I've been praying that God be glorified in all this, so the devotional below meant much to me. I know God is moving powerfully.
Many at TIRR and Hermann are clearly devout. Last night, the nurse changing M sang a spiritual over him. Many tell me to pray. Not all believe, though, and I have to remember not to assume (just as that's true for some of you reading this). All are amazed at M's progress and reassure me, knowing that light speed still doesn't seem fast enough for me.
Yesterday, M's nurse, Jorge said, "I don't know who you're praying to, but he's listening." I just said in return I KNOW who I am praying to. So the ground is being prepared. Please pray that M and I too will bear fruit.
From Goshen College
http://www.goshen.edu/cgi-bin/blosxom/devLent07/2007/Mar/09/March9-Justabitmore
March 9 - Just a bit more
By Malinda Berry, visiting scholar in religion and women’s studies.
Scripture: Luke 13:1-9 (NRSV) Scroll down for complete scripture.
Devotional:When I first read today’s lection, I thought it rather odd — there are lots of pronouns and not much context. In my copy of the NRSV titles to chapter thirteen’s opening section "Repent or Perish" which makes some sense: "Produce fruit or be cut down!" But I find I’m more interested in the gardener’s intercessory pleading with his employer: "Wait, give me a chance to nurture the tree a bit more. If nothing changes, then you can do what you want with it." At face value, it appears as though Abba is the vineyard owner, Jesus is the gardener and humankind is the unproductive fig tree. But parables are never that simple. Commentators point out that Jesus tells this story in response to the talk about town regarding Pilate’s suppression of a recent Jewish uprising in Galilee. The Gailean rebels failed in their attempt to overthrow Pilate, Caesar’s local representative — their actions, like what the vineyard owner proposes, were rash and brought death. But criticizing those who died and the way they died doesn’t make the living virtuous. So where does that leave us? From where I sit, this parable is about more than righteousness, judgment and intercession. I think this story is also about paying attention to when things and people and places need some extra care and attention to thrive lest desperation and rash decisions lead us all down a path of destruction rather than toward that place where "they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid" (Micah 4:3b–4a, NRSV).
Scripture: Luke 13:1-9 (NRSV)At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, 'Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them— do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.' Then he told this parable: 'A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, "See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?" He replied, "Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down."'
