Settled

by Kathy Matuschka

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I will plant them upon their land, and they shall never again be plucked up out of the land that I have given them, says the Lord your God (Amos 9:15).

Read Amos 9:13–15

Some of my ancestors settled in South Australia’s Barossa Valley – which is known for vineyards and winemaking – after they emigrated from what is now Germany. Unfortunately, the place they chose to settle, Hoffnungsthal (Valley of Hope), flooded, and so they moved elsewhere and started again. Generations later, my parents moved into the Barossa, so I grew up back where our families began their time in Australia.

The vineyards in today’s texts are described as fruitful, just as in the readings we heard yesterday and the day before. After all, a vineyard’s purpose is to produce grapes.

Today’s vineyards are so productive that the reapers are said to overtake the sowers – obviously an exaggeration intended to highlight the vineyards’ fruitfulness and the delight this brings.

But ultimately, there is something more wondrous than the vineyard’s productivity: its location. This vineyard is back home, in Israel! It fulfils Yahweh’s promise through the prophet Amos that although the Hebrew people will be taken into exile in a foreign land, they will later return. Both the people and their vineyards will be planted in their own land again.

Settled.

I grew up in a time of rich harvest for my denomination. As the daughter of Lutheran teachers, I witnessed the growth of Lutheran schools and the effort it took to achieve this growth! I viewed the mission harvest God gave us as normal because I had never known anything different. I felt settled.

Things have changed in more recent decades, and I have felt unsettled; I’m not sure where we are as a church now, and what the future might hold. My questions are being answered in the increasing number of stories of congregation members turning up to share God’s love in practical ways with new generations. Have you noticed it, too?

Loving Creator, because your dear Son Jesus rose from death, I am settled in you – forever. Through the power of your Spirit, I praise and thank you – forever. Amen.

Kathy is learning to give up her struggle to make sense of God and God’s world, and instead rest in the mystery of love that holds her each day.

What are the names of your little foxes?

by Kathy Matuschka

Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.

The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away (Song of Solomon 2:13).

Read Song of Solomon 2:10–15

Do you have some favourite places in nature? Do you recall happy memories of sharing special places with loved ones?

A vineyard provides the setting for our reading, as it did yesterday. But today, rather than being an object of power and control, this vineyard is an intimate place, highlighting the freshness and delight of new love.

When our hearts connect with another (whether romantically or platonically), the connection we feel seems enhanced by being in the beauty and simplicity of God’s creation. The author of our text today expresses their extreme delight in the fine spring weather, the appearance of flowers, the cooing of doves, the fruit of the fig trees and the blossoming of the vines. For those in love, it seems no one else has ever beheld the beauty of the earth in the way that they do!

The author goes on to speak about little foxes – little threats to the bliss God offers us within our human relationships. Left to grow, these ‘foxes’ can damage and even destroy our ability to connect with one another – even with those in whom we once delighted!

There are so many little foxes, but I’ll name a few. There is perfectionism: sometimes we get so carried away with creating a perfect experience that we forget to rest into what God has so abundantly provided without our assistance.

Perfectionism can be related to inadequacy: the little voice that tells us we are not enough as we are. It urges us to produce more and achieve more.

Then there are little foxes that cause division, like misunderstanding, judgement, unforgiveness and bitterness. Those are busy little foxes!

Do you know the names of your little foxes?

Loving God, you made me to enjoy relationship with you, others and myself. By your Spirit, please release me from the power of the little foxes that limit and harm those relationships in my life. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

That’s ridiculous!

by Kathy Matuschka

Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.

Then he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son’ (Matthew 21:37).

Read Matthew 21:33–46

Jesus’ parables can be confusing, but this one seems straightforward, at least from our perspective as Christians. There seems to be an obvious, one-to-one correlation between the story as Jesus told it and God’s salvation story, as many of us have been taught all our lives.

The vineyard owner (God) established a vineyard complete with a fence and a tower (abundance). When the vineyard was under threat by bad tenants (the Jewish leaders at the time), the owner responded by first sending his servants (prophets), and then eventually his son (Jesus), to restore order (redemption).

But this story isn’t just a clever way of tricking the Jewish leaders into judging themselves, so that Jesus can ‘one-up’ them. It’s more than a shrewd response to their challenges to his authority.

This is an announcement – to all the powers of this world and beyond – of God’s ridiculous rescue plan for this world!

I mean, how ridiculous is it that the owner of the vineyard would send his son when the bad tenants have already killed his servants? Who would do that? A smart landowner would surely send an army and wipe out the opposition once and for all.

That’s how ridiculous God’s rescue plan was. And still is for us today. But unlike Jesus’ parable in our text today, God’s rescue story doesn’t end with the son being killed. God’s Son – our brother, Jesus – willingly became weak and vulnerable, and died … but then was raised from death. All praise and thanks to God!

Who would think that the creator of the universe, the author of all power, would act like that?

That’s ridiculous.

That’s love.

Amazing love! How can it be that you, my God, should die for me (Charles Wesley)? Amen.

Kathy is learning to give up her struggle to make sense of God and God’s world, and instead rest in the mystery of love that holds her each day.