And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Mark 7:14-23

In this passage we see that Christ is challenging the idea of dietary uncleanness within Israel. He uses the biological process He created as an illustration for teaching. Food goes into your stomach, is processed, and then expelled. By highlighting this process Jesus is showing that it is not food which defiles a person but their hearts. What goes into you isn’t defiling, what comes out of your heart is.

Christ says that it is what comes out of our hearts that matters. The thing that reveals what we are consuming in our hearts is what we are producing from them. Good goes in and good comes out or evil goes in and evil goes out. Sometimes we receive evil things and, through God’s processes in our hearts, He is able to make good come out. A healthy heart is revealed by its output. We are known by our fruit. As we go into fall, a time of harvest, I wonder what kind of fruit is being produced in our hearts and what bounty the Lord will gather in us.

“‎Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, ‎whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, ‎that sends out its roots by the stream, ‎and does not fear when heat comes, ‎for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

The idea of trust as the thing that roots us and sustains us is a pretty amazing one. In the passage above we are told that trust in the Lord is essential to getting through life’s difficult times. Trusting God’s goodness to sustain us is not always easy though. We experience a lot of pain and suffering in this world and it often makes us question God’s goodness. We wonder why He would allow terrible things to take place. Or why our loved ones have suffered in the ways they have. Or why He hasn’t come back yet.

Whatever we wonder it isn’t unique to us. Humanity has been asking these questions about God’s goodness since the first time we questioned Him in the garden and found ourselves in a broken relationship with Him. Yet over and over again throughout scripture God continues to reveal His goodness and love to us. He remains faithful to provide a source of life in the deserts of life. Sometimes it is hard to trust in His goodness but it is the only way to make it through the darkness and the drought of pain and sorrow. God provides fruit for our lives even in those seasons when we trust in Him and allow Him to be our sustainer.

I spent last week at our annual Yearly Meeting sessions in Newberg at George Fox University. It was great to gather together with so many Friends from our region to work on the business of our church. As we headed into the sessions there was a palpable energy to be felt in the space. Expectation, trepidation, wonder, and hope. We were presented and approved our new super intendent Jim Le Shana. Besides that outstanding news we also had our board meeting and time to learn in workshops presented in the afternoons. Our meal times were great to fellowship and further discussion of the Yearly Meeting business. There were opportunities to pray together and worship was joyful.

            One of my favorite parts of my week was spending time with Youth Yearly Meeting participants as part of my role on the Board of Youth and Young Adults. I met with students and another of our board members to talk about their experience of the event and hopes for how it might look going forward. Going forward. It is nice to be able to say that. For the past few years it has felt as though we were stuck. Held to the same discussions and frustrations. We were not a body that was able to speak well to one another always. We often had confrontation and there was a general mistrust of others. People had to determine which “camp” you were a part of. That kind of fractious and tribal activity was not something that we wanted. But when it is clear that two groups were trying to lead and control a space it ended up being obvious that there was a fracture. We acknowledged that brokenness and took steps to free both groups to pursue ministry in the ways they feel led to. That space, that freedom, is what resulted in the hopefulness at our Yearly Meeting sessions.

Looking back is great to show us where we have been but looking forward is the way to get where we want to be. Going forward is what we want to do as a Yearly Meeting. Part of me is wondering how we can participate in that vision and activity as a church in Medford. What our role is in the Yearly Meeting and our area. How can we share the gospel with our community? What does it look like for us to be the church here in our neighborhood? How can we continue to be faithful to the calling of the Lord to be His people and live in His kingdom? What does going forward look like for us?