Description
Two of the readings today – Isaiah 5:1-7 and Psalm 80 – use the imagery of the people of God as a vineyard that God has lovingly cleared space for, planted and tended. And both of the readings are about the consequences for the people of God when they produce the bad fruit of injustice.
Whilst it is relatively easy – albeit often sad and painful – to observe the injustice in the wider world, it is much harder when the injustice is closer to home. It is more difficult when we – individually, or as a community – are victims of injustice, and perhaps even more difficult when we become aware that we – individually, or as a community – are complicit in acts of injustice.
The reading from Isaiah 5 is sometimes titled the “Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard.” The song plays with a single metaphor: that of Israel as the Vineyard needing to be pruned by the beloved. It introduces themes of the justice and righteousness of the people in the context of their relationship with God. This complex prophetic metaphor provides a wonderful lens through which a community or individuals can reflect on their own lives and how they are responding in their relationship with God.
The Pruning Prayers and A Just Vineyard resources are an invitation to prayer and reflection. Opportunities to reflect on our (individual and community) action and inaction. Opportunities to pray for justice, healing, forgiveness, reconciliation and peace.
The By Faith, A Tangled Yarn and Bubble Printing resources focus our attention on Hebrews 11:29-12:2. They provide space to connect our stories with the stories of faith in the Bible, as part of the same bigger narrative of the people of God. They also provide space to connect our stories with those of other Christians who are part of the “cloud of witnesses” – people who have gone before us whose stories can inspire and whose journeys of faith can encourage us.
