April 21

You're welcome. Let's move on.

Church men's retreats always seem to have titles that sound like war games. Or Harley parts. Women's retreat titles seem to have more to do with agriculture. "Alive!" or "Thrive!" are two that come to mind. (Nice that they also rhyme.)

This week we find ourselves in a wait-and-see mode. When will things open up? How will things roll out? And who gets to make the call? How can we function in the now-and-not-yet?

I wonder if the women's retreat themes are more helpful than those of the men's.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that send out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."

Here, then, some armchair exegesis:

The blessed one trusts in the Lord. Even better, he trusts the Lord. Maybe staying the same thing twice, or maybe the second gives even greater emphasis to the blessed one doing the trusting.

The blessing is compared to a tree planted near water. Its roots grow toward the water. The Lord is the water.

With this growth pattern, the tree is still a growing, thriving tree, even when it's super hot out, or it's not the rainy season. The tree is not anxious, irrespective of the season or the calamity.

But the context here is essential. These words were spoken by the Lord, through the prophet Jeremiah...to a people in captivity. They had repeatedly sinned. They got exiled. But God's people can be alive and can thrive irrespective of the season or the calamity. Their's was a 70-year stint (i.e. calamity) in a hostile foreign country.

The Lord is saying, you can be alive, you can thrive, all while you seek Me, trust Me to deliver you.

Ephesians 2:8-10 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

The tree planted near the water, with still green leaves, is planted for a purpose - to bear fruit - good works.

So...can we have green leaves? Are we bearing fruit in this immediate season of wait-and-see? What kind of fruit are we producing?

Will we each look back on this season of "drought" fondly, celebrating how our roots got closer to the source, the One who saved us, is now working on us, and wants to see us produce fruit in ourselves and others?

Move closer to the water.

Mike Rydman, Lead Pastor, Radiant Church | Juneau