Sunday 23rd March, 3rd Sunday of Lent

One of the things Rachel and I are enjoying at the moment is getting to know our new garden. As the weather warms, we are seeing new growth every day, primroses and crocuses, blossom and buds that promise flowers to come. We are also spotting plants and trees that aren’t doing so well – we have already taken out a shrub which was clearly dying and blocking the light for other plants. There are many passages in Scripture where we are likened to trees or plants – olive trees, fig trees, vines, corn and wheat. God wants to know what kind of plant we are – good or bad? How do we judge between a good or bad plant? Not by its size, the depth of its roots, the height of its branches, the reach of its spread, the number of leaves, or even its fragrance: again and again, we are told that God looks for fruit. Jesus’ parable of the fig tree reminds us that God plants and tends the orchard of his church with purpose, and he looks for a harvest. What is the fruit God looks for in our lives, and in our shared life as his Church? The fruit of the Spirit is that we look and behave more and more like him, and that other people see and come to know him for themselves. In this season of Lenten reflection, where do we see fruit growing, and how can we make ourselves more open to God’s tending?

Every blessing,

Roger.