Wondrous Fruit

 8/13/20 Wondrous Fruit

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 15 BCP 232)

What are 'the fruits of [Jesus'] redeeming work?' In the Collect for this coming Sunday, we pray for the 'grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work.' So what are the fruits, and how can we receive them thankfully? 

Immediately, the first fruit of Jesus' redeeming work which comes to mind is salvation. Through Jesus' acts of death and resurrection, we are saved from sin and death. This indeed is a hearty fruit! And, one which we are able to eat of continually. Another fruit which comes to mind is the fulfillment of God's promises. I think this is one of the hardest fruits to experience daily. We know God's promises are going to be fulfilled, but we aren't always able to see them, and thus sometimes we don't live in the assurance of them. 

There are many other fruits of Jesus' redeeming work. As many as the many ways in which Jesus saves, guides, governs, and fills our lives. In order to receive and know these fruits, we must be thankful for them. Even when we haven't seen them yet, or we aren't sure they are there, being thankful for Jesus' redeeming work means we will see the amazing fruit. As we give thanks for Jesus' presence in our lives, even in the midst of suffering, we start to see the fruits of God's wondrous work.