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SHARE THE LOVE
And I appointed you to go bear fruit, fruit that will last
... I am giving you these commands so that you may love one
another.
One of my high school
girlfriends married an aspiring California vintner 30 years or
so ago. We visited them once in the mid-'80s when they were just
starting their Napa Valley winery. They had planted cuttings
several years before but had yet to harvest the first grapes. My
friend explained that vintners must be patient; it takes time
for grapevine branches to mature and bear good fruit - time, a
little food, some sunshine and some rain. When nature and
nurture come together, grapes abound.
"I am the vine," Jesus said, "and you are the branches. Those
who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit."
God is a patient vintner, but the message is clear. We who have
been nurtured by the Vine and grown in Love are expected to
blossom into fruit sooner or later. We don't choose whether we
want to bloom. We bloom because we have to, because that's what
well-loved grapes do. It's in the DNA.
The fruit we bear is seen in the love of Christ we share with
those we meet on our journey through life. As I write this, much
attention is focused on the crisis in Haiti. That situation is
tragic indeed, but neighbors both nearer to us and farther away
also need our help, our love and our prayers. There are so many
cries that are not heard, so many needs that go unmet.
Jesus calls us "friend." To be friends with Jesus is to be in an
intimate and privileged relationship with God. We are blessed.
Let us share the blessing of God's love with a hug, a meal, a
dollar or maybe just a cup of cold water. Let's do it today.
Dear Friend, we see
tragedy and despair all around us. Give us the heart to love
others as you have loved us. Send your Spirit to encourage us
and lead us into fellowship with those who need our love. Amen.
Dallas Cronk
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