Walking by the Spirit – March 16, 2025, Second Sunday in Lent, Girl Scout Sunday!
Psalm 108:1-5, Galatians 5:13-26
March 16, 2025, Girl Scout Sunday
I was thinking this week, “What scripture would work for Girl Scout Sunday?” Because it’s also the Second Sunday in Lent. So I asked my computer. And it gave me several good suggestions. But one “jumped out at me.” (The Spirit can work through your computer that way, too!) It was this passage from Galatians, which we know as “The Fruit of the Spirit.”
The reason I like that one is that the fruit of the spirit is this list of “characteristics” of us Christians. “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness.” And that reminded me of the Girl Scout Law, which I looked up, and which we heard the girls recite this morning. (Thank you girls!) Being Girl Scouts, you will do your best to be “honest and fair, friendly and helpful…” It also reminded me of the Boy Scout Law. “A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.” And no, I did not have to look that up! – even after all these years since I learned it – In 1968!
So, we have this similar sounding “list” in Galatians. And we might think of it as a similar “law” for Christians. In fact, as I said several years ago, that depending on how that last phrase is translated, there are 10 of these “characteristics.” And I suggested that Paul, the Pharisee, was possibly setting those 10 against the previous law, which also contained 10 elements – the Ten Commandments. That would have been a big thing for a Pharisee to suggest!
So these “Fruits of the Spirit” are the things that we, as followers of Christ, exhibit in our lives, just as the Scouting program encourages similar characteristics in the scouts. As Christians, we do “do our best” to exhibit in our lives, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and things against which there is no law.”
If you think about it, those are good things to consider during this time of Lent. As we go through this time of soul-searching we’re challenged to do every year at this time, as we look at our lives of faith, we can ask ourselves, are we, as God’s people exhibiting those things? “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…” That’s a good measure of our lives, isn’t it? It’s always good to ask, “What do our lives look like as God’s people?”
As I said last week, we are ambassadors for Christ. We are his representatives here on earth – whether we like it or not! Think about it. Once someone knows you are a Christian, what you do (or don’t do) reflects on their idea of what it means to be a Christian. What you do and say affects that person’s perspective on the Church and God’s kingdom. So, will you give them a good view of the Church? Or will it be a bad view?
And as you think about that, keep in mind, that, as far as many people in this world are concerned, we’re fighting an uphill battle. They already have a bad view of the Church! They already have a bad view of Christians in general! And as God’s ambassadors, it is beholden upon us to change that view! And the main way we do that is to show them those characteristics. “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and goodness.” I think that alone gives us a lot to think about at this time of year!
But, there’s one more part of this that’s very important. These things we do as Christians, these fruits of the Spirit we exhibit, are not things that we do only on the outside. We don’t do them just because we know they are good to do. And they are good! We don’t even do them to make ourselves better people. Although that’s not a bad reason, either! Paul tells us that we have these “fruits,” “love, joy, peace…” because we are “walking by the spirit.” In other words, we have the Holy Spirit inside of us, and we are living our lives by the power and guidance of that Spirit. And so these things naturally flow from that Spirit.
“Fruit” is a metaphor for the outward sign of something inward. Jesus used that metaphor a lot. He said, “You know things by the fruit they produce. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good.” And so we don’t bear those fruits because it’s a good thing to bear them. And don’t get me wrong! It is a good thing that we bear them – almost for any reason! But we bear those fruits, as an outward sign of that Spirit within us. Do you see that?
Well, Lent is a good time to determine that in our lives. Lent is a good time to think about the Holy Spirit that we are promised is inside every believer. And I truly believe that is the case. The only question is, do we listen to the Spirit? Because some Christians don’t. They “quench the Spirit,” as Paul told the Thessalonians. The Spirit is there, but they don’t listen to it. They don’t let it guide them. They don’t let it bear fruit.
So, do we listen to the Spirit? Do we seek the Spirit’s power and guidance? Do we follow the wisdom of Proverbs 3? And I’ll close with these words. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely only on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-7)
That is what we seek to know this Lenten season.
Prayer
Eternal and ever loving God, help us to be in tune with your Spirit inside us. Give us the wisdom to acknowledge you, the ear to listen to you, and the courage to follow you. Help us to feel you walking beside us every day. For we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.