When life seems empty...

This week at bible study we read John 15. Jesus's last teaching to the disciples during the last supper. He says, "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."

A woman in our group has beautiful rose bushes in her backyard. And she called her dad about how to take care of them. His answer was to hack them until there's nothing left but a dead looking stump.

Reluctantly she hacked away till the beautiful, life-abundant bushes were nothing more than dead stumps. Afraid she had killed them, she looked out at them all winter, wondering if they would ever grow back.

In the spring, they grew. Bigger and more beautiful than the previous year.

Sometimes when life seems to strip down to nothing. When we lose our jobs, our health, our friends, our family, our favorite activities, when we have nothing left of us but dead dry stumps which seem lifeless. God is at work.

In those times all we have is God, and if we remain in him and let his love and spirit work in us, spring will come and we will arise and bear much fruit. Our lives richer and more beautiful because every unimportant and useless part had been chopped away.

So if God is pruning you. Live in it. Sing the blues. Read scripture. Pray. God will grow you again.

Who is Jesus?

He pressed them, "And how about you? Who do you say I am?"

Simon Peter said, "You're the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Jesus came back, "God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn't get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I'm going to tell you who you are, really are."

Who is Jesus?
Jesus asks a simple question that has a profound answer. Who am I? Who is Jesus? A wise man, a teacher, a prophet? Peter responds -- Son of God. What the heck, where does this come from? What does it mean? What makes Peter say this?

I wrestle with this question. Who is Jesus? Who is God? What does it mean for God to have a son and how can they be one? Without the bible or years of Christian tradition and theology, would I ever conceive to think of Christ as the son of God. This revelation of Peter's is so profound and Jesus responds by validating that there is no earthly way he could have come up with it.

Jesus continues by saying -- now you know who I am, let me tell you who you are -- I am struck by this. The idea that Peter's, and our, identity is somehow defined by who Jesus is makes me wonder -- How does Jesus as the son of God shape who I am?

I don't have an answer, but it is a curious question.