Praying for transformation

The texts for Sunday, October 2, 2011 were: Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:7-15; Philippians 3:4b-14; and Matthew 21:33-46.

“Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” – Matthew 21:43-44

I’m left pondering the fruits of the kingdom.
Justice and righteousness.
The ethical care of all.
Love of neighbor.  Love of enemy.  Love of God.
Humility.
Peace-making.  Self-emptying.
Blessed are those who … You know, that whole thing.
That whole really important thing.

I think that there is no “people who produce the fruits of the kingdom.”
At least not without a whole lot of wild, diseased fruit in the mix too.
Fruit not of the kingdom.
I think that I certainly fall short.
Though, I’d certainly like to produce what I should …
I mean, who wouldn’t?
Don’t we all want to do what is right and true and just?
Though, maybe I shouldn’t assume things.
But, I don’t know, unless you’re just flat out insane
there seems this longing for love and right-ness and justice in us.
It’s as if we are sort of the wild things
the wild vines and brambles and weeds
that produce fruit untended and erratic and well-meaning and
sometimes not so well-meaning
We droop under the weight of all the fruit that we make
and look at it
longing for it to be exactly the thing
that will give us the kingdom
knowing that it just isn’t quite enough or right or …

But then that stone
that massive scandalon of a stone
breaks, shatters, crushes

But is that destruction?
Or transformation?

Fruit from the vineyard
crushed
into wine.

This is the blood of the new covenant … shed
for you.