Bear Fruit
Lately I’ve had the joy of meeting new people who began worshipping with us online last year and have now chosen Hillspring as their spiritual home. What a blessing!
Several weeks ago I spent time with a new friend, Ryan Johnson. He and his family began worshipping online and have become part of our community. Ryan is the head viticulturist at Weathereye Vineyards, on Red Mountain. As we drove around the vineyards, God spoke to me up on top of Red Mountain. Ryan’s vineyards are on the top ridge of the mountain. It’s very inhospitable to growing anything, let alone fragile grape vines! There are high winds on both slopes, which have carried away much of the soil over the years. Ryan said he spent a year just taking note of the environment, discerning which areas might be able to grow grapes. Through patience, creativity and sheer tenacity Weathereye vineyards bears much high quality fruit up on top of Red Mountain.
After spending time with Ryan, I was inspired. I drove back to the church and reflected on what I saw. Ryan had a job to do, to grow grapes. He wasn’t going to let anything stand in the way of his job. As I thought of how many times vineyards are used in the Bible, I realized God was nudging me. Did you know the first words from God to humans in Genesis are “Be fruitful.” (Genesis 1:28) The same phrase in Hebrew could easily be translated as “bear fruit” as it is throughout the Old Testament. But not just the Old Testament, the command to bear fruit is found throughout the Bible. Jesus used vineyards in both his sayings and his parables. God wants us to bear fruit, regardless our context. There are times and seasons where the environment is perfect, but sometimes it seems we are on the top of a windy mountain with no top soil, but our job is still to bear fruit.
We are in a difficult season, no question. But with all the hurts in the world, how much more important is it for us to bear fruit right now? This week we remember the terrorist attack on our nation on September 11. We ended a twenty year war with the withdrawal of our troops last month. The subsequent evacuation of our citizens and allies seemed to be an afterthought. It was a painful month on top of a painful couple years with the pandemic and all of the conflicts our nation has been experiencing. God wants his people to bear fruit as our nation and world suffers. We need to proclaim the Gospel and be Kingdom Agents in the midst of a harsh environment.
Please join me and several of our vineyard and wine experts as we journey from the vineyards to the barrel room with Jesus in our new series, “Bear Fruit.”
In Christ, your pastor,
Bryan White