September 21, 2015

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.”
James 3:13-18

“The harvest of our life’s efforts is really no different, as the author of James makes clear in this week’s epistle lesson. Just as the effort of the grower and pickers is reflected in the bins of lovely, fragrant fruit, so are the works of our life reflected in the fruits of our deeds. If we sow seeds of dissent in soil laden with envy and selfishness, our fruit will end up bruised and rotten from the core. Conflict and disputes leave unsightly pocks and blemishes. Slavish attention to wants and unbridled covetousness are pests every bit as damaging, ugly, and annoying as the common stink bug, infesting our lives and distracting us from the work at hand. I doubt any of us would make it past the “seconds” bin.

In welcoming and serving the weak, the marginalized, the poor, and the outcast, we grow toward a righteous harvest where all have a place at the table and an open invitation to enjoy God’s plenty. Getting there—from seed to mature harvest— is not easy; it is simple, but not easy. It is much more difficult to yield to others and put aside one’s own wants and desires. It is more difficult to sacrifice a branch or discard excess fruit that will crowd out the good. Yet we must prune our selfishness and greed if we are to grow, if we are to produce mature fruit for the table. It is tough and it hurts, but it is a necessary part of the process that will yield fruit full of mercy and a harvest of peace.” Rev. Sharron Blezard A Righteous Harvest  September 19, 2012

Selfish ambition. I have been struggling with selfish ambition this summer. Some of my feelings come from my own personal experiences with how I view my ministry, and other feelings come from what I see in the church today. If there is something in my life that I feel needs to be pruned, it is selfish ambition. “Why do I do the things that I do?” This is the question I need to ask myself constantly, and the question we all need to ask ourselves as we move about this world trying to live out our faith.

Recently my wife and I were pruning branches off a tree that stands in our front yard. We were pruning the branches because the tree was growing unevenly, out of control, and was interfering with strangers who wanted to walk on the sidewalk in front of our house. These are the reasons we prune certain behaviors from our lives. Sometimes we step back and see that our lives have become uneven and out of control because personal decisions and behaviors are impeding with our own progress in life and faith.

Pruning is tough — and as Sharron Blezard states, “it hurts” — but it is always necessary in the life of faith.

Pastor Dave