Dear Friends,

According to RaintreeNursery.com it takes an apple tree “7 to 10 years to grow from seed to fruit-bearing maturity.” And I’m pretty sure that it’ll take a good bit more work than simply planting the seed (or even a sapling) for such fruit to materialize. (ask me how I know!)

I had to look that timeframe up because of what I discovered on the deutchland.de website, which is a site dedicated to “promoting the image of Germany abroad” for the Federal Republic of Germany.

What I found on that site was a “story about the apple tree. ‘Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree,’ Martin Luther is supposed to have said. This is just one of many legends about the Reformer that merrily continue to be passed on despite a complete lack of references. Ultimately it probably doesn’t matter whether the nature-loving Luther actually used these words or not. What is important is that they show how much he has influenced German society. Researchers believe that this saying was only attributed to the Reformer after the Second World War. When people lived between optimism and desper­ation they felt reminded of Luther. Five hundred years after the publication of his Ninety-Five Theses it is again time to take a closer look and show how strongly his life and work still influence us today.

It’s that “people living between optimism and desperation” part that’s relevant as we look toward Sunday. Bluntly stated, Luke 21:5-19 anticipates “the end.” As he teaches, Jesus most certainly has “the end” of the temple in mind, along with the destruction of Jerusalem; in a few more verses that more localized “end” will broaden to “what is coming upon the world” (v. 26). Yikes.

Jesus does not pull any punches in his description of the cosmic and political cataclysms he foresees. With the same urgency, though, Jesus says, “do not be terrified,” “I will give you words and wisdom,” and “not a hair of your head will be lost.” Mercy, what a blend of optimism and desperation.

Another source presents the Luther quote this way: “If tomorrow is the Day of Judgment, then today I want to plant an apple tree.” Can you imagine planting fruit trees in the face of the end of the world? His confidence is shatter-proof; his trust is unshakeable; his hope is profound. I’m glad to visit Food Lion for apples; dear Lord, give me some of Luther’s confidence, trust and hope!

If not an apple tree, what would symbolize faith-filled optimism for you in a season of desperation or desolation?

See you Sunday.

Peace,

Lisa

Photo by Bozhin Karaivanov on Unsplash