Episode Transcript
PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Abba, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Abba, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
CONSIDER THIS
I lead the children's sermon every week at the Gillett Methodist Church. It may be the highlight of the service. It is definitely the highlight for me. I spent at least nine weeks last spring and summer working through the fruit of the spirit. Every week I went to the grocery store and bought a supply of a particular fruit or vegetable to illustrate the fruit of the Spirit that week and to share them with the kids. I know you're already wondering what were the fruits. So first, I'll ask you. How would you assign a fruit/vegetable to each of the fruit in the text? So here's where I landed:
Love = Grapes
Joy = Apples
Peace = Peaches
Patience = Green Bananas
Kindness = Kiwis
Generosity = Oranges
Faithfulness = Corn
Gentleness = Pears
Self-Control = Avocados
As the weeks progressed, I remarked to the kids of the challenge of remembering all nine of the fruit and even more how challenging it was to focus on each of them all the time. One Sunday I asked them this question: "Who do you know who has all nine of the fruit of the Spirit in their life?" Only one of the kids, Ruby, raised her hand. She shouted, "Jesus!"
And there he was! BOOM, GOES THE DYNAMITE! I followed the trail. "So if Jesus is love, and Jesus is in you, guess what you are?"
"LOVE!" they shouted.
"If Jesus is joy, and Jesus is in you, guess what that makes you?"
"JOY!" they shouted. I kept going right down the list. Before we were done, the whole congregation was shouting the answers.
That's the secret, isn't it? Jesus Christ is in us. He is the secret to the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We can't focus on the whole grocery bag of fruit all the time, but we can focus on the life of Jesus through the Holy Spirit in us. Fruit can't be produced. Trees bear fruit. Jesus bears fruit. Our job is to stay connected to Jesus. I have always loved how Eugene Peterson translates this text in his Message translation of the Bible:
"But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely." (Gal 5:22–24)
This is a powerful vision, isn't it? It's the vision of a life rooted and growing in Jesus. And didn't he say something about a tree being known for its fruit? And then there's the taste. What's not to love about fruit? It turns out Jesus has quite a lot to say on the subject. Let's give him the last word today (which will also capture a number of your new words for this new year):
"Abide in me, as I also abide in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must abide in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. . . . This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (John 15:4–5, 8)
THE PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Lord Jesus—Word of God from before the beginning—our Great Teacher,
And Jesus, you are not only our teacher, but you are our source. You bring the fruit because you are the tree. Would you enlarge, magnify, and expand your life in me by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit? I want to be like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. I want to prosper with your prosperity, Jesus.
Lord, it will be for your glory, for others' gain, and for our good.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen!
