Saturday, December 21, 2019

2 Samuel 7: 1 – 17 

Psalm 72

Titus 2:11 – 3:8a  

Luke 1: 39 – 48

“Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field.” Ps. 72:16

This verse from Psalm 72 kindled childhood memories of growing up in Brandon, Mb in the “Wheat City”. I was blessed to live in a time when I was free to spend hours outside; roaming through the fields and pastures. I remember the delight of the bright and open blue sky; brilliant sunlight, swaying prairie grasses and the seas of golden wheat.

Farmers sow seed, plough, plant and harvest. They endure through endless seasons of barren ground, seeded soil and new growth. The crops need not only the right balance of nature’s elements; sunlight, rain, well prepared soil etc. but also depend on the commitment and labour of the farmers and fieldworkers. So much effort but imagine the harvest! The hungry are fed through the farmers’ labors and by God’s providence. Some good years of bounty and some pretty hard and dry with little yield. But the farmer perseveres and just keeps on working. This is their calling.

We too are called to be in and to keep working in the vineyard; the Kingdom of God here on earth. We are called to find and keep a balance by scripture study, praying, and to listen in silence for the voice of God; to listen for the leading of the Holy Spirit. And out of this silence we too grow and will bring forth the fruit of the Spirit as we live through and work through all the seasons of our own lives.

May the Divine Light shine in and through you this Advent season and always.

Rhonda Cross