Sermon 06-05-11                                                     Isaiah 5:1-7 John 15:1-15

                              “I am the Vine, You are the Branches.”

This morning our prayers and thoughts are with all of those families who have been affected by the tornadoes in the Mid-West, Missouri and here in Massachusetts.  I am impressed by the strength of natures’ tornadoes, how they take everything in their path, and how the trees were pulled from their roots.

A reporter from a helicopter explained his impression of the tornadoes in relation to the trees, he said: “From here it looks like the power of nature has pulled these old trees from their roots and has carefully placed them one by one next to the other all facing east.”

PRAYER

“When Jesus uses the imagery of the vine he knew what he was talking about. In Palestine the vine was grown all over the place, as it still is. It is a plant which needs a great deal of attention if the best fruit is to come from them. The ground has to be perfectly clean… to grow (abundantly) and dramatic pruning is necessary… (the seeds) are set in the ground at least twelve feet apart, for it will creep over the ground at great speed. A young vine is not allowed to fruit for the first three years and each year it’s cut back drastically to develop and conserve its life and energy. When mature… it bears two kinds of branches, one that bears fruit and one that does not, the branches that do not bear fruit are pruned back, so that they won’t drain away any of the plant’s strength.

Christians whose Christianity consist of profession without practice; words without deeds; are like useless branches, all leaves and no fruit.”

(Barclay, John. vol.2 pg. 173-174)

In the text Jesus is inviting us to abide in him, “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” John 15:4.

“What are the benefits of being intimately connected to Jesus? How do you perceive yourself to be abiding in Jesus?”

(Nan Duerling. “The Word and You.” v.3, pg. 168) “ What is the meaning of the term abiding? To be a Christian means that we are “in Christ and Christ is in the Christian.” (Barclay, 175)

“Christ “abides” or “dwells in” us, and we abide in God through Christ. For some this close-knit connection will be very appealing and comforting, others may find it frightening or perhaps even stifling. Being part of the vine that is Christ implies that we are coming from the very roots of God. We are “rooted” in God. Think about what that term means. We talk about “getting to the root of the matter” or going back to our roots.” Think about your roots. What is your racial, ethnic, and religious heritage? How important are your roots to you? What difference do they make as you go about your life today? Apart from the vine, humanity can do nothing. Imagine the congregation as a part of Christ’s vine.”

(Nan Duerling. The Word and You. v.3, pg. 168-169)

You are a part of the vine, as you are a part of this congregation. You might ask yourself: How am I producing fruit by being connected with Christ?

Jesus affirms that He is, “the true vine.” Here again, as we read last week, “Jesus links, the “I am” phrase to the “I am” name for God in the Hebrew, which proclaims that the God of Israel is now at work in Jesus… Just like in the Isaiah vineyard reading, God wants a fruitful vine and prunes it to make it more fruitful.

Jesus speaks to his disciples, affirming that they have already been cleansed or pruned by the word.” This means that “God’s love, at work in Jesus, “takes away the sins of the world.” John 1:29.

Branches can bear fruit only if they abide in the vine. Jesus’ disciples as branches can bear fruit only as they abide in Jesus as the vine. (John 15:4-5) In this image it is important to note that Jesus is not the vine stem but the entire vine. Thus the vine embraces and penetrates the branches… Without such abiding, the branches cannot be part of a fruitful vine (John 15:6).

For those who abide in Jesus and have Jesus’ words abiding in them, they also have that abiding link to God that enables us to ask for and count on receiving what we need (15:7) The vine grower cares for both the vine and the branches.

What is the fruit that we are to bear? … that fruit is love.” (Nan Duerling, pg. 170)

Jesus is inviting us to abide in his love. “As God has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love” v.9

This image of fruitful branches can be compared with a community of faith like the church, which is connected by their life together. Jesus’ invitation is to keep in touch with a community of faith here or wherever you go in the near future. Engage yourself in service to others and in ministries of social justice that talk about making a difference locally and in the world. Keeping in touch means to stay connected, to stay permanent and to have vitality. In order to grow spiritually, to bear fruit, and to be productive you need to be nourished. It is because we receive from God’s love that we can give it and share it with others.

Jesus is also inviting us to be his friends. “Friendship, nowadays is an all too scarce commodity in our world… Unfortunately, the term “friend” is often reduced to acquaintance, and the ingredients of a deep relationship, such as empathy, support, and mutual struggle have been lost…   (In the text Jesus is calling his disciples friends. He is also calling us friends)

“…it is not an ordinary friendship to which Jesus summons persons; it is a friendship that he himself has initiated, and that results in commitment and trust …friendship with Jesus is a relationship that is characterized by ‘loving one another as I have loved you.’ (Brueggmann, “Texts for Preaching.” Year B, pg. 317-318)

Notice that, “Jesus says that his disciples have not chosen him, but he has chosen them. It was not we who chose God, but God who, in his grace, approached us with a call and an offer made out of love.

We are chosen for joy…

We are chosen for love out of love.

We are chosen to be partners with Jesus and not slaves… the slave simply had to do what he was told without reason and without explanation. Jesus has shared his heart and mind with us.

We are chosen by Jesus to be called his friends and friends of God.

We are chosen to bear fruit. To spread Christianity… to bring to others and to show the fruit of our Christian love… to live so that its fruit may be so wonderful that others will desire it for themselves.

How can I keep in touch with the vine? How can I be fed spiritually?

Jesus is inviting us to keep in touch through the word of God. Scripture tells us that as we follow the word we find wisdom, understanding and knowledge. We keep in touch with God by finding time for prayer and meditation, alone and in worship, and in service to others. Jesus’ commandment is to love him as he has loved us, to keep connected with him and with each other, as part of the same vine.” (Barclay, pg. 177-178)

In the Christian vine, we have a gardener that has chosen us. His name is Jesus, he has chosen us, to abide in us, to be our friend and to love us unconditionally as he has been loved by God. Amen!