Do you really want to bear fruit?
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:24-25
Lord Jesus,
I’m not much of a gardener,
but I do know that you begin by burying a seed in dirt,
and then, if all goes well,
a few days or weeks later,
something green starts to poke out of that dirt.
I also know that if properly nurtured,
that green poke
will turn into a stalk
and eventually bear the fruit
of a cherry tomato
or a mammoth sunflower
or a juicy piece of corn.
As we approach the days
when we celebrate your death and resurrection,
may we remember our calling
to be buried with you
that we might rise with you.
May we learn to let go of the things
we think are so precious and necessary in our daily lives
in order to discover
the precious and necessary life you have for us,
a flourishing life of bearing fruit,
an eternal life of joy and glory.
In your fruit-bearing name. Amen.
Read John 12:20-26.
