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That it may please thee to give and preserve to our use the bountiful fruits of the earth, so that in due time all may enjoy them, We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

I do not have much of a green thumb, so I am very grateful that God’s gardening skills far outshine mine. God can get life growing anywhere, all He has to do is speak and life appears. Therefore we find life in the sands of the driest desert as well as buried in the muddy bottoms of the deepest oceans and darkest caves. Simply put, God gives life, He creates life, molds life, shapes and sustains life; even your next breath is a gift of life from God.

So, as we thank God for the blessings of life and food, springtime plantings and fall harvests, let us look to our own growth and ask God for a springtime for our souls. Let us ask Jesus to renew us, prune us and make us aware and awake of all He the life He has to offer us. Then let us share our harvests with others. Let us share our harvests from the good earth and the harvests of gifts we receive from Jesus. Share the love, joy, peace patience, goodness, gentleness, self control – all the fruits the Holy Spirit produces in us. Never stop planting good things, never stop growing in Jesus.

Galatians 5:22-23 (Msg) But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. 23 Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way.
Galatians 5:22-23 (TLB) But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; and here there is no conflict with Jewish laws.

Peace,

Phil Parsons

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From Rodger:

I can’t help but think about how the images Phil conjures above operate on at least two separate levels.

First, how can we not – once we actually take in how God’s providence is all around us every single spring – live with a sense of profound thanksgiving?  I’m writing this in the evening, after Judy and I have enjoyed a dinner of grilled shrimp, steak, squash, all garnished with a wonderful salad.  Do we take such a gift like tonight’s dinner truly was for granted most of the time?  Or can we develop a better sense of how God blesses us in ways far too many people take for granted?

But there’s a second level that comes to mind for me.  It’s found in Phil’s words:  “Then let us share our harvests with others. Let us share our harvests from the good earth and the harvests of gifts we receive from Jesus.”  Isn’t that Matthew 25 – an identification that my Presbyterian Church (USA) is taking very seriously this year – in a single sentence?  Share both?  Food and drink – harvests that grow ultimately by God’s bounty; as well as the “fruits” of the spirit that only God can grow in us – assuming we allow ourselves to be “soil” that’s capable of growth.  I did a short video recently for what we call our “Interim Moment” during worship:  Music from friends of mine at Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis, and video that shows us clearly what this looks like.