My cucumbers were failing to transform. Lots of vine growth and blossoms, but only one cucumber so far. And, I’ve been told, if you can’t grow cucumbers, you might as well give up gardening. Well, I am not much of a gardener but do like growing things. 

So, to the Internet: why aren’t my cucumbers bearing fruit? Insufficient pollination, poor soil conditions, improper watering, unfavorable weather conditions. Because we’ve had plenty of rain—and sun—and I mixed into good nutrients into the soil before planting, I focused on lack of pollination. I hadn’t seen bees in my garden lately, maybe due to disruptions from deck work. But late last week, the bees were back, transferring pollen from male to female flowers, and so were the cucumbers. 

An amazing transformation.

God’s power to transform the world

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11 KJV

Here, Isaiah offers a poetic vision of restoration, declaring God’s power to transform the world. Although addressed to exiled Judeans in the sixth century BCE, these words speak to us today. The abundance noted in verse 10 engages our senses: the cool dampness of rain, the green landscape, the taste of bread. 

God’s word is life-giving, transforming.

Transform our minds

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 NIV

As noted in a post from last summer, “Transformation is a process—and for survivors, it’s a process with its ups and downs, flashbacks, and panic attacks. But, as the resurrection confirms, it is the better way; it is God’s way,” theologians Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Susan Shaw wrote in Richard Rohr’s August 4, 2024 daily meditation. God’s way is transformative. 

The authors of Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most recommended this process: think about your day, notice where you felt God’s presence, and give thanks for what you’re grateful for; recall when you fell short, ask for forgiveness, and reconcile with those you hurt; ask for His grace.  In other words, practice the way of life you’re trying to cultivate. 

And transform to become His fruit.

Transform to a life reflecting Christ’s

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

Perhaps the most dramatic transformation story in the Bible is Saul’s Road to Damascus experience: struck blind by a heavenly light after hearing the voice of Jesus, this devout persecutor of Christians became Paul, a devoted follower of Jesus. Paul’s lifelong mission: to spread the gospel. So, must our own transformation be. And our mission, as our Pastor said last week, to sow the gospel.

Transform: pollinated by the Word to bear fruit.

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