Sermon 5/21/08
The Humble Abode - John 15:1-8, 1 John 4:7-21
(view lectionary notes for this text)
At General Conference last week, I had the opportunity to hear sermons from our bishops each morning, giving their unique perspectives on the church, our mission, ministry and future. Bishop Janice Huie of the Arkansas area gave my favorite sermon – a message entitled "Hanging on for Dear Life". The sermon was powerful and moving, and I hurried to scribble down notes and ideas while she was speaking. I was delighted; then, to find out that I would be preaching on the very same scripture passages this week. I feel that the message Bishop Huie preached is an important one for our church, and though I have my own words and own emphasis to add, I am grateful for the message I heard at General Conference.
I laughed when I first realized I would be preaching on the vine and branches story. I have only preached a handful of times, and it seems that I always happen upon stories dealing with seeds, gardens, plants, and other elements of the natural world. However, as I thought about this, it occurred to me that the reason I have run across so many of these lessons is simply because of the importance Christ put upon such images in his teachings. In a crowd of listeners full of poor country folk who earned their living from the land, what more vivid way to teach than through their own symbols, the things important to them. Today, sowers and vinedressers and reapers are few, but the message for us stays the same. In the process of planting, growing, blossoming, and harvesting are images of the life cycle as a whole, and of our faith journey, which Christ asks us to continue to be attentive to, even in our changing world today.
Christ's teaching on the vine and the branches offers us many guidelines for living, some not so easy to follow. Jesus tells us that, "every branch that bears fruit God prunes to make it bear more fruit". We are comfortable with the imagery of bearing fruit. We know that there is good fruit, and bad fruit, good seed, and bad seed. We know that sometimes it is hard to tell whether we are wheat or weeds. But this, this is different. Jesus not only says we must bear fruit, now he says even that fruit will be pruned to make it bear in more abundance. Vine branches often spring forth several shoots at once – a primary fruit, as well as secondary and tertiary fruits. All three of these fruits would mature into edible, healthy fruits, given the opportunity. However, the vine dresser usually prunes the second and third fruits. Why prune them if they would make good fruits? To give stronger life to the primary fruit. With the food and nourishment all concentrated into one area, the remaining fruit gains the best of everything, and becomes, in turn, the best fruit. Think, for a moment, of your own life. With our busy, quick paced culture, with our information society, and vast resources, we can bear much fruit. But often, at least in my own life, I find my energies spent in a lot of small ways, scattered here and there, lacking focus and direction. Our fruits, in their variety, are good, but are they as good as they might be with a little pruning? Imagine if you channeled the nourishment and sustenance God provides into one outlet, into one branch to one fruit. What could you accomplish? What could you do for God? The secondary and tertiary branches in our lives aren't usually bad things. But they aren't places where our gifts and graces from God are best spent. Our energy, our passion, belongs in the primary branch, the path that Christ calls each of us to travel. Sometimes, we need a little pruning, from the gentle hand of the vinedresser.
We all need this gentle pruning, but it is essential to remember that we are the branches, not the vinedresser. We do not do the pruning. Branches do not cut off other branches. Two weeks at General Conference made all of us acutely aware that the church is struggling with its diversity. We struggle with our differences. These differences can cause disagreements and pain, and it is tempting to "offer" others the opportunity to leave the church if they cannot agree with our views. This pain was present at our global gathering in Cleveland, but it is also present in our local churches. There are people, in our pews, our Sunday School classes, our Bible Studies, our committee meetings, whose perspective differs from ours in a way we don't like. There is something that they want to change that we think needs to stay how it is. There is something that they don't want to change that we feel needs to move forward. We disagree, and there is pain. At times like these, we must remember the words of the hymn, "Many Gifts, One Spirit": "in our difference is blessing, from diversity we praise". The vinedresser prunes, but leaves many kinds of branches to bear the good fruit. Long branches, short ones, skinny and plump branches, curvy and straight branches. We, the branches, do not do the pruning, but live together, as many and varied extensions of the vine of Christ.
The nourishment, the food that gives life to our primary branch, is Christ. On a vine, the branches don't prune each other, and they don't cling to the vine. The vine doesn't hold the branches. They don't twist around one another. Instead, the branches flow from the vine. They are a part of the vine, an extension of the vine, growing out of the vine. We must mimic the branches in our own relationship with Christ. Bishop Huie, in her sermon, said that we, as a church, are often hanging on for dear life to the vine. We are clutching the vine, instead of growing out from it. If we don't let go of the vine, how can we reach out to others and be in mission? How can we do our work, if our hands are busy holding on? To be the branches, we must have faith and let go, so that we can do our work. Christ promises us rest and comfort under God's care, but this does not exempt us from duty to work for God. If we have the nourishment of the Spirit flowing through Christ the branches, we don't need to cling on anymore, because we are already a part of the vineyard. Faith enables us, as disciples, to flow from the vine of Christ.
As branches, we still seek to be as Christ-like as possible. Think of the vine for a moment. There is only one vine, at the very center of the plant, from which all the branches spring out. However, there are several branches, that after much growth and change, become so strong and sturdy, that they are almost indistinguishable from the vine itself. These branches support many smaller, newer branches, and though these branches aren't themselves the vine, they transport the nourishment from the vine to the smaller branches. Imagine if we were like these strong branches. We seek to be followers of Christ, and what greater way than to act in manners so Christ-like that others see in us the person of Christ himself. If our actions and attitudes mimic those of Jesus, we, as branches, can become strong and sturdy, so that others can see Christ in us. As stronger branches, we can support new branches, people just learning about Christ's love. We become channels for the nourishing food that helps the smaller branches to grow. We lift one another up, support one another, and together, create better and more abundant fruit, after the example of Christ.
Jesus speaks of this relationship between the vine and the branches in special terms. He says, "abide in me, as I abide in you". In 1 John, we find similar language. John writes, "God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them". The way that we become stronger branches, able to help and support others, is by allowing God to abide in us, as we abide in God and God's love. It is a reciprocal relationship, and we benefit from both sides. God dwells in us, and we are a part of God – we abide in God. The past tense of abide is abode. An abode is a place of dwelling – a home. God asks to make a home in our lives, and offers us the chance to make a home in God. A home is a resting place, a source of strength and encouragement, a place of relationships and connections, a place of struggle and heartache, a house of love. We are offered the chance to share all of these things with God through Christ, if we simply invite God into our humble abodes. The vine and the branches are part of one another. The branches, without the vine, are dead. The vine, without the branches, is useless. But together, abiding in one another, the vine and branches yield perfect love, perfect life, and plentiful fruit. John shares that the love of God is perfected in us. Imagine, we have the opportunity, if we seize it, to be a part of a perfect relationship of love. Perfect love. Let us invite God home, into our humble abode, and strive to become the branches, that we may abide in Christ's perfect love.
Let us pray: Oh God, As humans, it is difficult to imagine how we might be part of anything perfect. Yet you promise us perfect love, shown through the example of Christ. Let us imitate that love, that you may enter into our abodes, and build deeper relationships with us. Amen.
Response to the Word: In this season of growing and blooming, take some time this week to think about what kind of branch you are in the body of Christ. Are you growing? Are you changing shapes? Where have you come from, and where do you want to go? Do you need a little pruning? John wrote that our knowledge of perfect love abiding in us should make us bold in the world. Let us be bold, as we seek to shape our lives in the vineyard of God.