Are you ready for the Harrow Fair? I am! What a great opportunity to celebrate the harvest and our community, to spend time having fun with friends and family, and to mark the unofficial end to summer as we look ahead to autumn. The fair is an important local event and seasonal marker for us and it has been missed! The sights, sounds, smells, and tastes will make for an exciting weekend.
This year’s fair theme is “Bushels, Bales, and Tails” as we gather to display and enjoy the things we have grown and raised: animals, fruits, vegetables and flowers. We will see what people have done with what they have grown in the canned goods and the baking. We will see other skills on display in the arts and crafts submitted by our neighbours.
The entries in the fair are on display for all to see and enjoy and for the judges to evaluate and reward. Many have been asking themselves what they can do to display at the fair. Is there time to create something? Is there a family recipe that is a winner? This is also a good time to reflect on what we produce in and through our lives, not only with our hands and our efforts. The fruit of our lives is on display and is a result of where we are rooted. Consider these words of Jesus: “I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart form me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers … This is to my Father’s glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:5, 6, 8 NIV)
Jesus tells us that He is the vine, the root, the source of life. We are simply the branches. If we are not rooted in Him, then we are like a dead stick – a broken branch that is removed because there is no life there. If we are rooted in the vine (Jesus) His Spirit gives us life and produces His fruit, His character, in our lives. Galatians chapter 5 tells us that this fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The character of Jesus produced in our hearts and lived out in our lives.
What would happen if you went to the fair and in the barn someone had a stuffed animal on display, in a stall amongst the livestock? What if among the produce you found that someone had submitted plastic fruit? You would be disappointed for sure. You would be upset that someone tried to pass off something false for the real deal. You would count on the judges to see through this charade and award the real fruit, the real animals, and not these imposters. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:15-23 that there will be many who claim to be His and yet they will teach false things. Others will seem to teach the truth but will not live it. This will one day be judged for what it is by God Himself. For now, Jesus tells us that “by their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:20). He explains that good fruit can only be grown by a good tree, so look closely, because bad fruit is the sign of a bad tree. There is no room for plastic fruit in the Kingdom of God.
Colossians 2:6-7 tells us “just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness”.
Look closely at your life. We are known by our fruit. Don’t settle for plastic, for imitation. Come be rooted in Jesus, find life in Him and watch his Spirit produce His fruit in your life. By their fruit you will know them – who they are, where they are rooted, what they are all about. By this fruit of the Spirit, God will get the glory for what He has done for you and in you.
As you enjoy the fair, see all that is on display, enjoy connecting with those around you, but also look at your own heart. Where are you rooted? What is the fruit of your life?