Richard Mallory

Winnowing fork
by Steve Garnaas-Holmes

The axe is lying at the root of the trees…
The one who comes after me 
has their winnowing fork in their hand, 
and they will clear the threshing floor 
and will gather their wheat into the granary,
but burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.
—Matthew 3.12

O my Redeemer,
I can’t rid myself of these sins,
my wayward wants and hates and fears,
my killing habits, my unloving ways,
these growths that strangle me.
With all your merciful strength
take up your axe of grace,
and prune the branches of my heart. 

Bring, muscled, to my gathered being
your winnowing fork.
Thresh the grain of my life.
Save all that is good and all that is blessed.
And all that is deadly, all that robs,
all that weighs without fruit, carry off and burn 
in the mercy of your unquenchable fire.

By your welcome grace take from me 
what I haven’t the power to do away with.
Relieve me of what I, enthralled, still cling to.
Come, liberating axe, dear winnowing fork,
have at me, and set me free.

Dear Friends in Christ,

In this verse from today’s Gospel reading, the poet becomes a psalmist in his lament of frustration with himself. He sounds like a latter day apostle Paul: “Why do I do the things I don’t want to do and  don’t do the things I do want to do?” He identifies ‘wayward wants,” “hates and fears,” “killing habits,” and “unloving ways.” He labels them as tumors or “growths that strangle.” All of these so named become impediments to allowance  of God’s love to flow through his being. He goes on in appreciation and gratitude for God’s  “winnowing fork” and cleansing “fire” and even “unquenchable fire.”

This is a faith that accepts suffering, hardship, and even catastrophe. The question becomes not “Why is God doing this to me?” but “What is the deep learning in this experience for me?” A movement from victim to student, learner and seeker is required. Job’s friends would blame the victim. Wisdom disputes and refocuses. One of the most significant lines in the poem for me is “Relieve me of what I, enthralled, still cling to….” This gets at egoic attachments to self justified beliefs and ideas that block the deep moving of Spirit.

He concludes with trust and open heartedness so that he can learn and profit (the uncapitalist kind) as if to say, “Bring it on,”   “…have at me, and set me free.”

Yours in Christ,

—Richard