Waxed Fruit

For my grandma, it was grapes. I remember her having a bowl full of fake grapes on top of her refrigerator all the time. Throughout the house, there were other fruits that could be found, but all of them were fake. Why? It was the style, I guess. Fake fruits were just a part of the decorations, but I remember those grapes. She told me once that they meant that people were welcome. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how a bowl of dusty grapes was welcoming, but they were.

Fast forward to today, and the fake fruit market has really taken off! We can get fruit flavored or scented everything, and yet it all bears the same disclaimer, “contains 0% fruit.” It may surprise you to know that the largest users of fake fruit are not decorators, but I fear that it is many within the Church.

I Don’t Like This One…

To quote the ancient poets of Aerosmith, “There’s something wrong in the world today, I don’t know what it is; something’s wrong with our eyes. We’re seeing things in a different way, and God knows it ain’t his; it sure ain’t no surprise.” If we turn on the news, it is no surprise that the world is in chaos. War in Ukraine, war crimes committed by Russia, economic unrest and inflation, murders, rape, lies, pretty much everything Congree does, etc. It’s not hard to see that the world is broken. We can all agree that it is no longer a question of “if”, but rather a question of “why?”. For those of us who are Christians, we turn to the Bible for answers.

There are many amazing, wonderful passages of Scripture that make my soul sour when I read them.; passages about love and joy and peace. There’s some great, feel-good stuff in the Bible that makes your whole day better, but then there’s the second half of Romans 1. I don’t like preaching this part. It isn’t fun, it won’t make me feel better, and I wish it didn’t say what it says, but it does. You may think it strange that a pastor doesn’t enjoy parts of the Bible, but just because I may not enjoy it doesn’t mean it is bad for me. Like a kid staring at a plate full of peas, sometimes what we don’t want is exactly what we need. In this case, I think it is understanding.

Choices, Choices, Choices

All of us are preachers. Did you know that? It’s true! And it isn’t just the handful of us who serve as professional clergy; it’s everyone! Your actions, your words, your passions, your fears all proclaim to the world what you worship and value. Whether it is God, money, clothing, family, or yourself, you worship something, and your life is your sermon.

You are who you are because of the choices you have made. To be fair, some choices are harder than others, but ultimately how we choose to respond or how to think about an object or an event it up to us. You will meet people who have experienced unfathomable hardships who are the most pleasant people in the world. Others experience minor inconveniences and become unbearably bitter and angry. How is it that some choose to love while others choose to hate? Some choose action and others apathy?

Life is about choices. Sorry, Hokey-Pokey. Our choices, whether they be good, bad, or ugly all have consequences. You’ve heard it said that “Everything happens for a reason.” Sometimes those things happen because we are stupid and make bad choices. Sometimes those things happen because we live in a fallen world and aren’t in Heaven yet. Either way, how we respond to those things becomes the sermon we preach with our life.