Lent Meditations
40 Days in the Vineyard
Day 20: If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish...
One of the key decisions a vineyard manager makes every year is what cover crop to plant during the winter that will feed the soil with the nutrients the vine needs to flourish. A cover crop is a crop planted to specifically benefit the soil but is not intended to be harvested.
Day 21: This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit...
A vineyard manager takes great satisfaction in the orderly rows of vines, the health of the soil, and the contentment of the laborers. But the greatest proof of a good manager is in the quantity and quality of the fruit that is produced in that vineyard.
Day 22: As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; now, remain in my love
The hard-working vine draws up nutrients from soil and water, distributing the nutrient-rich water out to the branches that are connected to the vine. The fruit, the pride and joy of the gardener hangs on the branches. But the symbiotic relationship would not be complete without photosynthesis.
Day 23: If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love
In some ways the transformation of toxins to life-giving substances through the process of photosynthesis is a metaphor of what happens when we keep Jesus’ commands, when we obey his teachings. The toxins of our world are metabolized by and for love.
Day 24: Just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love
Since Jesus was fully and equally God, his will was always in alignment with the Father’s will. Since Jesus was fully human, he had to choose obedience. Jesus showed us what it looks like to be fully human in joyful submission to God, remaining in love as a result.
Day 25: I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete
There is nothing more exciting in the vineyard than veraison. After a long, hot summer of slow growth, veraison changes everything. Veraison is the onset of the ripening of the grapes. Hard green berries practically ripen before our eyes!
Day 26: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
The overarching vision for and love of good wine makes it easy for the vineyard workers to cut off fruit that is less than ideal. Even though there may be a smaller quantity of juice for wine, the quality of the juice will be much higher.
Day 27: Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends
Just as the vine gives everything it has, without hesitation, to the branches to produce the fruit for harvest, Jesus lays down his life for those he loves. There is nothing more Jesus could give to show his love.
Day 28: You are my friends if you do what I command
At harvest, the vine, in an instant, gives up all its fruit. As the workers come through the vineyard with their clippers, it takes just a few seconds to cut off the clusters.
Day 29: I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master’s business...
A vine, dressed in fall colors, is showing its most vulnerable and authentic self. Things have changed, and the vine has a new relationship with the leaves.
Day 30: For everything I have learned from my Father I have made known to you
Three things are necessary for bountiful and beautiful fruit to make wine: healthy vines, the correct terroir, and the loving attention of a skilled gardener. This set of three requirements mirrors the Trinitarian reality into which we are invited to grow and flourish.
Day 31: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you
Every healthy, established vineyard sustainably produces beautiful fruit for excellent wine because of the myriad of choices that have been made from the beginning, the most important one being which varietal to plant.
Day 32: So that you might go and bear fruit, fruit that will last
Vineyards exist for one purpose: fruit. But the grapes cannot just be left on the vine. Some grapes are dried and become raisins. Some grapes are fermented and turned into wine, which will allow the fruit to last for quite some time!
Day 33: And so that whatever you ask in my name, the Father will give you
Every bottle of wine is a signature of a time and a place. The name on the label and the winemaker responsible for making the wine in the bottle will win the accolades if the wine is especially good.
Day 34: This is my command: Love each other.
Ultimately, we are invited, called, even commanded to love one another as we have been loved. The long journey of fruitfulness shows us that love is an action, not a transaction. Love for each other is cultivated over time, nurtured by grace, in the unglamorous, tedious moments of life.
Day 35: Fill the jars with water
Have you ever considered that wine always begins as water? Each person that cares for the vine, harvests the fruit, and makes the wine is part of the process which moves water to wine. Competent and secure vineyard workers are critical to the long-term success of any winery.
Day 36: The kingdom of God will be…given to a people who will produce its fruit
Every vineyard owner desires a fruitful vineyard, and every action of a vineyard worker is intended to produce fruit. Without good fruit, a vineyard is worthless, and a vineyard owner must decide what to do with it.
Day 37: Blessed are you, O Lord, our God King of the Universe, who sanctifies us
Most wines we drink are blends, which means the winemaker has crafted a delicious wine using different varietals. Sometimes a vineyard has such incredible fruit, with a beautiful flavor profile, a winemaker will choose to create a truly unique single vineyard wine.
Day 38: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Just like a new vine that is propagated from an old vine, Jesus becomes the true vine with a new root system, yet still connected to the original. The old covenant is not abolished but fulfilled with the new covenant Jesus brings.
Day 39: It is finished
Like the field of vines torn out, the old way of relating to God is abolished with Jesus’ sacrificial death. Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God whose blood takes away the sin of the world, for good. The land will lie fallow for a bit, like Jesus in the grave.