Alive or dead?

This is a picture of some of the spruce pines that are literally dying from the ground up on my brother-in-law's property "up north". There is no light that can get to the lower part of the trees, so the life is disappearing from the lower parts of his pine grove.

I was talking yesterday to some of my friends here at Olivet, about the hard work we do to maintain a level of community here with students. Living in community is not easy, because it calls for accountability, discipline, and balancing justice, mercy, and grace. The work of people of light. It's difficult, especially when you are holding students accountable. It's hard work. But it's good work.

I wonder what it would be like if the church did the same work the university did in trying to hold us accountable to the calling we have all received. There are corrective words that come from the pulpit, but what about from each other? How would the hard, yet corrective and loving word be received? How would discipline be accepted? Discipline and accountability are the hard work of the church, but work that seems to be rarely done anymore, and less accepted.

This work brings light, according to scripture. And to extend the metaphor, light brings life. Light exposes; but makes life possible at the same time.

Are we open to the corrective work of not just the Spirit, but hearing that come from a loving brother or sister? Maybe the reason our students struggle with discipline and correction here, is because it's the first time either of these have been offered. It is the work of true community.

If you look from the sky, the pines in this picture look alive and well, but underneath, as the picture shows, they are dying from a lack of light. The only way to fix it, is to clear-cut and prune. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?