From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Matthew 24:32
Unmistakable signs of summer surround us. Roads clear of school buses, community pools are open, and occasionally an ice cream truck can be heard making its rounds through the neighborhood. Their message is as clear to us as the fig tree’s tender branches and budding leaves were to Jesus’ disciples. Summer is here.
The lesson of the fig tree is a call to mindfulness – a call to pay attention to signs in our lives and in the world that indicate God’s drawing near to us. Jesus shared the fig tree illustration with his followers when they asked him about his coming again on the Day of Judgment. It was an admonition to be vigilant and keep alert in preparation for Christ’s return “at an unexpected hour.”
If we are wise we will learn the fig tree’s lesson. Two understandings of the summer season, one ancient and one contemporary, inform a faithful response to Jesus.
In the agrarian society of Jesus’ day, summer was a time of work, harvest and preparation. “Make hay while the sun shines,” runs a familiar saying. Hay – dried grass used as fodder for animals – is difficult to prepare in wet weather, so this adage admonishes us to make the most of time and opportunities which God gives us. Summer’s hot, dry days are perfect for curing hay. A biblical proverb suggests we follow the example of the ant, who “prepares its food in summer and gathers its sustenance in harvest.” (Prov. 6:8)
Like hay harvesters, we should make the most of time as we carry out the work of our Lord both individually and collectively through his body, the church. As a species, humanity still needs to hear and respond to Christ’s message of hope, peace, forgiveness and reconciliation. As a church, we need others to join us in spreading this Good News (Gospel). Jesus “said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’ (Matthew 9:36) Those who attend the District Synod will be engaged in such ministry on behalf of the congregation and the broader Moravian Church.
In today’s technological society, most of us are freed from the necessity of harvesting all our own food. We more probably think of summer as a time to travel or take a vacation. Summer is a season of rest and recreation – potentially, a time of Sabbath.
Sabbath rest and recreation involve more than taking a break from work. Sabbath rest rejuvenates us, energizes us and restores us. True “re-creation” presents a chance to re-invent ourselves or “find” ourselves if we’ve lost our way, our soul, our passion or our values in the business of daily life. Summer as Sabbath season includes the serious business of reconnecting with God and our deepest, truest selves.
Pastor Derek French