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Dearly Beloved,

TOMATO MIRACLE (Yes, part 3 to all my tomato drama.)

I have to admit I've been a little surprised and delighted by the number of times people in our church family ask me about my tomatoes. Thank you for caring about this silly little part of my life! 

To recap:

  • Laura decided to plant tomatoes this spring.

  • This caused me to decide to buy my own plants and show her how it's done: Tomato Competition 2025 commenced. 

  • My tomatoes got off to an extremely strong start, as the plants grew tall and strong very rapidly—it was hard not to be proud. 

  • While Laura's tomatoes did blossom first, mine began developing fruit first... and then horror struck.

  • All of my tomatoes began displaying what I learned was called "blossom end rot." After weeks of trying to solve this, I finally transplanted them to a new location as a last-ditch effort for them to at least bear something I could eat. 

  • Meanwhile, Laura's tomatoes had a very fruitful summer (and I interpreted this to be boastfulness and sin).

  • Finally, late in the summer my tomatoes were producing green fruit that was not marked by blossom end rot (the transplant worked!), HOWEVER, every time I had a tomato that appeared to be 1 day away from being perfectly vine-ripened, the tomato would disappear in the night (which was confirmed to be the work of vermin despite my suspicions that it was Laura). 

  • I officially gave up. 

This was sad for me because I could still see beautiful fruit growing on my plants but now felt there was no hope for them to properly ripen. I would not eat my own tomato sandwich this year. Sigh... The finality of this seemed to sting even worse than the fact that Laura had won. 

Until I came across an interesting piece of information… 

Somehow, I discovered that some gardeners will take their green tomatoes off the vine and put them into a paper bag WITH an apple or banana. Apparently these two fruits emit a special kind of gas that encourages tomatoes to blush and ripen. I realized I had one final opportunity. So, I followed the prescribed notion. After one week there was no change. I did not lose heart (because, honestly, I had no heart left to lose). But, alas! After week two, some of the tomatoes were beginning to blush! 

Today, I am one or two days away from EATING MY 2025 TOMATO SANDWICH COMPRISED OF MY VERY OWN TOMATOES. 

A tomato miracle. 

In John 15, Jesus has a couple of interesting things to say: 

"This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (vs 8)

"I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last." (vs 16) 

In the Bible, the concept of fruitfulness is often connected with following Jesus, obedience, Christlike character traits and gifts, and reaching lost people with the gospel of Jesus. Essentially a fruitful life is one that is 1) growing in faith (discipleship) and 2) reaching others who don't know Jesus yet (witness).

In CPC we have two ways we talk about everyone's (including you!) call to discipleship and witness.

We believe everyone in CPC is called to have DNA Relationships. By this we mean that each person discovers 2-3 close Christian friendships of the same gender that become an environment for Discipleship, Nurturing, and Accountability ("DNA"). You need others! And others need you! Some people find DNA Relationships over time in small groups, while others find them organically in friendships they purposefully cultivate. 

We believe everyone in CPC is called to Gospel Intentionality Together. By this we mean that each person needs to engage purposefully in their local mission field—which could be in their neighbourhood, workplace, school, or in a recreational activity—but that they don't do it alone. We want to build friendships with people who don't know Jesus yet alongside others who also know Jesus. These relationships become the bridge for the gospel of Jesus to move toward the lives of lost people here in the Comox Valley. 

Question: What's the key to both DNA Relationships and to Gospel Intentionality Together? 

Answer: Some key friends in your life who are like the apple or the banana in the brown paper bag that help my tomatoes to ripen.

So my question for you today is, who are 2 or 3 other people you could add to your life who could be like the apple and banana that help you to live a more fruitful life? 

If you already know who those people are, I encourage you to prioritize those friendships and your common goals of discipleship and witness. But if you don't know who those 2 to 3 people in your life are, I encourage you to ponder, pray, and put yourself into situations where you can cultivate some potential friendships. 

You need people who will be an apple and a banana in your life! And they need you! 

Pastor Mike

PS: Those words from Jesus again: 

"This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (vs 8)

"I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last." (vs 16)

PS. Please read Leviticus chapters 11-15 in preparation for Sunday's sermon. Thanks!