Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“The surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downwards, and bear fruit upwards; for from Jerusalem a remnant shall go out, and from Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, January 1, 2025
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I’ve recently become deeply intrigued by plant biology. Recent research has shown that plants can exhibit complex behaviors in response to environmental stimuli. There’s a lot of disagreement about whether anyone can say plants are “intelligent” as we define it for animals, but the fact remains that they’re capable of way more than we’ve ever given them credit for.
Perhaps, then, it’s appropriate when the prophets and chroniclers of the Israelites use plant analogies for them. Certainly they have been subject to all sorts of external environmental pressures throughout their histories. After Israel is taken over (one of many times), God promises that the house of Juday will again “take root downwards, and bear fruit upwards.” That is, they’ll dig down deep into the rich soil of their homeland, take in the nourishing light of God’s love, and convert those resources into bountiful fruit—lives of loving service to God and neighbor.
We, too, can live in this hope, no matter what is going on around us, no matter how much anxiety we have about the current political climate in our nation and around the world. We can dig down deep into our families and communities, be nourished by the light of God’s love, and convert those resources into active lives of service to our neighbors in the here and now.
How do I take in the raw materials God gives me and convert them into spiritual fruits?
