Sunday, March 23, 2025 Rev. Molly Vetter Throughout Lent, we’ve explored the tension between seemingly opposite words, only to find that they are deeply connected. Today, we consider rest and growth through Jesus’ parable of the fig tree in the vineyard—a tree that doesn’t seem to belong yet has a role beyond mere productivity. Like the fig tree, we are not defined by what we produce but by our place in God’s creation. Rest is not just a pause between work but a sacred practice, woven into creation itself, that allows for unseen growth. Just as the gardener urges patience and care for the fig tree, we, too, need seasons of tending, trusting that transformation is happening even when we can’t see it. Our value is not in our usefulness but in our belovedness. Resting is an act of faith—a resistance to a world that ties worth to productivity and a declaration that we belong to God, just as we are. In resting, we make space for true flourishing—not just for ourselves, but for the whole community of creation.