Read Psalm 1:2 and John 15:3-7
There is that time between planting a garden and harvesting it that feels like it stretches on and on. During this time the plants are gathering nutrients from the soil, the sunlight, and the air so it can reproduce in whatever way it does. This time is essential to the plant’s life.
Growth is something that takes time and input, it takes patience and consistency, it takes work from gardener and plant alike. A plant must take in the water the gardener provides, the gardener must ensure the soil has the nutrients required, and this must happen for the entire season. Being nourished as a plant takes time, patience, and consistency.
The Psalmist knew this, and in his opening statements in the first chapter of the Psalms we hear the phrase, “Blessed is the one . . . who meditates on his law day and night” (vs. 1:1a, 2b). As we read later in the same chapter we see this blessed one being compared to the tree firmly rooted next to the life-giving river. Nourished, well-fed, and well-watered—unlike the dried out chaff who do not know the life-giving water that is God’s Word.
As we begin this week of Lent, the call for us is to be nourished. We are the plants, Jesus reminds us, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you” (John 15:7a). The source of our nourishment is God’s Word. Written for us in millennia past and spoken into our hearts today.
We must not just sit back and let the water of God’s Word fall on us, we must take it in. We can not simply just notice its existence, rather we must do the work of absorbing it and being nourished by it. This requires time, patience, and consistency. Time reading, knowing, and loving God’s Word. Patience as we let those holy words feed us and root us deeply. And consistency as we regularly come back to drink in the Word of God. All of these actions lead us to be nourished—filled up with everything we need to grow.
For reflection:
- Each Sunday we include discussion questions on the sermon insert that can be used for deeper reflection and/or small group discussions. Take time to read through those questions today. You can find a digital version online at eastbrook.org/TreeandVine.
by Pastor Nic Fridenmaker
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