Written Sermon May 25, 2025

Written by Pastor John Eich

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Alma, MI

16“In a little while you are not  going to see me anymore, and  again in a little while you will  see me, because I am going  away to the Father.” 

17Therefore some of his disciples  asked one another, “What does he  mean when he tells us, ‘In a little  while you are not going to see me,  and again in a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going away to  the Father’?” 18So they kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’?  We don't understand what he's saying.” 

19Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them,  “Are you trying to determine with one another what I meant by saying, ‘In a  little while you are not going to see me, and again in a little while you will see  me’? 20Amen, Amen, I tell you: You will weep and wail, but the world will  rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. 21A  woman giving birth has pain, because her time has come. But when she has  delivered the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, because of her joy  that a person has been born into the world. 

22“So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your heart will  rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. 23In that day you will  not ask me anything. Amen, Amen, I tell you: Whatever you ask the Father in  my name, he will give you. 24Until now you have not asked for anything in my  name. Ask, and will receive, so that your joy may be made complete.

Typically, we want things to last. You don’t want the cell phone you paid a  thousand dollars for to last for a few months, right? You want to get several  years of use out of it at least. You buy a car for tens of thousands of dollars  with the intention that you’ll be able to use it for many years. And if you’re  able to buy a home, you spend a much larger amount of money hoping that it  might last you a life-time. We want our education or training to last beyond  the exam.  

Jesus this morning focuses on something that endures much better than a  well-made car or a good education. He zeroes us in on the joy we have in his  resurrection.  

It’s been six weeks since we celebrated the biggest festival in the Christian  church year and the most important event in human history: Jesus’  resurrection from the dead. Do you remember that day? The breakfast, the  fellowship, the music…the fact that this building was packed with over 135 people? But where are all those people now? Have you ever wondered why  churches that are packed on Easter are not only six weeks later? What  changed? Did Jesus go back into the grave? Why is the joy of Easter lost so quickly? Actually, it’s not a mystery at all. Jesus explained it pretty clearly in  the parable of the Sower. With some, the Gospel simply bounces off their  hard hearts and then the devil steals it away from them. Some joyfully  receive the Word but when trouble and persecution come, they fall away. For  others the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke out  their faith (Matthew 13:1-23). For various reasons, many are prevented from  understanding the kind of joy Easter brings. But they’re not the target  audience for this sermon. You are. Do you understand the kind of joy Easter  brings?  

Clearly, on Maundy Thursday in that upper room, the disciples did not  understand. You can’t blame them. Put yourself in their shoes: they’re  celebrating the Passover meal when Jesus tells them a riddle “in a little while  you are not going to see me anymore, and again in a little while you will see  me, because I am going away to the Father.” If Jesus intended these words to  be cryptic, he succeeded. The disciples discussed among themselves whether  anyone understood what this meant; finally concluding: “we don’t  understand what he’s saying.” Given the benefit of 2000 years of hindsight,  we can be pretty confident in identifying the two “little whiles” Jesus is  referring to. 1) The first “little while” is the time between when he spoke  these words on Maundy Thursday and his death and burial on Good Friday  when they would not see him. 2) The second “little while” refers to the time – the three days – between his burial and resurrection, after which they would  see him alive again. To disciples who would soon be overwhelmed with  sorrow, Jesus identifies the “riddle” of Easter joy: that it is joy delayed; it will  only be theirs in a “little while.” 

Just as interesting as this riddle is where this joy would come from: “amen,  amen, I tell you: You will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice. You will  become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.” So Jesus explains one  riddle with another? Jesus promises that his disciples will mourn while the world rejoices – but then, somehow, their sorrow will turn to joy? How is  that even possible? Jesus uses the familiar illustration of a woman in labor. I  wouldn’t dare try to describe the pain of childbirth to those of you who have  experienced it first-hand. But I have been there to witness my wife  experience the pain of child-birth, only to watch that pain (in a sense) melt  away the moment she heard our children’s first cry. That’s what Jesus is  describing here. That’s the kind of joy Easter brings; a delayed joy, one  preceded by pain and sorrow. Jesus puts it this way: so you also have sorrow  now. But I will see you again. Your heart will rejoice, and no one will take  your joy away from you.  

What exactly is Jesus talking about here?  

Christians hurt sometimes. We weep because of loss. We mourn over  sadness. We grieve over guilt from sin. The disciples would mourn as they  saw Jesus crucified. They would suffer as they proclaimed the Gospel. So we  too grieve as we suffer from the fallenness of our own natures, and the brokenness of this world. We suffer when the unbelieving world persecutes  us for proclaiming the truth. So the question is not “will we suffer.” The real  question is what do with it? Jesus had the answer for his disciples.  

The disciples had been on an incredible journey. They had experienced both  terrible heartache and profound joy. On Good Friday, they were feeling  despair and grief. Their close friend and leader had been put to death by  Roman soldiers. Their grief was mixed with fear. The disciples didn’t know if  the Jewish leaders would be coming for them next. They were probably  wondering what purpose, if any, remained for them. They had thought that  Jesus was the Messiah. Now they wondered how that could be true, since he  had been put to death. Perhaps they doubted God’s plan of salvation. 

Then on Easter Sunday, they were pulled out of the pit of grief and fear with  amazing news. Jesus was alive! He had appeared to the women at the tomb.  Peter and John had seen the empty tomb. The disciples on the road to  Emmaus confirmed the stories—they had broken bread with him! Then he  had appeared to most of them in the upper room, telling them not to be  afraid. If ever they had doubted God’s plan, those doubts disappeared as  Jesus stood right in front of them. 

Because of that sure hope won for us on Easter, we can confidently trust our  God through all of life’s challenges. 

While our experiences today are not exactly the same as the disciples, we  certainly have experiences that could lead us to doubt God’s love and  blessings. Do you understand why the Lord allows you to suffer and be  sorrowful for a “little while” here in this world? Why he lets you struggle to  pay your bills and fill your gas tank; why he allows the deviancy of  homosexuality and transgenderism and the tragedy of abortion to not only be  legal, but celebrated in our society; why, sometimes, pregnancies don’t end  with the joy of a child but the tears of a miscarriage; why so many people you  know and love have absolutely no interest in trusting Jesus as their Savior  from sin; why instead of granting healing to your body and mind he allows  them to break down in painful and frustrating ways; why you’ve had to stand  there, tears streaming down your cheeks, as the body of someone you love is  lowered into the ground? Do you understand those things?  

The real mystery is not why we have pain and sorrow – that’s obvious. No,  the real mystery is why sinners like us should have any reason to rejoice. 

Nobody knows what’s coming “in a little while,” but Jesus does. So when he  says it, this is so much more than a pat on the back and a “hang in there, pal.”  Jesus is all knowing. Jesus is eternal. He knows precisely how long “a little  while is” for the hardships you face just as he did for those disciples. Jesus  knew that his disciples would weep and mourn and grieve, but then three  days after his death, they would see him again and rejoice. Jesus knows what  troubles you. He sees your burdens and he counts your tears and into your  ear he whispers, “only a little while.” Not to appease you with an empty thought about an uncertain future, but to remind you of the quintessential  Easter truth: that he lives. He lives to fulfill his every promise just for you. He  lives to bring you all the good gifts of Easter – peace, forgiveness, hope, life,  and a lasting, deep joy. 

Jesus said it, no one will take away your joy. Because our joy isn’t found in  our circumstances, which constantly change, but in our Savior, the One who  is the same yesterday and today and forever. Jesus died to pay for our sins of  seeking joy in all the wrong places. But he didn’t stay dead. He came back to  life, proving that your sins are forgiven, your eternity is guaranteed, and he is  the only one in the universe with the perspective and the ability to say  something like, “in a little while…your grief will turn to joy…and no one will  take away your joy.” Jesus lives to bring you all the gifts of Easter – right now  and lasting into eternity.  

But sometimes, we just want to skip to the end! As though once the “bad  thing” is behind us, then we’ll be happy? Look closely at what Jesus says and  what he doesn’t say. Jesus does not say, your grief will be replaced with joy,  or your grief will coexist with joy. He says, “Your grief will turn to joy.” This  is what Easter and the Easter Season are all about. The resurrection of Jesus  takes what seems like a hopeless situation and turns it into joy. Easter means  that sin, which separated you from a holy God, has been removed from you,  ground into dust under His feet. Easter means that the struggles you now  experience are the roads to deeper fellowship with God. The challenges you  experience are the exercises to strengthen your faith and trust in Jesus.  Easter means that the last and greatest enemy, death itself, is nothing but a  doorway to eternal life with Jesus. God is making those unhappy times bright and shiny. He starts here and now by keeping his promises, even through  times of weeping, mourning, and grieving.  

How do you feel on Easter Sunday? In my memories of Easter Sundays past,  there is a common thread of joy. There is a special feeling on Easter Sunday.  The church is full of bright colors and smiling faces; laughter and fellowship  and the smell of Easter lilies fill every corner. And, best of all, God’s people  

loudly sing their Easter praises. 

I don’t have a special guidebook on how to make every day like Easter  Sunday or an easy way to summon those special joyful feelings when we must  face trials. And yet, we have Jesus.  

Your grief will turn to joy. Jesus made his disciples a big promise here. It  took them a little while to realize it. Because of Easter, Jesus makes you that  same big promise. Your grief will turn to joy. Think about that for a little  while and rejoice in that forever. He’s telling the truth:  

Easter brings a deep and lasting joy.


Written Sermon May 11, 2025

 Sermon for 05/11/25 

Written by Pastor John Eich

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Alma, MI

 John 10:22–30 

22Then the Festival of Dedication  took place in Jerusalem. It was  winter, 23and Jesus was walking  in the temple area in Solomon's Colonnade. 24So the Jews  gathered around Jesus, asking,  “How long will you keep us in  suspense? If you are the Christ,  tell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered  them, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I am doing in my  Father's name testify about me. 26But you do not believe, because you are  not my sheep, as I said to you. 27My sheep hear my voice. I know them,  and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.  No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given  them to me, is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of my  Father's hand. 30I and the Father are one.” 

Trust is essential in life. Every day, we place our trust in people, systems,  and routines—whether driving a car, following medical advice, or even  sitting on a chair. Yet the book, "The Day America Told the Truth" (1991  Prentis Hall) says that 91 percent of those surveyed lie routinely about  matters they consider trivial, and 36 percent lie about important matters;  86 percent lie regularly to parents, 75 percent to friends, 73 percent to  siblings, and 69 percent to spouses. 

Every brand claims to offer the best value for your money. Ever buy the  advertised brand of paper plates only to throw half of them away un-used  because they were so flimsy, crumbling as soon as you placed so much as  a scoop of potato salad on them? 

But even if you have the cash to buy the best of everything, how do you  know what is the best? How can we trust anything anyone says? We want  proof don’t we? Like kids in a school yard we shout “PROVE IT!”  

That was the basis of the question that the people asked Jesus. John tells  us, the crowds gather around Jesus as he walks in Solomon’s porch.  “Stop talking in riddles and parables,” they complain. “If you are  Messiah, just tell us!” It’s a challenge of authenticity, a call to prove that  what he was saying was trustworthy. Tell us plainly. 

Haven’t there been times when you prayed that prayer? Just tell me  plainly what I need to know, Jesus. Show me clearly who you are. Sure  the name Jesus means “Savior” but did that Babe of Bethlehem live up to  the hype? Help me make the right decision. Make your will for me crystal clear. Give me a sign. Send me an email, a text, a tweet, something! We  know his promises in Scripture, but sometimes, perhaps more often than  we care to admit, don’t we wonder if they are true? Don’t we wish for  some word, some sign that all those promises are trustworthy? 

Yet, hasn’t Jesus already proven himself, many times? Yes. But the people didn’t pay attention. Even though His miracles proved what He  was saying, they weren’t satisfied. 

It’s like the person who complains that they didn’t know about some  event, some decision that was made. There have been announcements in  the bulletin, in the newsletter, on the bulletin board, the television in the  narthex, from the pulpit. Yet, they grumble about a lack of  communication. We want proof God will keep his word before we step  out of the boat although He has given us that proof throughout Scripture  and in our own lives. We just don’t always pay attention.  

Jesus is calling his followers into something completely different,  something more. Jesus is calling his followers into a life-changing,  intimate relationship. Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them,  and they follow me.” 

Why would we follow Jesus? He made some pretty wild claims, didn’t  he? “Believe in me and you will live forever.” “The Father and I are one.”  “I will die and on the third day rise again.” Or in the Twenty-third psalm,  “The Lord is my shepherd I lack nothing.” Those are pretty wild claims.  Almost unbelievable. So why do we believe them? 

Because Jesus, our Good Shepherd, proved he is trustworthy.  

Jesus promised that on the third day he would rise from the dead. If  Christ is not risen our faith is futile. Or preaching is useless. But Christ  has risen! He has risen indeed. Every religious leader there ever was has  claimed their teachings were true. Mohammed, Confucius, Zoroaster,  Mary Baker Eddy, Buddha, Krishna, Rhonda Byrne, all claimed to teach  the truth. But none of them proved it by rising from the dead. Only Jesus  proved what he said was trustworthy and true by doing something no one  else could do. The historical, provable fact of Jesus’ resurrection is God’s  stamp of acceptance and approval of all that Jesus has said and done.  

That’s why we follow him.  

That’s why the resurrection of Jesus is so central to our faith. Everything  hinges on Jesus proving that what he said was true by rising from the  dead. We know our sins and our need for a Savior. We know that our sin  brings hell on us. But Jesus came to be our Shepherd, to lay down his life  for us. That’s what we need him to do, and that’s what he did for us. As our Good Shepherd, he laid down his life for his sheep and took it up  again. The resurrection proves that God’s anger against sin has been  appeased. It proves that the payment for sin – death- has been paid.  

So with our eyes on the resurrected Lord, we hear his voice and trust  what he says.  

He is with us at every moment and in every place. We are never alone,  never separated from him because He fills all creation. His resurrection  and ascension proves it. 

He is King—He is powerful, nothing is beyond His powerful reach,  nothing is outside of His sovereign rule. He wields that power for the  sake of His church, those who believe in Him. His resurrection proves it. 

He is our Good Shepherd who supplies us. “Give us this day our daily  bread.” Why do we pray that? Because proved it by his miracles that  provided what people need. Why do we still believe it? Because He  proved His promises by rising from the dead. 

He is the Forgiver of all our sins. He is the sacrifice that made peace with  God. He is the all sufficient payment for the sins of the world. Your guilt  has been washed away. He proved his promise to forgive us by…His  resurrection. 

Jesus makes one more promise in our text: “No one will snatch them out  of my hand.” Allstate insurance adopted the “You’re in good hands with  Allstate” slogan in 1950 and has used it ever since. As advertising slogans  go, “in good hands” is a memorable one. It suggests strength, support,  stability, skill, guidance, protection, and above all, personal involvement.  We use our hands to touch. Touch is personal and comforting, as we all  know from countless handshakes, gentle caresses, and sympathetic pats on-the-back. 

Imagine the many circumstances in which you would welcome such  words as “you’re in good hands.” When dropping the children off for  their first day of school, we’re glad to hear, “Oh, don’t worry. Your  children are in good hands.” When considering major surgery: “Don’t  worry. Doctor Jones is a skilled surgeon. You’re in good hands. Relax.”  When stepping onto a commercial airliner, investing hard-earned  retirement funds, purchasing a house, or following a military commander  onto a battlefield, who would not welcome the knowledge that, “You’re in  good hands?” 

There are no better hands to be in than the nailed scarred hands of a God  who loved you so much that He hung on a cross suffering and dying when  He had the power to save himself. 

When you are in God’s hands, He is always leading you. Jesus said in  verse 27, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow  Me.” I can think of no greater, more reassuring reality for our personal  lives and troubling daily headlines than the reality: “Jesus is always  leading me. My hand is in the hand of Jesus.” How does the old song go  by Loretta Lynn? “Put your hand in the hand of the Man who stilled the  waters. Put your hand in the hand of the Man who calmed the sea.” 

Can you remember holding your parents’ hand as a child? Can you  remember clasping your own child’s hand—teaching him to walk, leading  her across busy streets, holding on to him in crowded airports, or helping  her up when she fell? How do those memories make you feel? Aren’t they  filled with feelings of love, support, protection and gratitude? 

We are eternally safe in God’s hands. This lesson is so important for us to  remember that Jesus taught it twice in consecutive verses. Verse 22: “no  one can snatch them out of My hand;” and in verse 23: “no one can  snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” 

When I was a boy, I used to play a game with my dad in which he would  clench his fist tightly and I would try to open it. I would use one hand,  then two hands. Then I would try to wiggle my fingers between his  fingers, targeting his big thumb or little finger, looking for any indication  of weakness; all while grunting and giggling and using my legs to gain  leverage. But nothing worked. He was too strong. 

The same hands too strong for me to open were also the hands strong  enough to go on providing for me and protecting me. With those strong  hands of his, my dad disciplined me when I did wrong and hugged me to  show he still loved me. I was blessed to have him. For in him I had a brief  glimpse of what it means to have a ‘Father’ in heaven. 

Is there anything more encouraging or heartening than the knowledge  that ‘nothing can snatch you out of God’s almighty hand?’ Nothing can  interfere with His love and purposes for your life or the inheritance that  He has freely given you or the eternal life waiting for you. Nothing can  come between you and God. Not terrorist bombings or destructive  weather. Not petty dictators making nuclear threats. Not your own self inflicted folly. Not even death itself. Nothing can change God glorious  plan for your life because you are in God’s hands; and as Jesus said, “no  one can snatch them out of My hand;” and “no one can snatch them out  of My Father’s hand.” 

That’s a promise from the risen, trustworthy Good Hands-God.


Written Sermon 3/23/25

Pastor John Eich

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Alma, MI

Luke 13:1-9

Now is the Time to Repent

1At that time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2He answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered these things? 3I  tell you, no. But unless you repent, you will all perish too. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the  tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse sinners than  all the people living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no. But unless you repent, you  will all perish too.” 6He told them this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted  in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it, but he did not find any. 7So  he said to the gardener, ‘Look, for three years now I have come looking for  fruit on this fig tree, and I have found none. Cut it down. Why even let it use  up the soil?’ 8But the gardener replied to him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year  also, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it. 9If it produces fruit next  year, fine. But if not, then cut it down.’” 

As I reflected on today’s gospel for this sermon I thought about the  Russian war on Ukraine, the more than 46,000 killed in the Gaza crises,  the six million covid deaths worldwide, and the 42 killed in severe storms  last weekend. Why? 

Not much has changed since the time of Jesus. Tyrants are still acting,  and tragedies are still happening. I want to know why these things  happen, don’t you? I want some explanation and a way to make sense of  it all.  

We’re tempted to try and connect the dots and we can’t help but wonder  what they did to cause it. They must be guilty of something. God must be  punishing them for something we don’t know about.  

Sometimes we may wonder if our troubles are punishment for our sins.  What did I do wrong for this to happen? But Jesus stops this thinking in  its tracks. The answer is that I have done all kinds of things wrong. I am a  sinner before the Lord. But this is not the reason why a hailstorm  destroyed my car. This is not the reason why I’ve had a flat tire on the  road. God is not karma. Now, we certainly experience consequences for  our sinful decisions. But calamities, sicknesses, and disasters are not a  direct way that God punishes us. 

Jesus doesn’t offer an explanation of why Pilate mingled the blood of  Galileans with their sacrifices, or why the Tower of Siloam fell killing  18. No, Jesus says, those Galileans were not worse sinners. No, he  insists, those people in Siloam were not more guilty than you. Don’t focus  on the cause, says Jesus. Rather, consider your response. And how  should we respond? Jesus says,“repent.” 

This call to repentance seems strange because we normally think of  repentance of something we do when we’ve done something wrong. But  that thinking is too small. Jesus is talking about repentance more  broadly. Don’t just repent when you’ve messed up, Jesus says. Repent  when any bad thing happens. 

Because bad things are so common in this broken world, repentance  becomes more than just a response to felt guilt. The Greek word for  repent could be translated more exactly with ‘assume another mind and  feeling, recover one’s senses, or have a change of spirit. Repentance is not  a bargain with God for the temporary relief of guilt. Repentance is a  turning away from anything that is not right in His sight and turning  toward the One who can make all things right. Each disaster should make  us renew our repentance. 

Which is where Jesus’ story of the fig tree comes into the picture. Jesus  continues his call to repentance by telling a story of mercy and patience  in the light of coming judgment. The fig tree deserved to be cut down and  destroyed. It had not produced fruit for years. But the caretaker asked for  mercy. He tended, nurtured and cared for this tree, patiently cultivating  it so that it might bear fruit. But if it doesn’t, then it will be cut down. Judgment is inevitable. That much is certain. 

This story is about repentance. And that’s been true all through this  season of Lent, as we have tuned our ears to listen to Jesus. Here, he says  it plainly – not once, but twice: “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you  will all perish just as they did.” As God tends you the fruit of His work is  repentance. If there is no repentance then there is only death and  destruction. 

The question isn’t so much, “Is what I’m doing something that’s  deserving of death?” because the answer is “Yes! Absolutely. Every sin  deserves the death sentence.” Death, in all its forms, is a preaching of  God’s law. And Jesus’ most sincere desire is to save you from it. That’s  why He keeps nurturing to cause us to be fruitful in repentance. 

For as much as people might like to find a reason for with the troubles of  others, remember, Jesus has a reason for you – to bring you to repentance, to assure you of his forgiveness, and to show you the back  door to heaven. When life happens…repent! Bear fruit!  

Yet the time for God’s patience will run out. We usually think of that as  the end of the world, the final judgment. And that’s true. However, it can  also happen at any time by death. That’s God warning through these  tragedies. Don’t wait. Death can come unexpectedly as it has to some  over the last couple of weeks. Like a twelve-year-old girl dying within  days after contracting a virus. Or a one-year-old boy dying from a rare  brain cancer, or 42 people killed by a storm. Jesus is warning all of us to  take these troubles to heart. Live a life of repentance, aware of the brevity  of life. Don’t waste time, don’t put off repentance, there might not be a  tomorrow. There might be a life-ending tragedy around the corner.  

Should that thought cause us to look over our shoulders constantly  expecting the sky to fall? NO, not at all. But neither should we go through  life ignoring the fact that those things can happen. And we do try to  ignore it, to not think about it and to not even plan for it. When you see  those tragedies, remember the fleeting nature of life. Put off sin, and turn  to your Savior because he promises to forgive you. 

Notice how Jesus doesn’t tell us whether that fig tree did finally bear  fruit. That’s because He is letting us know that we have a choice. He’s not  offering a cause and effect explanation, he’s offering a choice between life  and death. While God does this work, you and I have a part to play. We  can’t make our faith stronger on our own, but we can put ourselves in a  position to be surrounded by his Word, to be in a place where God will do  the work he’s promised. So, tending to the tree of our faith means  immersing ourselves in his Word. 

Every moment is a burning bush moment of divine presence, hope, new  life and more life. The only question is whether we will “turn aside to see  this great thing.”  

But God’s grace is still here is this parable to lift our hearts from the  abyss of impending doom. The vineyard worker doesn’t just sit and watch  and see if the tree figures it out. The vineyard worker goes to work on  that tree – digging around it, fertilizing it, doing everything necessary to  make this tree does what fruit trees do. He holds off destruction and goes  to work. That’s exactly what Jesus does for you and me. He brings us to a  realization of our sin through his law, and then proclaims and promises  his perfect rescue in the gospel. He turns us outside of ourselves, bearing  fruit for the glory of God and the benefit of our neighbor. Repent! Bear  fruit! But do you see the only way both of those things happen? Only in Christ – he brings us to see our sin and our sin’s forgiveness in him.  Christ himself is the one who makes us fruitful. 

So God assures us time and time again, sometimes in direct conflict with  our internal dialogue and emotions, that he loves us. While, yes, we have  sinned, and yes, we do deserve eternal punishment in hell for those sins,  Jesus took our place. Jesus paid the price we owed. Jesus has saved us  through his perfect life that he applies to us and his death on the cross  that removed every single one of our sins. Now, the soil can breathe and  have nutrients rush to the roots. 

And what is the result? What could the result be but joyous thanksgiving  to God? When we can see and appreciate how great the love of God for us  is, how could we possibly respond in joy to him? To be clear, any  response, any good works we do are not done to earn God’s love or  forgiveness; those have been given to us as a free gift. No, the fruit we  produce is the result of thanksgiving to the God who loves us. 

In the end, it’s not the fruit that is the ultimate concern, but the fruit is a  sign of the tree's health. The good works in our life are not the goal, but  they are useful to gauge the health of our faith. The faith that clings to  Jesus as the only and complete Savior from sin is what is most vital. A  healthy tree will produce good fruit; a healthy faith will produce thankful  fruit, and we want our faith to be healthy as we look forward to the rescue  from this life that God will provide. 

God grant us his Holy Spirit to see in every trial, tragedy, or triumph in  this life, an opportunity to turn in repentance and faith to our Savior who  forgives us and makes us fruitful.