Bearing Fruit

John the Baptist, in Matthew 3, calls the people to "Bear Fruit worthy of repentance." How do we bear fruit? By fruit, of course, we mean the fruits of the Spirit: Love, patience, kindness, humility (see Galatians 5). To think about how we as humans can bear the fruits of the Spirit, we will look at how an actual fruit tree bears fruit. For a fruit tree to actually bear fruit needs patience, pruning and of course, pollination. Likewise, to bear fruits of the Spirit, we need patience, pruning and of course, pollination.

Who, What, Where

The prophet Isaiah puts forth a compelling vision: All the nations streaming toward the house of God, to learn and then be sent out as swords are beaten into plowshares. It is particularly powerful for us at Zion’s Lutheran because the name of the house of God is Zion! Zion is the place where the ancient Israelites would worship, learn and then be sent out into the world. In the same way, Zion’s is the place we where we worship, learn and then are sent.

So. Let’s make this extra fun. Isaiah 2 and Zions: The who, what and where of church.