From twigs to Figs

The other day, at choir practice, Pastor Greg brought us a handful of figs from the Orchard House. They were probably some of the most delicious that I had ever tasted. As far as figs go, in my mind, I don’t think there could have been a more perfect fig.

I just went about my business after I ate it and didn’t really think much about the fig, after that.

Yesterday, during the prayer time with the Focus Circle, it really struck me. “It” being the symbolism of the figs that Greg shared with us. We are bearing fruit of the spiritual sense...more than any of us realize. God has blessed us immensely and is continuing to do so. Because we’ve already been fruitful and are going to be even more so, the Holy Spirit is expounding its power and glory and blessings among our house, even more.

The whole thing brings to mind Matthew 21:19,

“18 In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once. 20 When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?" 21 Jesus answered them, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done. 22 Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive." -NRSV

We, Covenant of the Cross Church, are not this fruitless tree. We have born fruit; we will continue to bear fruit and we will be powerful in the Spirit and the Son and the God almighty who we serve and proclaim. I don’t care who comes against us, cursing us to nothing more than twigs.

We aren't a fruitless tree, covered only in leaves. We are a fruitful tree, covered in power.

Where our enemies curse us to twigs, the Blessings of the Spirit will bring forth figs!

This is something that I am fully faithful on. I’ve already taken this knowledge to the bank.

As a church...a spiritual unit and a family, we have already moved mountains. God has moved mountains. We’ll continue to move mountains. This I know. I know.

This bit of scripture also brings to mind that it’s not our job, nor is it our place to curse our enemies...even if they curse us. When you curse others, you curse yourself. When you bless others, you bless yourself.

A tree doesn’t bear fruit so that it can nourish itself. It bears fruit so that it can grow up another tree to make more fruit. In the case of the spirit, we don’t bear the fruit of blessings to keep under cover for ourselves, but to bless other people and lift them up, so they can, themselves, be fruitful.

Mind Games

Why do we say we do not like something without ever trying it? Why do we construct a picture of the perfect spouse before we ever see them? Why do we keep repeating the same patterns through life? The reason is that we have settled in our minds what we want or what we will see as good and worthy. We then automatically exclude all else as bad.

I am sure that at some level it is so that we can make sense of a complex world. Yet, at another level it is used to prove that we are better than another, or worse that they can never be redeemed. We can also let our mind tell us that we will never measure up or be good enough thereby living in defeat the rest of our lives.

So what must we do to win the war raging in our minds? What must we do to find something positive in all the things that together make up life?

The story of the Prodigal Son is a parable about a son that wanted his inheritance early and then wasted it. After getting some sense in his head he went back home – to work as an employee rather than to get more inheritance. Let’s listen in to the dialogue between the older son and both of these boy’s father:

“But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

“'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

Look at the attitude the older son has. He gets angry and disrespectful to his father and brother because of something that should be joyful. He get s angry because is father did not just give him something – because he wanted special treatment. He would not ask, as his younger brother did for his inheritance, so he did not even get a goat for a party. He blames someone for his lack of appropriate and respectful dialogue. He allowed a sense of entitlement enter his mind and thus began a spiritual war that divided him from everyone – including the one that paid his bills and placed food on his table. The father here did nothing wrong, and the one who did the most wrong was not the one who

The story reveals what happens when we let ideas and thoughts be planted and grow in our minds that have no place there. This week, fight against ideas and thoughts that cut toward another person and open your minds to thoughts and feelings that welcome each person with their potential in.

Blessings,
Pastor Greg