Bearing Fruit | Monday Invocation
“He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down.’”
— Luke 13:8-9 NRSVUE
Repentance.
It may be an uncomfortable word to hear simply because many of us who identify as LGBTQ+ and Christian have more often heard that we need to repent. So reading this passage (Luke 13:1-9) may be a little jarring, and our trauma responses may be set off. (If that is you, I would encourage you to take a few deep breaths and maybe revisit this writing later in the day or tomorrow.) Additionally, before I continue on, I want to proclaim to each of you that God loves and affirms all of Their LGBTQ+ children. And so our identities are not a source or cause for repentance!
Today, I want to reframe repentance as an act that is between you and God and not to be used as a tool to shame others or as some type of threat. The reality is that repentance is really embracing a change of heart, and that change of heart leads us closer to God.
Jesus uses the Parable of the Fig Tree to illustrate this point–without change in how the fig tree is nurtured, it will continue to not bear fruit. What are signs of fruit? Galatians 5:22-23 answers this for us when it lists the fruits of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. These are attributes that reflect a life lived in connection with the Divine.
This week, I encourage you to take intentional moments each day to reflect on where you are bearing fruit in your life. Where do you see love? Where do you feel joy? Where do you find peace? What are the times you find yourself kinder and gentler to yourself and toward others? And so on. After engaging with these questions, I encourage you to come up with some practical steps where you can continue to nurture yourself to bear fruit in your life and in community. As part of this process, you can assess for yourself what areas that you may need to turn away from in order to bring about more fruit in your life.
And remember to give yourself grace as you embark on this journey.
P.S. Want to talk through these passages in community? Join our Lenten Community Groups! Our Sunday evening group is full but we still have space in our Wednesday and Thursday morning groups! Sign up at the link below today!
