Service for the 19th Sunday after Pentecost.
“Let the vineyards be fruitful” is a song we sing many Sunday mornings as the offerings are brought to the altar. Today’s readings use that same imagery of a vineyard to teach us about the importance of bearing spiritual fruit. The key to this is Christ. When his love and lordship are standing in the center of God’s vineyard, the Church will be fruitful. When other things crowd in to take his place, the fruit disappears. Lord, help us to keep Jesus at the center of our lives!