It is fall! The upcoming weather forecast certainly supports that. The leaves are beginning to drop and the mornings are crisp. I dress for three seasons each day. But also, I’ve been seeing the ads for the various pumpkin patches around the area. The kids are on fall break this weekend and we’re going to try to hit our favorite patch “Country Pumpkins” down in Crittenden, KY.
One special thing about this patch is the hayride out to cut your own pumpkin. Most farms I have visited already have the pumpkins cut from the vines, sitting around waiting to be selected, fading in the sun. But this patch leaves the pumpkins on the vine. The vine is the pumpkin’s lifeline. As long as it is connected to the vine, it will grow. It gives the pumpkins more time to mature than if they had been cut off earlier, time to develop into vibrant, beautiful, orange pumpkins.
When I go to these patches it’s amazing to see vines spiral around like a plate of spaghetti. The vines cover the ground to such an extent that it is hard to move without stepping on a vine. And then I worry I have ruined the pumpkin’s chance to grow and mature by hurting the vine. But luckily, pumpkin plants are very resilient. When the vine is damaged or separated from the pumpkin, farmers can bind it together or add fertilizer. By acting, the farmer repairs the vine and the pumpkin continues growing. Sometimes after the vine heals, it becomes even stronger than it was before and the pumpkin receives extra nourishment, growing larger than before.
Jesus tells us that he is the vine, nourishing us with his love. We are the pumpkins, growing and changing through life with the support of the vine. We might be pumpkin flowers, beginning to bloom, early in our faith. Or perhaps we have matured into pumpkins, growing with the nutrition from the vine.
But sometimes things happen in life that damage our relationship with Jesus – we make mistakes, we don’t live up to our baptismal promises. Perhaps we do something so devastating that we feel like those pumpkins cut from the vine and waning in the field. We can’t comprehend how Jesus continues to love us when we have messed up so massively. Or maybe it wasn’t one massive thing, maybe it’s the small things we do or that someone does to us, the continuous steps tromping through our field, each step breaking that vine just a little more.
Whether it is one thing or multiple small things, we can begin to feel disconnected from Jesus or unworthy of his love. These thoughts put further distance between us and Jesus. Even though we might feel cut off from Jesus, Jesus is always with us. We are never fully separated from Jesus’s love, the vine is always there, grounding us. Perhaps we need to bind the damaged parts or add fertilizer, taking time to tend and care for this precious life source. When we take time for that reconciliation, we become stronger.
Perhaps tending our relationship with Jesus looks like confession or prayer. Perhaps it is a refreshing walk through a pumpkin patch, giving thanks for creation. Whatever it looks like for you, Jesus is there with you along the way, calling to you, giving you the opportunities to refresh and restore yourself. We are always tied to Jesus but when we take time to be spiritually fed and tend to our relationship, we grow from the sprouting flower to a vibrant, healthy pumpkin.
May this fall find you well and may you be reminded of all the ways Jesus loves you and cares through the vine of your relationship.
Peace,
Pastor Laura