Well, I am the true blackberry, the true apple or the true tree could be nearer to it for us since we don't have too many vines growing in Wythenshawe except one grown by a church member! The image of the vine, intertwined, growing many branches and full of fruit is a beautiful one and particularly this time of autumn harvest. Vines also seem quite exotic to many of us in the messychurch planning team but we are surrounded by apple trees and other kinds of fruit trees and shrubs in Woodhouse Park. Some fruit trees were planted in our nearby public park and we can now enjoy the fruits from them. A few have apple trees in gardens and we had a delivery from Abundance Manchester last week of a tray of cooking apples for the Tree of Life Centre kitchen to contend with! It does feel like God's provision in creation is present, including with local supermarkets and Northenden Farmers Market springing up in Wythenshawe.
So we are taking a grape and translating it into apples, blackberries and their juices at messychurch but we're also keeping the vine image for us to explore too. Fruity messychurch for September. Let's see how it all goes this coming Saturday.
Pray for messychurch as the families begin to juggle back-to-school things, clubs and groups and messychurch gets stuck in the mix too. Amen!
