{"id":21286,"date":"2023-10-06T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/daily-devotion-friday-6th-october-2023"},"modified":"2023-10-06T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T05:00:00","slug":"daily-devotion-friday-6th-october-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/daily-devotion-friday-6th-october-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Devotion Friday 6th October 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

Luke 13: 6-9<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Then [Jesus ] told this parable: \u2018Someone  had a fig tree planted in their vineyard; and they came looking for fruit on it and found none. So they said to the gardener, \u201cSee here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?\u201d They replied, \u201cSir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it.  If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.\u201d\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflection<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/span>
Photo credit David Coleman<\/span><\/p>\n

The Brothers Grimm\u2019s <\/span>\u2018Tales for children and household\u2019<\/a> were an attempt to present to a wider public the folk heritage which inculcated practical wisdom.  A level of vulgarity and edginess survives in current German editions. But even then, some of the tales were tidied up and gentrified, as indeed are many English translations of the Bible – the Gospels in particular. It seemed less embarrassing for the wedding guests at Cana to have \u2018drunk deeply\u2019 than be \u2018drunk.\u2019 [John 2:10]. I\u2019m still waiting to hear (-and hoping not to be asked to write-) a sermon on Ezekiel 23:20. <\/p>\n

And yet, \u2018fairy tales\u2019 when they are so diluted lose their effectiveness.  So too with what we do on Sundays.  The baby with the bathwater is too often the lively personality of the Earth or fellow creatures. In this case – the tree.  Of course, now it\u2019s finally become<\/span> almost respectable<\/a> to talk of the language, behaviour, and communication of trees, we have no excuse.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a bit sad when preachers skilfully avoid the possibility of the final uprooting of the fig tree, planted – if you notice the detail, in a vineyard – which is a pretty bad place for a fig-tree.  Add to that the greedy premature demands of the owner, who pays but doesn\u2019t work.  <\/span><\/p>\n

The gardener, with practical understanding of the needs of plants suggests intervention: manure carefully dug in. Tender-hearted preachers stop there and miss the point and inculcating complacency.  It seems OK.  God will always save us. No need to be fruitful. The danger – in this case, <\/span>from<\/strong> the unjust exploiter of tree and<\/strong> gardener – is real, even if measures are taken. <\/p>\n

We uproot Jesus\u2019 parable by reducing the tree to a mere object or mechanism, rather than a suffering creature under commercial pressure, invited to a partnership in solidarity with the one who doesn\u2019t wield the power. <\/span><\/p>\n

The pressure\u2019s on. But there\u2019s hope.  That\u2019s  sometimes as much as we can offer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prayer<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Christ the Gardener –<\/span>
was that mistaken identity when Mary met you,<\/span>
or just one of the hats you wear?<\/span>
nurturing what\u2019s green and growing;<\/span>
grasping weakness,  <\/span>
mindful when we\u2019re out of place and order?<\/span><\/p>\n

Christ the Gardener –<\/span>
Digging round and trowelling in<\/span>
the \u2018dirt\u2019 we need as Earth\u2019s own children:<\/span>
close connection, roots and water.<\/span><\/p>\n

Christ the Gardener –<\/span>
Give us one more chance,  and clearer:<\/span>
Then, by grace, the fruit is up to us!<\/span>
Amen<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Luke 13: 6-9 Then [Jesus ] told this parable: \u2018Someone  had a fig tree planted in their vineyard; and they came looking for fruit on it and found none. So they said to the gardener, \u201cSee here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Daily Devotion Friday 6th October 2023”<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21286\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}