Fruit Swap

It is July, and sometimes communities for fun and relief have festivities with a theme of “Christmas in July.” Imagine the decorations, stories, music, or food. A group could sponsor a cookie swap in July. Honestly, any month is a good month for cookies.

I was thinking about Sunday’s lessons, especially the lesson from Deuteronomy, the last book in the Law of Moses. We will hear a distillation of the covenant between Israel and the one God, Yahweh. The covenant is a sacred agreement, an exchange of promises: “You, please, do this for me, and I will do this for you.” To be sure, the sacred covenant between God and the chosen is far more sober a matter than a cookie swap, but both are, indeed, exchanges. At the holiday event, you say, “I am offering a dozen each of these three kinds of cookies in exchange for my choice of the various others have brought.” In the holy relationship, God is saying, I will be your God, and promise you blessings and certain protections, if you will love and obey me, respect, and stay true to me. The Deuteronomic writer puts it in terms of fruit, not cookies.

God promises to make the people fruitful in their land. Their bodies will be fertile and their milk rich and nourishing. Their livestock will thrive, and their crops will yield plenteously. God asks of the people the fruit of their love, worship, and obedience: asking too that they seek the divine word, and observe it all faithfully. This is the fruit they offer back to the God who created and continues to call them:

Moses said to the people of Israel, "The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, when you obey the Lord your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away…No, word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.” (Deuteronomy 30:9-11, 14)

God offers the fruit of practical living so that they may thrive. Moreover, God asks for the fruit of their faithfulness. This word is available and present for them. It is not hidden and far away, mysterious, or obscure. This is not like the pagan myths of old, heroes seeking wisdom or secrets of the gods. It is not like the golden fleece sought by Jason, sailing about in his vessel, the Argos. It is neither like the royal place sought by Odysseus, nor the twelve labors of Hercules takes on to gain him the solace he must have. It is the word of God, very near to us: in our mouth and our hearts that we may observe it.

St. Paul is a great messenger of the good news of the new covenant and with him a metaphorical theme of fruit is strong. Fruit is what faithful believers realize in spreading the word of truth, the good news, so, too in their good labor as disciples. ministering to people in need. Look at Paul’s favorable sense of the Christians in Colossae:

You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. … For this reason, … be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:5-6, 9-10)

I would probably participate in a cookie swap in July (even if outdoor temperatures make us tentative about using our ovens). To quote a certain blue furry monster, “Me loves cookies!” In all seriousness, of ultimate importance is the fruit exchange in which God involves us year-round. Our covenantal relationship with the Holy One affords us the privilege of offering the fruit of our labor and worship. It also provides us the fruit of the Savior’s redemption and sustenance to us as God’s pilgrims on the journey.