About

We have the first fruits of the Spirit The days are getting longer, the sun rises early with birds chirping, singing a sweet melody into a new day The powerful energy of the sun warms the earth, opening the leaves of the trees and the petals of the flowers, bringing forth abundant new life and growth When we step outside we feel the strength of the ultraviolet rays on our cheeks and bare arms as warmth spreads across our skin Warmth that cannot be manufactured by heating systems, sweaters or down blankets Warmth that is only available from the sun The sunlight remains in the sky for hours and hours, until well past 9 PM, offering us many opportunities to see, feel and enjoy its beauty. These long days and warm sun are bringing forth the first fruits of the year.  I look forward to my first fresh strawberry I imagine going to the strawberry farm with my baskets early in the morning Bending and crouching my body to kneel in the neat rows, Smelling the straw laid on the ground Feeling the early sun warm my back, neck and shoulders As I peel back the large green leaves of the plant, and pluck my first fresh, bright red strawberry of the season.  The first fruit of the year, the first fresh strawberry lands in my mouth warmed from the late spring sun and plucked straight from the new growth of the plant It feels a bit gritty and rough on my tongue at first  My mouth begins to water as I anticipate this sweet, juicy first fruit of the year. And I take a bite We have the first fruits of the Spirit The first, warm, sweet strawberry is resting in our mouth Waiting for us to bite down and release its juicy goodness But it sometimes seems like we don't recognize it Do we know it's there? We have the first fruits of the Spirit And yet we're groaning in labor pains Groaning inwardly and outwardly Our attention and energy consumed by what we see around us Waiting Waiting for adoption, waiting for redemption Waiting for something Something to distract us and shift our attention elsewhere Perhaps waiting for hope We're told that the Spirit, the Advocate, will help and guide us The Spirit helps us in our weakness The Spirit intercedes and advocates for us The Spirit connects us to God Like the warmth of the sun, the Spirit cannot be manufactured The Spirit is the answer we're given today We have the first fruit of the Spirit And yet we're groaning in labor pains We have so much to groan about Lost work Racism Exhaustion Injustice Grief Isolation Competition Uncertainty We have so much to groan about And yet we have the first fruits of the Spirit We're holding this warm, fresh, first strawberry on our tongues Waiting to take a bite We have generations and generations of ancestors who have bitten into the strawberry and released the juice of the first fruit. Moses, a man who begged God to send someone else, bit the strawberry when he led the slaves from Egypt Sarah, who laughed at God's promise, bit the strawberry when she gave birth to Issac Jacob, who wrestled with God and limped for the rest of his life, bit the strawberry when he was renamed Israel Mary, young and unwed, bit the strawberry when she said "Here am I, the servant of the LORD" Martin Luther bit the strawberry when he uncovered God's promise of grace throughout scripture and nailed his 95 theses to the door Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a self-proclaimed pacifist, bit the strawberry when he plotted against Hitler Rosa parks bit the strawberry when she refused to give up her seat Faith Lutheran Church bit the strawberry when they expanded their ministry to include essential workers during this pandemic We have the first fruits of the Spirit! We hope for what is not seen We wait We continue to groan meanwhile the Spirit knows us to our core Meanwhile the Spirit calls our unique gifts out into this world Meanwhile the Spirit advocates on our behalf Meanwhile the Spirit gives us courage we didn't realize we had  /          / It's hard to recognize the first fruit of the Spirit The first fruit of the Spirit doesn't mean life will be easy It doesn't mean things will go our way Sometimes the first fruit feels gritty and rough Recognizing the first fruit of the Spirit takes intentionality, and practice Recognizing the first fruit of the Spirit requires us to pause To pause and look into the eyes of the person on the street corner, and see their humanity  before skipping to the filthy clothes, body odor and dirty hands The Spirit is in our humanity To pause and listen intently to a friend who asks for advice, before skipping to your ideas and solutions The Spirit is in our presence with one another To pause and wonder when a family member says something you disagree with, before skipping to prove your position The Spirit is in our curiosity To pause, and breathe when our anger rises up, before skipping to self justification The Spirit is in our breath To pause, and rest in the discomfort of uncertainty, before skipping to controlling and solutions The Spirit is in the unknown The Spirit is within each individual person And the Spirit is collective within communities Both individual and communal Unable to be manufactured Or Contained We have the first fruits of the Spirit We are adopted and redeemed by God We are baptized into the Spirit We are called by God into this world To co-create with God Here, in our time, in our place Bite the strawberry Amen