George Bernard Shaw once wrote: “I am by nature and destiny a preacher, but I have no Bible, no creed. The preacher must preach the way of life...Oh, if I could only find it!” Paul had found it — and he preached it. He called it “life in Christ”. As Christians we are the recipients of the Holy Spirit. A new kind of t kind of action is now possible — but not automatic. Let me say that again. As Christians who are the recipients of the Holy Spirit, a new kind of action, a new kind of life is now possible, but not automatic.

That’s what Paul was saying in our scripture lesson. In two succinct verses, he underscores the life of the Christian as “the harvest of the Spirit”, as the expression of the living Christ in us. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodn…