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Welcome back to the living, a space created to help you encounter God in your everyday life, be with Him, and find life right where you are. Today is Friday, March 20th, and thanks for being a part of our Lenten journey. Over the course of this Lenten season, we are spending time in the final week of Jesus' life, a week that changed everything. And yesterday we heard Jesus tell his disciples, I am the vine, you are the branches. Life with him is not something we have to manufacture, it's something we get to receive. And today Jesus adds another part to that picture: that there is also a gardener in our story. And the gardener cares deeply about the life growing in his vineyard. Before we dive into today's lectio practice, I simply want to invite you to slow down today, wherever you are, whatever is weighing on you. I invite you to consider 1 Peter 5:7 that we can cast all of our cares on him because he cares for us. Go ahead and take a deep breath in and slowly exhale. Remind yourself today, I am here, and so is God. And that is good news. Let's take another slow breath in and receive all of God's love for you and care for you. And as you exhale, go ahead and release all the pressure, trying to control everything. We're trying to be everywhere. We're trying to do all the things. Cast all of your cares on him today. Now we're ready to practice our Lectio Divina for the day. We will be praying through the scriptures, and like always, we'll work through four movements together. First, we'll read the text, and then we'll take time to reflect on it, then respond, and finally close our time with resting in his presence. And at the end, I'll offer a short reflection before we close in prayer. Today's scripture comes from John 15, verses one through three. Jesus is offering an image of how he's the vine, and we're the branches. Jesus says, I am the true vine, and my father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Today I invite you to notice the image of the gardener. As I read this passage for a second time, I invite you to ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate a phrase or a word that stands out to you today. Jesus says, I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Go ahead and hold on to that image or that word that is drawing your attention. As I read this passage again, this is a time to respond. Listen for the invitation from the Lord, what he has for you today. You might ask, where might God be shaping my life right now? Where is he gently tending? How is he pruning me today? I am the true vine, and my father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Go ahead and bring your response honestly before the Lord today. For this final reading, I invite you to simply rest in the care of God. I am the true vine. And my father is the gardener. Take a few moments to rest in the care of the gardener today. Pruning is about cutting something away so that more fruit can flourish. But more than pruning, I think about the one who's doing the pruning in this image that Jesus is offering. It's the gardener who happens to be the father. He's the one who watches over the vineyard, he's the one who tends to the branches, he's the one who's patiently shaping all that is growing. Sometimes we might assume that our growth depends on our effort alone, but Jesus reminds us that God is at work. Always. And he's attentive and he's present and he's shaping our lives in ways that we may not always see, even hard things that we're going through today. And the goal of his care is always the same: more life, more fruit, more of the life of Christ growing within us. Sometimes pruning can be hard. And maybe you're in a season of pruning today. Something's being taken away. But I love what N.T. Wright once said about this gardener who prunes. He said the gardener is never closer to the branch than when the knife is in his hand. That's when he's most near. That's when he is clearly at work. And we can know that it's always for our good. This is good news. Let's close with a word of prayer. Father, thanks for being our gardener. Thank you for tending our lives with such patience. Help us trust in the ways that you're shaping us, and teach us to remain close to Jesus and to receive the life you're growing within us. We pray these things in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today, may you go in his presence, rest in his love. We'll continue tomorrow.