5EasterB, St. Martin’s Episcopal
Church, April 29, 2018 by Annette Fricke
May is a month of
flowers and flowering fruit trees. Most
people know the phrase, “April showers bring May flowers” and for the most
part, for those living in the Northern Hemisphere, it is a truism. Although
today’s gospel imagery probably has grapes in mind as opposed to apples, apple
trees are more familiar to those who have lived in this state for any length of
time. Washington is a leading producer
of apples in the nation and in order to keep that production going, there needs
to be people who are invested in keeping that reputation as the years go
by. About three years ago, on the front
page of the Spokesman-Review was an article about apples. This story was about a researcher whose goal
was to search for “lost” varieties of apples.
What did he mean by “lost”?
Apparently, some apple trees left from orchards of earlier settlements
were still alive, not noticed due to present location. For example, one lost variety was found
inside a state park. It is estimated that there are around seventeen thousand
of these lost varieties of apples that originated in the hands of early
European immigrants. Even a nursery that
once existed near present day Oakesdale, WA through historical records, has
been identified as a source of these lost apple trees. These so called
“heirloom varieties” are now being recovered and will continue to feed the
already 100 million boxes per year of apples grown in Washington State. [1]
What do apples and
grapes have in common? They are both
fruit. As fruit, both grow at the tip of
the branches and contain seeds (never mind that what we actually see on the
market now are sometimes seedless grapes), in Jesus’ time, grapes were not
seedless. It was the seeds that produced
apple trees until it was discovered by cultivators of this fruit, that one
could also graft different varieties onto the same apple tree. Thus, we get out the Gurney seed catalog,
whose nursery is located in Yankton, South Dakota and discover that we can
order an apple tree with five different varieties. Though each fruit, if left
long enough can rot and die, each still has the potential to live through the
seeds it produces.
The bottom line is
this: Jesus calls us to not only abide in him, but to produce fruit and it is
not just here, but in several other Biblical passages that we are asked to bear
fruit, as early as Genesis where God tells us to “be fruitful and
multiply. For a long time, many
Christian denominations tied the two together as if multiplying and being
fruitful were one and the same. It seems
that became its form of evangelism rather than reaching out to others to invite
them to believe in Jesus Christ. This
cannot be done if we say nothing to others outside the faith and outside this
worship service. We are not alone as
individuals to affect this task. We are
each the fruit and branches attached to the vine, equally. There are no distinctions here between clergy
or laity or various positions in the Church.
We all bear the name, “Christian” and are called to walk as Jesus’ body
here on earth. Jesus is the vine. Jesus supports us at all times, having the everlasting
support of God. Like the tap root of an
apple tree that will help stabilize a hillside, keeping it from sliding
downward, God holds us firmly, through every storm of life.
First and foremost, we
are a community of believers. Whatever
we are able to contribute to the whole of the community and reach out as a
community, this is our vocation. Our
ministry here is as Christians who are to bear fruit, just as all Christians
are called to bear fruit. When we are at
work, we can interact with many varieties of Christians, supporting them in
their faith. We also can converse with those
who are still exploring Christianity and the Bible. We don’t need to be profound in our speech or
know all the answers. It is OK if we
might not know how to answer certain questions.
Remember that Jesus is the vine who supports us in all that we do and
loves us more than anyone here in this world. But most of all, remember that
many others believe as you do.
Sometimes we may see
the artificial barrier of age. Remember,
there are no boundaries and we are all equal in God’s eyes. We shouldn’t allow a difference in age to
discourage us from sharing our faith with others. Others need to know that God loves and cares
for them in a way that surpasses all their other relationships, especially that
relationship some have with their phone.
Real relationships face-to-face are of ultimate importance in sharing
the love of God. There is no substitute
for that. We can teach others how to
connect one-to-one rather than through the social media, by way of electronic
devices.
And, finally, the image
that John paints for us is one of anonymity.
If we were to look at the grapes or apples while they are still attached
to the branches of a live plant or tree, we will notice that they look pretty
much the same. In a box also, the grapes
and apples are of a relatively uniform size and color, if, of course, they are
of the same variety. All the grapes get
thrown into the same vat and all the apples into boxes and more boxes. They are essentially without
distinction. We are as well. God does not make exceptions for what we have
or don’t have, our personalities, talents, or gifts. We are to use all that we are given so that
we produce fruit for God. The mark of the
body of Christ is that it bears fruit, that we love as God has loved and continues
to love us. It doesn’t matter who we are
in the world, but only that we love. Any
branch is able to love if it remains with Jesus. We are all God’s children,
united in God’s love for us. We need to
see beyond being a tree and see ourselves as part of a forest of believers
because that is who we are. We are an
orchard of apple trees. We are a
vineyard. We are God’s vineyard rooted in
God’s love. Jesus says to us, “Be
fruitful—every day.”
[1]
http://www.appleblossom.org/about/legend-of-the-apple.html
