Fruity Foibles

Sermon snippets:
Psalm 1, Norman Fischer's Zen Translation
     For this one is like a tree planted near a stream 
     That gives forth strong fruit in season
     And whose leaf doesn't wither
     And whose branches spread wide.

"...perhaps the Psalmist gazed at an olive grove while writing this passage or snacked on dates from the evergreen palm plant.

But we live through Indiana winters and our trees know that withering leaves are actually a smart survival strategy, not an expression of distress or ill health.

I’m not splitting hairs for kicks, I think the metaphors we use matter. They shape us and our values.

Believing we must be like an evergreen tree, constantly vibrant, might set us up for failure.

Seeing ourselves in the maple or oak honors the reality, the inevitability,
that we have seasons of depression or insecurity or doubt or failure.

And like the bare branches of a winter tree,
these seasons of our lives can be necessary for our own survival,
and our return to flourishing when spring comes again.

Our dry times, our seasons of sorrow, our winter weariness or periods of drought or doubt
can all bring us greater compassion, deeper wisdom, clearer priorities, and a tried, true, robust faith..."

"We four-season Hoosiers can see the gifts of winter and leaf-dropping
because we know how our fields need to be fallow,
our trees need to conserve energy,
and all bodies need to rest.

May we be
trees planted near a stream
     That give forth strong fruit in season
           And whose leaves wither as needed
                  And whose branches spread wide.

May we feel God’s presence and God’s blessings
when our branches are heavy with fruit,
and when they are bare and resting.

May we feel God’s presence and God’s blessings
when we’re ripe with charity, joy, peace and patience
and when we’re hurting and withdrawn and needy and upset..."

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