Acknowledging God’s Gifts in the Cherry Season
Dr. Justus Jonas praised the glorious blessing which God grants in fruit. “I have a branch with cherries on it hanging over my table,” he said, “in order that when I look at it I may learn the article about divine creation.” Dr. Martin Luther responded, “Why don’t you learn it daily by looking at your children, the fruit of your body? They’re there every day, and surely they amount to much more than all the fruit of the trees! There you may see the providence of God, who created them from nothing. In half a year he gave them body, life, and limb, and he will also sustain them. Yet we overlook them, as if those gifts of God made us blind and greedy, as it usually happens that men become worse and more greedy when they have offspring; they don’t realize that every child is apportioned his lot according to the saying, ‘The more children the more luck.’ Dear God, how great are the ignorance and the wickedness of man, who doesn’t think about the best gifts of God but does just the opposite.”
This conversation from the summer of 1537 took place at the busy meal-table of Martin Luther, and is recorded as No. 3613 of many such Table Talks. We have been enjoying fresh sweet cherries almost every day, so this seemed to me an opportune selection from the book Faith and Freedom: An Invitation to the Writings of Martin Luther.
I also received much edification from Martin Luther’s letter describing “A Simple Way to Pray.” I plan to use his Scriptural method next time worldly distractions take my desire and focus from prayer.
Painting: White Roses and Cherries. Henri Fantin-Latour. This image is in the public domain.
Friday, July 6, 2012