Between the ages of two and five, I lived in Abilene, Texas, since my father was serving a congregation there. Because I was so young, I don’t have many memories of that time.  However, one of the things I do remember is tumbleweeds. These round scrub bushes grow in the desert plains and are plentiful West Texas. After a while, the bush withers and either breaks off or is uprooted by the wind, and it tumbles along as it is pushed by the wind.

That is a description of how NOT to be as a follower of Jesus Christ. We are not to be rooted in an arid, dry place lacking nourishment so that any wind that comes along can blow us away! We are to be Rooted in Christ.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

You are blessed when your confidence is in God, not yourself. The person whose faith is in the Lord is one who is rooted in Christ. You belong to Him and are loved by Him. Not only did He make you, but He also bought you back from sin and death so that you might be His own. He loves you so much that He emptied Himself, took the nature of a servant, and was obedient to death on a cross. God reconciled you to Himself through the death of His Son. It was the blood of Jesus Christ that accomplished your forgiveness. In a mystery that we cannot ever understand or comprehend, God washes us and makes us clean through the blood of His Son. He promises that all who put their  faith in Jesus Christ are forgiven.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. 1 John 3:16

When you are rooted in Christ and stay attached to him you have the nourishing water of His Word and Sacraments. We need to feed daily on the promises recorded for us through divine inspiration, always digging deeper. But we are also nourished by remembering the Water of our Baptism that washed us from every spot and stain gives us joy and peace. Sharing the body and blood of our Lord that made the payment for our sins gives us joy and peace.

At this time of year in Texas, we are usually at the point where we have not had any rain for quite some time. Lawns have been yellow and trees had leaves curl up. You can see first hand what happens when there is no water. And that is what is happening to so many people all around us. They are rooted somewhere other than Christ, and they are dying for lack of proper nourishment. They don’t know and believe that when Jesus died, He did so to pay for their sins, so that they could be forgiven and receive everlasting life. It is our task, our obligation to share with them what it means to be rooted in the only true source of life, able to draw on an unlimited source of water and refreshment for our souls. Without that, they will be like a tumbleweed — dead, lifeless, blown away.

Because you are rooted in Christ, you have life. Share Jesus with someone today.