26, 28, 36, 39
Isaiah 5:13-17, 24-25 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 Luke 21:29-38
My mother was a gardener with a green thumb. As a youngster I would help her till the soil and put fertilizer around a fig tree in the garden. We waited a long time for that first fig to appear. I still recall how my mother would enjoy that first fruit! The patient waiting was worth it!
The fig tree taught us some valuable life lessons. It taught us patience. It taught us to care for something beautiful that God had created through nature. It taught us that we too are called to bear fruit in the lives of others. It taught us to be alert for the signs of the seasons such as spring when the flowers bloom and summer when the fruit begins to appear. It taught us to care for God’s creation with the tender love of a gardener’s hand.
This Advent we are called to be like the fig tree and the gardener. We are to nurture our spiritual lives with the same kind of care as the gardener gives the fig tree. We are to examine this season of our lives to see if something needs pruning in preparation for the figs that will surely come in the fullness of time. We are to be alert for any sign of hindrance that will impair our growth in faithful living. We are to wait patiently and with anticipation for the coming kingdom that is already here and soon to be realized in the second Advent.
Holy One, teach me the lessons of the fig tree and the gardener. Examine and prune me that I may be ready for you. Amen.
One Response
This was such a beautiful and meaningful meditation! I also enjoyed the figs that my grandfather grew, and can almost taste their sweet goodness. The fig is a sign of God’s goodness in our lives.