So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. – 1 Corinthians 3:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 3, 2014): 1 Corinthians 3

I lived for a number of years in Southern Alberta in Canada. And if you have never been there, all you really need to imagine is some of the terrain where many of the old Westerns you might have watched as a kid were set. I hadn’t lived in the area very long before I realized two things. First, this is ranching country. The terrain is simply designed for ranching. Yes, there are farmers who are trying to raise a crop in the area, but especially as you move west the terrain becomes increasingly about raising cattle and riding horses. And the ones who try to do something other than ranch often seem to be fighting an uphill battle.

And the uphill battle is only partially because of the terrain. The reality, and the second thing I realized after living there a short time, is that Southern Alberta is essentially reclaimed desert. This is the land of the tumbling tumbleweed. And those who decide to grow crops cannot depend on the rain to come to produce the harvest. This is an area where it is not enough to just plant the seed, but elaborate watering systems have to be employed if the seed is going to have any chance of maturing - and even then it may not be enough. I don’t think that farmers ever believe that they have any control over the final outcome of their labors, but in some places (like Southern Alberta) there seems to be even less control.

Paul would seem to know all about it. Here he uses an agricultural illustration that would have been at home in the land of the tumbling tumbleweed. The seed can be planted, and ways can be designed to make sure that the seed is watered, and still growth is not guaranteed. Growth, no matter what we are doing, always depends on God.

Paul points at the divided Corinthian Church and tells them that the problem is in their focus. Instead of arguing over which of the very human evangelists they follow – and believe is the best – they need to understand that each of the evangelists who have become the unfortunate leaders of the various groups in Corinth are actually not competing with each other, but rather are playing on the same team. But they shouldn’t have been the focus in the first place. One had planted the seed, another had watered, but they had completed their task under the supervision of the only one that could give the growth – God.

The contemporary church often seems to forget the principal. We often seem divided over following our contemporary prophets, or over competing growth strategies, and forget that at best all we can do is plant and water – and like every farmer we need to understand that it is God that gives the growth. Let me be clear, this is not license to do employ whatever outdated strategies we may want to pursue. Like a farmer, there are definitely things that we can do that that will increase the chance of growth – but growth still belongs to God. The uncomfortable reality is that we don’t understand why some ministries grow and others don’t. But growth has never been our responsibility. All we have been asked to do is plant and water.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 4