My wife Ashley has been working hard on a new garden bed this year. This is a picture of some snap peas and a home-made trellis for them to climb. I know many of you are working on your own gardens, so I am sure you know how important it is for certain plants to have these types of structures to climb. Without the support of a trellis, the vines will still grow, but will be susceptible to many hardships. For starters, without a trellis to climb up, the vines and leaves will be in contact with the ground; this will subject them to insect damage, mold, and other diseases. No trellis structure will also mean a smaller yield at harvest time.
Jesus used many agricultural metaphors in his teachings, and one of the most quoted comes from John chapter 15. In this famous passage, Jesus presents himself as a vine, His Father as the gardener, and us (his followers) as branches. He goes on to say, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
What does that fruit look like in our lives? Many books have been written on that topic! But at a fundamental level, it is growing in our desire and capacity to obey Jesus’ command- what he called the greatest commandment- to love God and love others. To that end, we follow the pattern of Jesus’ life, in the power of the Spirit, which among other things will result in “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” increasingly being present in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23). I don’t know about you, but I would love for my life to be marked by these things!
In our own backyard gardens, we cannot create the growth of our plants. Sure, we can supply water, amend the soil, pull weeds, and build trellises; but at the end of the day, the organic growth of the vine is beyond our control. It is not always predictable, and at times feels downright mysterious.... And the same is true of our own spiritual growth. We are told to remain (abide) in Jesus; only in connection to Him, through the Spirit’s work, will we bear the spiritual fruit mentioned above. So at the end of the day, producing true spiritual growth- fruit of the Spirit- is beyond our control.
It is true that in the same way we cannot force a plant to grow, we cannot force the Holy Spirit to change us; but it is ALSO TRUE that in the same way we tend a garden to encourage growth, we can learn practices that will encourage our spiritual growth.
Think of it in terms of organism and structure. The organic, natural growth (life) of our garden is what we want, but to accomplish that, we use structures and tools. Building a trellis for its own sake is not the point; the vine, and its fruit, is the point. BUT the vine needs the trellis to grow and reach its potential. Simply building a trellis does not guarantee life and growth, and a vine with no trellis will not be as healthy or strong as it should be… Both are needed.
In exactly the same way that our gardens need water, trellis, and pruning, our souls need structure. The life and growth is supplied by the Spirit, but Christians throughout the ages have believed there are practices that we follow in order to prepare the soil of our hearts for spiritual growth. Most often these practices are called “spiritual disciplines.” They can be every bit as difficult as pulling weeds in the hot sun, or building raised gardening beds and trellises, but the results are infinitely greater.
This month at River Valley, we are asking everyone to participate in a project we call “Formation.” It is an opportunity for all of us to work on 4 of the most foundational spiritual disciplines, with a special focus on Bible reading and prayer (you can find the details here). Perhaps these are already a consistent part of your daily life, or perhaps you have struggled with practicing them regularly. Think of these disciplines as structures in the garden, like a trellis or a raised garden bed. The goal is not the practice, the goal is new spiritual life and growth… but the structure is necessary.
I hope you will join us on this journey, whether you are adding onto your trellis, or building one for the first time.
-Pastor Brian Lucas