Dear Family,
This edition, our theme is ‘Firstfruits’. There’s an apple tree in the back garden of the manse, the house we live in. It’s just outside my mum’s room, and she gets a lot of pleasure watching birds come to eat the fruit, now that they are ripe. This year the crop is the biggest I’ve seen. And one thing that’s impressed me is that, despite the seasonal winds pushing and pulling the branches, most of the fruit stays in position, ripening all the time.
And it makes me think how the Bible talks of Christian disciples being the firstfruit of the Kingdom of God. The big passage on this is Romans 8. So when I think of the apple tree and the lives of Christians, I see a few things in common.
First of all, how long it takes to ripen! Not just a single season or a few short months. Spring. Summer. Autumn. Sun, rain, wind. Our Christian lives are like this. Being a Christian is about being on a journey. It’s about movement, not just a moment. Jesus told us to go and make disciples, not simply invite people to decide to believe. That involves us changing, as well as others coming to change among us. Growing. Maturing. Ripening. Which one of us can claim to be fully ripened yet? It’s a journey that continues until the Lord plucks us from this life.
Secondly, why do apples stay on the tree? Because they need the energy and to be fed from the tree. And this is why we need church. If we are cut off prematurely, we stop growing. Become stunted. And drop off to rot.
But thirdly - how lovely and tasty is a ripened apple! It’s worth waiting for. For all to enjoy. So this is my prayer for you, my friend: may God continue to ripen and mature you on the branch. May you survive the seasons and the storms. And may the fragrance of your fruitfulness in your continued maturing be a blessing to all who come to taste you as a firstfruit of the Kingdom of God.
Jim
