With a good chunk of the country buried in snow, anticipation of spring and summer is a welcome sentiment, but the weatherman predicting more cold and more snow — not so much. Still, while autumn and winter may not be what we look forward to, they are often necessary parts of the cycle. At some point the leaves need to fall off the trees. At some point the grapevines and rose bushes must be pruned. At some point the bulbs have to be chilled so they’ll sprout again.
Businesses go through similar cycles of pruning and growing. Some consider the process essential for clearing out ineffective people, processes, or divisions. In truth, it’s difficult to think of a living entity that doesn’t have a process or season that clears the way for new growth.
Why would we expect the church to be any different? Do we really believe there is no pruning to be done? Jesus warns us that these times will happen because God loves us that much.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” – John 15:1-2
A friend of mine often compares people to his cats. His cats like to drink out of the sink, but they have absolutely no concept of plumbing, of the water system that brings the water to the house, of the water bill that must be paid, or the process used to make that water clean and safe. Similarly, they do not like going to the vet. They have no idea why the humans who love them stuff them into a tiny box, subject them to a terrifying time of upheaval and noise, then take them out of the box only to hold them down in a cold, uncomfortable room while they are tormented by someone stabbing them, then stuffed back in the box, frightened again by upheaval and noise, and only then, finally returned to life as they knew it. We know that getting their shots helps them stay healthy; all they know is that the humans seemed inexplicably cruel that day.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:9
The church is going through some scary times, and all indications are that it’s going to get worse — a lot worse — before it gets better. Locally we see intense pressure to conform to the world’s values, shrinking numbers, and public vilification and ridicule. Across the globe we see every day in the news people dying for their Christian faith in numbers that dwarf those of the great persecutions in the early church. We may have felt safe in our civilized Christian nests, but that time of abundance and freedom is rapidly drawing to a close as new pressures mount at home and new footage of brutal martyrdom appears almost daily on our televisions and computer monitors. And do not expect the world’s sympathy, because even to those who aren’t as bloodthirsty as ISIS, even where we have blended into the world, the church still represents condemnation of its dearly held values and chosen lifestyles.
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” – Matthew 10:34-39
So at pruning time we need to consider our priorities. Why do we call ourselves Christian, and is it worth suffering or dying for? Is it worth our families suffering and dying for? Will we be able to sacrifice and to endure? What must be done now to be ready then?
“The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” – Matthew 3:10
Clearly God’s desire is that we bear fruit. The type of fruit depends on the tree — oranges, apples, bananas, peaches, persimmons, pomegranates — the varieties are endless, but the demand of productivity is not. God expects us to produce according to the gifts he had given us. Painting, music, prayer, preaching, hospitality, evangelism, and a host of others suggest themselves. God has planted the tree he wants, that it should bear fruit “according to its kind.”
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” – John 15:5-8
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