The Fruit of Repentance: Micah Young
The following homily was shared at our Sunday Evening Eucharist service 3/23/25.
Scripture Readings:
At my house growing up, we had a satsuma tree in our front yard that produced the best satsumas South Louisiana had to offer. I used to eat bags at a time- yes, Walmart bags at a time- and not get tired of them. There was even a point when kids in the neighborhood came and stole them, but we didn’t care because they were so plentiful. They left a trail of peelings across the neighborhood, but we still had more than what we could eat.
If you know anything about fruit trees, you know that it takes years to start getting fruit from them. They have to be cultivated and held up right during hurricanes. The first few fruits will be subpar, but precious. Eventually more and more satsumas will come. It doesn’t take long for you to be giving away the excess fruit to anyone you can find.
The same is true for spiritual gifts. The seed can be planted and the Gospel can grow someone into a fully fledged Christian. As they grow in the faith, they also grow in the fruits of the Spirit until they begin to overflow, giving even to the rambunctious kids in the neighborhood. However, this cannot happen without a certain level of cultivation.
I moved out of the house that I grew up in the summer before high school. It was a big change for me, maybe because I was growing up, but also because it was really sad to see the satsuma tree go. I think I may have even cried about it. Luckily, my parents kept the house and rented it out while we waited for it to sell, so I still had access to the tree for a little while.
The renters did not cultivate that tree, and it died. This was maybe worse than moving out of the house that I grew up in. Without the care that we gave it, it stopped bearing fruit.
In Jesus’ parable, the manure and care to the fruit tree is representative of repentance. In saying this, Jesus recognizes that there is sin in our lives that prevents us from bearing fruit, but repentance is the way to combat sin and build our spirits back up. Sin is deadly, but Jesus redeems our lives from destruction. Without him we would perish.
There is also redemption for the satsuma trees in my life. The one at my old house is gone, but so are the renters and the current tenant is perfect. After moving into our new house, one of the first things we did was to plant two more citrus trees. We cultivated them, and even though we lost one of them after hurricane Ida, the other one has started to make good fruit. The fruit isn’t the best and it doesn’t manage to make that many every year, but it is still great to see more fruit at our house.
Sin can kill you, but there is a way out: repentance through Jesus. Let the people around you help you cultivate your soul and give it to God. He promises good fruit, it just won’t happen overnight. Persevere in your repentant cultivation and God promises a land of milk and honey- which better have satsumas, too.
Micah Young is a sophomore at Louisiana Tech majoring in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Music Industry Studies. Micah enjoys playing guitar and is a member of our Wesley Worship Team, as well as this year’s Discipleship Team. We’re thankful for him and for the ways he shares his talents and gifts with the Body of Christ!