The Theology of Prune Juice

So, what’s on my mind?

I was standing in the grocery store the other day when something caught my eye: prune juice. And I had a very serious theological question. Aren’t prunes just dried plums? And if prunes are dried plums… where exactly are they getting this juice from? Is there plum juice hiding somewhere in the produce section that I’ve overlooked my entire life? Or is there a secret underground plum-juice industry I don’t know about?

These are the kinds of mysteries that hit you in the juice aisle. But it did get me thinking. Sometimes life feels a little like a dried plum. You know what I mean. There are seasons when we feel fresh, vibrant, and full. And then there are seasons when we feel a bit… dehydrated. A little wrung out. Like we’ve given and given and given—and we’re not sure there’s much “juice” left. Work demands things. Family needs things. Church needs things. The world definitely needs things. And sometimes we quietly wonder, “Do I have anything left to give?”

This past Sunday’s sermon just so happened to be on John 15, so it was fresh on my mind. In verse 5 Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches… apart from me you can do nothing.” That might sound discouraging at first—“nothing”?—but it’s actually freeing. Jesus doesn’t tell us to manufacture our own juice. He doesn’t tell us to squeeze harder. He doesn’t tell us to fake freshness. He simply says: stay connected to Me.

Fruit doesn’t strain. It doesn’t panic. It doesn’t hold meetings about productivity. It simply remains connected to the vine, and life flows. The good news is that when we feel dried out, we are not finished. We are not useless. We are not out of supply. The source has not run dry. God has a way of bringing life where we thought there wasn’t any left. Of drawing sweetness out of places that feel spent. Of renewing strength when we thought we were done.

So if you find yourself in a season where you feel a bit like a prune instead of a plum, take heart. Stay connected. The juice doesn’t come from us anyway. And for the record, yes—plum juice is a thing. I checked.

May God hold you,
Rev Chris Hester