I reasoned with Him, since we didn’t have time to sit down together, He could stick around, have a cup of coffee, and we would connect later that day. Instead, He offered to go with me to work. I thought that was inappropriate. I suggested He visit my next door neighbor now and then we could visit later. And so on the skit would go until I ended up getting really angry and “nailing” him to the wall so he would stop pestering me since I was so busy.

Or, perhaps the rooster crowed and caught me on a day after I disowned the Lord like Peter because I was afraid. The fears that cause my betrayals are not the same ones that Peter had. My life has never been threatened because of my faith. I am usually afraid of others and their opinion of me. Too often, I have chosen silence when it would be better to speak. I have looked the other way in the face of sin or need. I have indulged myself and my children and we have dipped our feet into the world while others suffer.

Slowly, I am changing. I am getting better about hearing the rooster crow as a call to prayer. I am seeing Jesus in the people I meet. I am waking up.

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Betrayal for Everyone

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , on August 5, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 13:21
After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.”

And Judas didn’t bat an eye. He saw the whole thing differently than everyone else. In his mind, it wasn’t betrayal. He was helping move things along. He thought he had the “big picture.” He thought the stars were aligned and Jesus needed to step up his game.

Can you imagine, with this mindset, what he must have thought when Jesus turned to him at table and said, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” [vs 27b] He probably viewed that as the “go-ahead.” Jesus was going to take the challenge and show everyone. He would reveal himself. He would become their king. He would overthrow the Romans. On and on his mind would have clamored.

Haven’t we all, at some point or another, justified our own actions in the same way? We convince ourselves that our choices are the right choices for the moment. From adultery to lying to theft and more, our reasoning allows it. In reality every sin is a type of betrayal against the other. If we commit adultery, we betray a spouse; if we lie, we betray the trust of the person receiving that lie; if we steal, we betray the owner… and so on.

Confronting the truth of betrayal means confronting ourselves and our motives. Betrayal is all about “me.” Judas ran from his betrayal and killed himself. This may have been his greatest sin of all. A betrayer can be redeemed but only with confession.

I have betrayed and it grieves my spirit today. I call on the love and grace of Christ Jesus to wash me in forgiveness. My only hope.

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Woe to the Rich — That’s Us

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 4, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Luke 6:24
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort…”

I am so uncomfortable with this teaching of Jesus. Face it: I am rich and this is not good news.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I am really just like everyone else I know on the most part–middle class. But in comparison with the rest of the world, we’re rolling in dough. When I take the time to really absorb the truth of this phrase, I am ashamed and a tad worried.

When the economy “tanked,” my husband and I have been confronted with the outrageous cost of our lifestyle. We are, in U.S. terms, broke. We owe more on credit cards than we should. We spend more than we make. We indulge our wants and assume our needs will be met. We take a lot for granted.

We have passed along this “comfort” lifestyle to our children who continue to have expectations of what is normal: a packed refrigerator, vacations, name-brand clothes, and plenty of heat when it’s cold and air conditioning when it’s hot. They assume the “economy” problems are for all those other people.

Basically, we’ve been skipping over this scripture for years and that may prove to be a mistake sooner than later.

In the same way that the environment cannot be turned around on a dime, our own lifestyle will not change overnight either. We must make a conscious decision to change. We must do so in agreement. And if we don’t do this willingly and soon, we may have to do so in crisis.

Forgive us. Re-align our priorities before they are re-aligned for us. Give us courage to change the way we live. Let us not be like the “rich young ruler.” [Matthew 19:16-26]

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Only the Feet

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , on August 2, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 13:10a
Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean….”

So what could this mean? It’s fairly well accepted that foot washing is a sign of serving others: the willingness to do the most menial of tasks for another person. Prior to beginning the washing of feet, John reports that Jesus’s intentions were to show the “full extent of his love” for the disciples [John 13:1] But why does he also say that only the feet need to be washed?

Feet are funny things. They carry so much throughout our lives. They are our stability and a part of our balancing acts. They are the primary way we move from one place to another. They are a foundation. We usually forget about our feet unless they hurt. Plus, anyone can attest to the fact that there’s nothing worse than stinky feet! 🙂

But what other meanings can be gleaned from Jesus’s act of washing only the feet? I think the symbolism is in tandem with the the other pronouncement about feet in Mark 6:11: “And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.” By washing their feet, the disciples were starting fresh and new. Whatever happened before, while they walked with Jesus or went out in His name in ministry, whatever shaking they did or dust they collected, would be washed away. From that day of foot washing, everything would be different. It was a turning point in their lives.

Sometimes it’s important to create a physical representation of renewal. If you want to mark a day, then wash your feet, prayerfully. If you are ministering to someone who needs to mark that day, wash his/her feet. This is the small revelation I had today. This is my next step… with clean feet.

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Lazarus Come Out!

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , on July 28, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 11:43-44
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

We are just like Lazarus. We are dead to the true fullness of life that is available to us. We’re wrapped up in grave clothes. And for us, it’s all normal.

One of my favorite types of books to read is fantasy. I enjoy those battles between good and evil and in particular, that good always wins. Across a great number of fantasy authors, there are certain accepted norms which are often incorporated into their stories. The dragons and trolls and fairies are very similar from one book to the next. There are types of magic and types of power. Another, somewhat universal idea, is the “true name.” There is power in the true name of a person. There is particular power when someone knows a person’s true name and uses it.

This is how I feel about Lazarus. Jesus called his “true name.” Jesus called out the “real” Lazarus, the one who would now move into his actual potential. Lazarus, from that day forth, would be changed. He was drawn out of the dark and into the light. He was dead and then truly alive.

Jesus knows all of our true names. And He is calling us.

The world of Christ is different than the world we have manufactured. If we answer His call, we will be unsteady at first, even a little overwhelmed. The rules are different. The focus is different. The landscape is different. Our perceptions are different. But eventually, the useless “grave clothes” come off and we can move freely. Once death is overcome, what is left to fear?

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