With these warmer temperatures it sure feels like early spring outside (although I am concerned that winter isn’t quite through with us). On Sunday we left church and visited Longwood Gardens to enjoy the warmer than normal temperatures. It was great seeing all the signs in nature that spring is getting near. As I drive to and from church I see the farmers starting to prepare their soil for spring plantings, which is another encouraging sign!
This week Trent and I got started on preparing our property for the arrival of spring. The first projects we always tackle are trimming back our raspberry bushes and pruning back our peach tree. I was a little concerned that we might have been jumping the gun a bit, but when we got out there it was pretty clear that it was time.
When we purchased our home a few years ago the peach tree was quite overgrown. We were excited at the prospect of fresh peaches, but it looked like the tree had been neglected for at least a few years. Having zero experience in dealing with fruit trees, I talked to my brother about it, since he had a few fruit trees at his place. His first question was, “Do you want it to bear fruit?” It seemed like a silly question, of course we wanted it to bear fruit! Peaches are very healthy, especially when you bake them in a pie or add them to milkshakes!
“Well,” my brother continued, “the first thing we will have to do is prune it back.” A couple of weeks later Ryan came over and showed me what fruit-tree pruning looks like. He pruned the branches back HARD. When he was finished, he told me some other things that we needed to do throughout the growing season, and then he cautioned me that we might not get a bumper crop that August. Apparently the first year after a hard pruning isn’t always bountiful, but if we continued to care for the tree it would be overloaded with peaches for years to come.
So why do I tell you all this? Well, I think the lessons Ryan taught me about fruit-trees apply to our spiritual lives as well. Do we want to be fruitful as individuals and as a church? The easy answer is “YES,” but being fruitful may mean that we are in for some pruning, especially if we’ve ignored our spiritual life for a while.
When God prunes us, He starts to clip away all the unnecessary and “dead” things in our lives. Sometimes it means asking us to give up things we enjoy, but don’t have lasting value. Sometimes it means losing our “free” time so that He can redirect us. And sometimes, let’s face it, it means clipping away undesired character traits like pride, envy, selfishness, and anger.
Going through a season of pruning isn’t fun, but it is necessary if we are to remain fruitful. John 15:2 says:
“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
Did you catch the end of that verse? God prunes us because it will help us bear more fruit! Here’s the deal…like my peach tree, abundant fruit may not appear in our lives right away. But don’t give up. Be patient and allow God to continue to work in your life. Given time, you will begin to bear more fruit than you ever thought possible!
Here’s what’s happening:
- Men’s Breakfast is THIS Saturday 2/25 at Hometown Kitchen.
- Senior High Youth meets THIS Sunday 2/26 after the morning worship service.
- The church is having a “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” event on 3/19. Please return the sign up sheets by this Sunday, 2/26.
- Junior Youth meet again next Sunday, 3/5, after the morning worship service.
- Solanco Meat Canning is taking place on Tuesday, March 7 from 3:30-8pm. Sign up sheet is on the bulletin board. See Lloyd Kreider or Vernon Myers for more information.
- Next Steps at the Bridge luncheon is set for 3/12. Yes, I know this is the Sunday after the time change! See me if you would like to learn more about ABCF!
- Most weeks we are blessed with fresh flowers to help brighten our sanctuary. We would love to share these flowers with someone who is in need of some encouragement. If you know of such a person, please let Becky Conner or myself know!
- Hannah Lowry is need of transportation to work. Her commute is from Peach Bottom to Cochranville and she works 2nd shift. She has transportation home. If you would be able to help, please let me know.
This Sunday we’ll finish our journey through Mark 5 by looking at the story of Jesus raising the daughter of Jairus from the dead. What Jesus does is certainly life changing, but what He says is just as powerful!
Looking forward to worshipping with you,
Scott