lilly's pad

first look...parable of the vineyard

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“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. JOHN 15

Living on a Vineyard is a constant reminder of all the times vineyards are referred to in the Bible. Producing grapes takes a lot of time and a lot of energy, not to mention the right weather conditions. The hours that the workers spend pruning and tending the vines, and also the soil around the vines, makes me wonder how we ever get a bottle of wine for less than 200 dollars. Jesus says that He is the vine and we are the branches….proves to me just how strong His hold is on us is.  According to real life, we actually need help to let go. Vines don’t just fall off on their own…they have to be cut off. The workers, “the monks” as I call them because they all begin their days in hoodies with their hoods up, go through the vineyard and cut away the extra growth in order for the vines to produce better fruit. I’ve also learned that it takes a pair of shears to actually remove a bunch of grapes from the vine.  You cannot just pull off an entire bunch…a few grapes are easy …just to sample, but in order to take off an entire bunch, this requires a tool.

 

This got me thinking about being attached to the vine…

About bearing fruit.

And about how much I complain about the work it takes to bear fruit,

and how much whining I do when the Winemaker is actually doing some pruning.

 

So abiding in the vine…Jesus really holds on to us tightly…and also the fruit is connected strongly to the vine…and just how much fruit depends upon the actual pruning of the vine. The folks here in Napa Valley take their pruning very seriously…so that the fruit is just right. The monks will come through and take off extra leaves from the vines so the sun hits the fruit just right. They even have a way now, to digitally gage just how much sap is flowing in the vines so that they will know when the vines need irrigation. They will also go through and actually cut away good fruit, or at least it looks really good to me, in order to have better fruit, the best most perfect grapes.

 

And there really is a cutting away of the old branches called canes. The monks come through and cut off all the canes, the branches, before the new growth begins. These piles of canes sit there for a few weeks in bunches, drying out and waiting til the monks return. When they come back in the early spring, they make bigger piles of branches and then they burn them. During this season you can see smoke throughout the Valley as this is happening in vineyards up and down Highway 29 and beyond. This year, on the vineyard where we live, the burning just happened to take place on Shrove Tuesday. So I had a front row seat in parable form ready for Ash Wednesday the next day.  Large piles of smoking ashes burned from the cut away, useless branches of the grape vines…and I walked the dog through these ashes during most of Lent.

 

The grapes in our vineyard are all harvested, they are sorted and now are in large vats with good yeast, starting the long process of becoming wine. The vines around our house still have leaves, starting to fade from green to yellow and waiting for the winter rains and winds to begin to free them from their vines. The monks will come back to check on them and to start the process all over again, in the hope that the new growth, the new vines, will produce even better fruit in the coming year.

 

NYWC-and a kick in the pants

Didn't make my October 1 deadline to begin again, AGAIN with my blog...but that was only due to lack of internet access in the sanctuary space yesterday and staying too long at the theology pub last night. So after much procrastination and the encouragement of lots of friends, i'm committing to writing again at lilly's pad and beyond. i've had amazing feedback from people this year about  SACRED SPACE (the book ) and about the experiential stations of the cross we use in the Sanctuary here at NYWC. people are hungry for ideas for experiential learning and  My passion is to help people connect with God through all their senses and using all their gifts and to honor art and artists in the church. i used the one of my favorite sayings in my Art in Worship workshop yesterday..."why do little kids get to have all the fun in church?"...meaning, why is it that when you are in kindergarden and below, you get to have crayons in church and get up and move around and after about 3rd grade you are required to just sit and listen?  As a worship curator it's my desire to expand the horizons of worship way beyond our small definitions of preaching and singing and to show people that our CREATOR has blessed each one of us with creativity and gifts that are designed to give Him honor and glory.  so thanks david for the kick and for holding me accountable. here's to the NEW YEAR of writing.

mark 8:22-25

on the sacred space web site .. after the scripture reading of the day, there is a simple question

What are you saying to me, Lord?

Mark 8:22-25

They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, "Can you see anything?" And the man looked up and said, "I can see people, but they look like trees, walking." Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Then he sent him away to his home, saying, 'Do not even go into the village.'

 

 

I think Jesus needed to take me out of the village in order to heal my blindness…

In order to help me see again…

To help me see my gifts

To help me see my passions

To help me see how blessed I am and have been

 

Yet, like the blind man, I can still only see trees…

I don’t see clearly

I don’t see clearly yet, what He wants me to see.

I don’t’ see clearly the people around me…who they are, what they need, what I can share with them.

 

If I’m true to who and what God has called me to be…then it really doesn’t matter what the place is, or where I am or who I am with. I am called to love, to bring light, to bring love and encouragement to all …everyone is a gift and everything that comes my way is both a gift and an opportunity…

the question is

DO I WANT TO SEE?

And am I WILLING TO SEE? Especially to see as Jesus does.

To see beyond skin color, to see beyond economic benefits or lack of them, to see beyond the bitterness and brokenness of others …

AM I WILLING? Do I really want to see?

Jesus, I really need you to spit into my eyes today…to make mud from your saliva and let your living water bringing healing to my blindness.

help me be willing to be willing.

Help me not to be afraid to respond in fear.

Help me see and live out love…to everyone who comes my way, and even more importantly …to first love myself as you love me. AMEN

 

off to the abbey!

i am off today for a week of silence at the abbey of gethsemani.  it's my birthday present to myself.  this will be my third visit to this amazing place where thomas merton hung out. solitude and silence...it takes me two days to unplug and for my brain to quit talking so i can actually hear god speak. and yes...total extroverts can enjoy silence, in fact, when i missed my time last year i felt it all year! it's a great way to reflect on last year and  pray through the year to come! see you friday!