Seasonally, the world is looking forward to Spring. My wife’s daffodils are coming up even with a late snow in Tulsa. Prom season is around the corner and people are planning their gardens.
In both our readings, Joseph and Jesus faced rejection. All of us have faced rejection in our lives. Some of it was intentional and others not. At my Junior Prom I was too shy and insecure to even kiss my date, Pam, good night. It wasn’t the first time we went out but the pressure of a kiss was too much for me. I am sure she felt rejected. She looked lovely and it was a wonderful evening. Still as life turns out she continued to live in the Kingdon of God. Eventually she married a great guy named Fred. They have been happily married now for over 50 years with lots of grandchildren. Great couple!
The stone that the builder rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes. Our focus today is not about rejection but fruits. The fruits of the Kingdom of God are what Jesus is focusing. Just like a garden we have to plan and focus on the challange.
What is the Kingdom of God?
Luke 17:20-21 Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come. He said in reply,”The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce” Look here it is” or “There it is”. For behold the Kingdom of God is among you.”
Would I recognize the Kingsdom of God if I stumbled on it?
This is hard to answer on one hand but easy if you don’t reject the fact that the fruits of the Kingdom are spiritual. Love is a fruit. Rejection can be a fruit because it can become the cornerstone. Joseph turned rejection into a fruit when he saved his family from starvation in Egypt by forgiveness which is another fruit. He turned his father’s sadness into joy. Fruits seem to be everywhere because the Kingdom is among us.
Jesus also turned rejection into the cornerstone of the Resurrection. Now it is our turn. The coming of Spring is hope. The fruit we produce can only be done in the Kingdom of God on earth. Our message today is for each of us to bare that fruit. There is no way for me to tell you how to do it, but we must have a plan to act when the opportunity presents itself. The Holy Spirit will lead you and rejection can lead to fruit in the lives of others. When Jesus said it is among us, He was saying that we all have the opportunity to bare fruit even in the smallest or largest way. Opportunities abound if we are open and aware of the Kingdom around us.
Quote of Saint John of Kanty “Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause.”
Just a quick update on my Lenten grumbling. So far, so good! Thoughts do come into my head but I sweep them away. That sounds like a fruit to me.
God Love You Always
Bob Burford
PS: Please pray for the victims of Cancer and their caregivers. Please pray for the people of Ukraine and Russia. Pray for peace.
Picture Credit: “Project 365 #193: 120713 Ugly Fruit?” by comedy_nose is marked with CC PDM 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/?ref=openverse
