But I have to admit: we spend so much time—in Sunday worship, in Church School, in Bible study and meetings—so much time talking about avoiding the trouble part, about what disciples are supposed to be doing, that we often ignore the other part of what Jesus says, the part that people who do things God’s way will “produce the fruits of the kingdom.” Young and old, we’re all trying to be—and are—good disciples. So what is this fruit, and where is it?
Well the fruit is right in front of us, and today is a day for us to stop and see. We Christians can be so tough on ourselves that we miss the good, the fruit, we’re producing. In God’s kingdom, things work differently than out in the rest of the world, there are different rules, and different activities. Eventually, we believe and hope that the way we live in the kingdom, the way we live here at church, will be the way it is everywhere, but for now we have to find and enjoy the fruit that grows here.
And today is an amazing day, because the fruit is all around us. There are five unique things going on in our time together right now that show us that we’re on the right track with our discipleship, that we’re listening to God in our lives, and that at least some of the time we’re living in that kingdom and have the fruit to show it.
The first fruit we have to notice is that we’re all here in church, young and old, on an October Sunday morning, worshipping God. Big deal, right? Well, it is a big deal. Don’t underestimate how countercultural, how different from life out there what we’re doing is. We’re setting aside time to concentrate heart and mind on God, and no matter if the sermon is dull, or you’re thinking about something else altogether, or it’s hard for you to pray, or you’re not even sure you want to be here, it doesn’t matter. You’re here, and that says to God that you’re listening to God’s way, and it says to the rest of the world out there that there are people who are taking God’s way seriously, and that might just make them take notice, too.
Another fruit that our faith produces: we’re singing and being moved by music. Today we’re recognizing how important music is in our life together, and what a great gift it is, and how blessed we are to have the people we have to share their gifts with us. Where else in your life do you sing out loud with other people? Where else do you hear a choir of bells ringing? Can you imagine everyone at Stop and Shop breaking into song together? Can you imagine if you and your co-workers at the office dropped everything and started ringing bells? No, in God’s kingdom, music is front and center. The language of song that is spoken here is one fruit that comes from us choosing to do things God’s way.
And it’s obviously a Communion Sunday, too, because in God’s kingdom, a cube of bread and a little cup of juice are a filling and healing meal, and God wants us to be filled and healed. That might not make sense out in everyday life, but it makes sense here. Because we pay attention to doing things God’s way, we have this meal once a month, and it becomes the fruit of togetherness at the Lord’s Table. And not only that, but today happens to be Worldwide Communion Sunday, a day when Christians around the whole globe are having this meal with us, and we’re all thinking about the one huge family around the table. Can you see how incredible that is? Forgive this analogy, but that’s sort of like millions and millions of people on a given day all having beans and hot dogs for lunch, and all thinking and talking about the same one person. Very unlikely. But in God’s kingdom, that is exactly what happens: we’re all sharing Christ’s meal, and we’re all thinking about God.
The fourth fruit, the fourth sign that we’re doing things the way God wants has to do with this survey we’ll be taking. Jesus wanted to get the word out about God’s way, and so he talked about his faith, and he encouraged his disciples to talk about their faith, and Christians have been talking about their faith ever since. There was a time when part of Sunday morning worship here was people getting up and talking about their faith, testifying, witnessing to how God’s way was working for them. The survey may seem a far cry from that, but it really is the same thing: we’re describing who we are and what we believe, in the hope that in expressing that, others will hear and be moved to come see what the kingdom is like. Our answers will join those from thousands of other congregations across the country, all in the hopes of helping churches understand themselves better, and helping us get the good news out to more people. It might be unusual, but I bet God approves of that unique fruit.
The fruits of the kingdom are things we do that make God’s way more real for us and for others. Something else we’re doing today that makes God’s way more real in a very noticeable form is that we are receiving, along with our regular offering that supports the ministries of the church, the Neighbors in Need offering. Gifts to Neighbors in Need go to help those who stand up for justice—this year to those who work to feed the hungry meals they would otherwise go without. Whenever we come together, we give something that is ours so that it can be used to help others. That is an unmistakable fruit of the kingdom—something the world can see that just might, in turn, draw other people to God.
No matter how old you are, all of us know that God wants us to live a certain way. When we act that way, even though none of us are perfect at it, there are still good results, fruits. These fruits that grow in God’s kingdom can look very different from those that grow when we concentrate only on ourselves, and not on God or our neighbor. Being together for worship, making music, having a mysterious meal, taking a survey, receiving a special offering—in their way, those are activities the rest of the world might find a bit odd. But they are fruits of God’s kingdom, signs that you and I are on the right track, and we can be sure they are pleasing to the God we are seeking to know and serve and love.