Matthew 7:15-20
“Notice what you notice.” So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit (v. 17). The context here is “false prophets”. We should feel blessed that those who lead us at St. Andrew’s do not appear to be “false prophets” or “diseased trees” or “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. And it’s not just the clergy – people who lead our various ministries are seeking the Lord. I regularly look around the table at our Men’s Groups’ meetings and see an entire group of Godly men – and not just in our Men’s Groups, but throughout the congregation!! I feel sorry for churches that do not have men like this in their congregations. No doubt you ladies could say the same about those women with whom you interact.
I don’t mean for these thoughts to be self-congratulatory. Carol and I are simply blessed to be here, to be part of it all. I don’t think any of us imagine that we “have arrived”. I often feel like we are living in heaven on earth, except that we cannot see the Trinity face-to-face. But how much better could heaven be than when we gather on Sunday mornings! Even our Gathering time is a full blessing, just to be with God’s people!! Let‘s just be thankful for what we have and pray for those who do not share the same sorts of blessings, especially for those we have left behind in the Episcopal Church.
Slava Bohu!