This week we concluded our series called ‘Storyteller.’ This has been a wonderful 6 weeks considering some of the parables of Jesus. Now we finish with a short story about a little fig tree found in Luke chapter 13:6-9. It is a story about repentance, about turning from our old ways and deciding to follow Jesus Christ. It’s about second chances. It’s about the grace that is given to us all in our second, third, fourth, or whatever chance you are on today.
But there’s another part to this story. We’ve heard stories about the owner, gardener, and the fig tree. But what about the soil, what about the manure that is mentioned here? Where are you planted? I know that physically, you are planted within a community. You may be planted on a farm, in town, a house or an apartment. But where are you planted spiritually? Where is your spiritual life grounded? In family, friends, in a relationship with Jesus Christ? Where?
In our story, the fig tree is planted in the vineyard. It was not planted in the Judean wilderness, not in the desert where almost nothing grew. It was planted in fertile soil, a place where grapevines flourished. This fig tree had ample resources for growth, for producing fruit, yet it still was barren.
Where are you planted? What kind of soil surrounds your roots? Many of you are planted in a church family. You are surrounded by people of strong faith and solid beliefs. You are like the fig tree planted in the vineyard. But some of you are still not bearing fruit, like the fig tree. Some of you are struggling in your faith. Some of you are uncertain of where you stand in your relationship with Jesus. This parable has a message for those of us in this place. It’s not too late. God offers us a second chance, but it is through the gardener who wants to fertilize us. He wants to spread manure. Sounds inviting. I know, just what my life needs, a little more manure.
So, I guess we really should look at what this manure could be. It is fertilizer, and what does fertilizer do? It makes things grow and flourish. What makes us grow and flourish in our spiritual lives? A relationship with Jesus Christ and a devotion to the spiritual disciplines. Jesus Christ, the gardener, wants to help us grow but we must be participating in our spiritual disciplines if this is going to happen.
We need to be spending time in prayer, studying the scriptures, and meditation. This is your 15 minutes alone with God. But there’s more to it. We can also add worship, confession, service, and celebration, especially in the sacraments. This is John Wesley’s view of the means of grace, those things we should be participating in to grow in our faith and our relationship with God.
Where are you planted? Are you firmly planted in your relationship with Jesus Christ or do you need a little manure to help you grow? It all begins with your 15 minutes. That time you dedicate to spending alone with your personal Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I know I talk a lot about this, but it is that important. You need to have that time. It is foundational to all your other relationships. Don’t shortchange yourself by skimping on this time.
Think of this time as getting rooted where you are planted, allowing this time to fertilize your relationship with Jesus Christ. Grow and flourish in the grace of God. Produce fruit that is pleasing to him through your life. Amen.