16th June 2021

Lemons are growing on my tree! Lemons, as in, plural. Six of them, and one of them is starting to turn yellow. I’ll now have to look up when to pick them. I dare say one day before the possum picks them. And I’ll have to schedule a day to have fish and chips, just to have something upon which to squeeze a freshly-plucked lemon and to celebrate its coming of age. It’s all very exciting.

And it’s all no thanks to me. Besides the occasional watering, my only contribution has been to give the tree some rather negative motivational speeches. Fruit-shaming it for its lack of productivity. And trying to inspire envy by looking over my neighbour’s fence at their fruit-bearing lemon tree. But now it’s time to change my surname to Jones, and have the neighbours try and keep up with me! But the lemons are still on the tree, and the possums still patrol at night, and pride comes before a fall.

Jesus told a simple story about a man whose crop grew like my lemons, all by itself. That farmer no doubt had more agricultural acumen than me, but the principle is still the same. He did some watering and weeding, but the crop grew all by itself. And so too, does the Kingdom of God. Despite some of my muddled sermons, people get converted and learn to love the Gardener. It’s really quite marvellous, and a wonderful proof that salvation is all by grace.

DM 16^th June 2021