The Fruit of Patience

I can't wait for the summer fruit to arrive.

Rich juicy strawberries

perfectly crunchy grapes with cool refreshing insides

peaches with tangy sweet juice running down my fingers

tomatoes redder than the new fire hydrants

blueberries to stain my fingers

ripe wild raspberries

Today Jesus gives us a parable with very summery imagery.

We aren't quite there yet,

and with the snow flakes of this morning,

we have to continue waiting,

patiently and impatiently.

This morning's imagery gives us a view into how Jesus sees

our relationship to God.

God is the vine-grower, Jesus is the vine, we are the branches.

We are called to bear fruit, through the help of Jesus and God.

Jesus intends us to see ourselves as part of this metaphor,

to see ourselves as part of the process of the kingdom of God.

We are the branches, reaching out into the world,

bearing good fruit for God

and spreading the bountiful gifts that God gives

through the fruits that we bear. 

This passage from John comes from the teachings of Jesus during the night of the Passover meal, 

his last meal with his disciples.

I can imagine Jesus, 

staring at his disciples and the vestiges of the meal they had eaten. 

After washing their feet and blessing the bread and wine,

I can see his eyes touching on the cup of wine before him and using the wine as inspiration for a metaphor to help them understand the truth of their relationship.

"I am the vine, you are the branches."

This evocative imagery happens right before 

Jesus tells his disciples his commandment to love one another. 

His love flows through them,

as water flows through the roots, to the vine, to the branches to bear fruit, 

the miracle of turning water into fruit,

we embody the miracle of turning love into blessings.

One of the many great aspects of this metaphor

tells us of God's great patience.

A vine-grower had to be a patient person. 

Grape vines don't immediately start producing fruit, 

it can be up to three years before you get a real harvest of any sort. 

What is not producing fruit right away, 

doesn't mean it won't produce fruit in the long term.

Jesus says that the branches not bearing fruit will be cut away

but there is a lot of judgement call going on there 

on the part of the vine-grower

because not every branch produces fruit at the same rate or time.

Also, of course, pruning is an important part of taking care of a fruit bearing plant,

especially at the beginning of the season. 

Pruning is a cutting back, but good pruning is a cutting back 

which happens right before the vine grows and becomes very fruitful.

Many people see cutting back as a bad thing,

but in gardening, pruning is a good cutting back,

in order to produce more fruit.

Naturally though, bearing fruit is not an immediate process. 

Bearing fruit is a long process of growing, budding, flowering, and growing the fruit.

Bearing fruit means that there will come a day for pruning before more fruit is grown. 

The process of life and dormancy, pruning and growing is in constant motion,

and so are our lives in Christ.

Jesus says he is the vine and we are the branches, 

and the branches and the vines are part of each other. 

We are an outpouring of Christ and Christ is within us. 

As Christians we cannot do anything without Christ. 

From the moment we are baptized to the moment we die, 

everything we do is done with Christ by our sides.

Here at St. John's we are in a year of planting. 

We are not quite at the stage of bearing fruit. 

Though we have seen some fruit start to grow.

Planting requires patience. 

Like the vine grower, we must wait and see 

what and how the planting will grow.

Whether we will be starting new programs, building up our spiritual depth

or growing our community,

bearing fruit is a long process.

This process is not in line with the instant gratification aspect of our current culture.

Patience is not a virtue in secular society anymore.

Yet, patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit,

at least by Paul's understanding written out in Galatians,

when God is working in us, we produce the fruits of 

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I don't know how many times I have heard people 

talk about these fruits of the Spirit

and despair of every having any of them.

I don't know about you,

but patience and self-control

were not things I was inherently born with.

I have to work so hard to be patient

or in certain circumstances,

to control myself and my tongue.

The fruits of the Spirit

are long ripening fruits.

Like citrus fruits, which can take months to ripen,

the fruits we grow in God,

can take months or even years to grow.

This is so counter cultural in our world. 

Nowadays, people want things now, or even yesterday.

The world has learned how to quickly make many different things, 

including trying to rush connections between people

yet, many of the fruits of our instant gratification society are cheap,

not made to last, not fully grown, or given the necessary care. 

You can't rush people into having a good connection,

no matter how many times you go through speed dating

or other such events.

Thankfully, the example Jesus gives us in this rich passage,

shows how God does give all the love and care needed

to grow rich ripe delicious fruit

in us and in the world. 

When we are the branches to Jesus' vine,

when God is our vine-grower,

we know we have the love of God flowing through us.

We know that what we bear,

whether through our actions, our relationships,

or even our creations,

will be graced with the goodness of God. 

When you create something out of love, 

either for the art form, for the medium, or for the intended recipient, 

the goodness of God flows through you.

This a flow is akin to growing plants,

where nutrients flow from the roots to the stalk to the branches to the leaves...

God flows through us and allows 

what starts as a small seed

to grow into a teeming mass of interweaving life.

As water and nutrients flow through the vine to the branches

giving the raw materials to create and bear fruit

God sends the Holy Spirit

sends love, assurance, and inspiration

through Jesus into us

in order for us to bear fruit,

to bring to life the kingdom of God

here and in the future. 

Amen.