Abide with the Jesus vine – April 27

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:1-24; PM Psalm 12, 13, 14, Exod. 15:22-16:10; 1 Pet. 2:1-10; John 15:1-11

In the excerpt from John 15 appointed for today, Jesus uses gardening to connect his faithful living analogies to those listening. I love this passage. It starts, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower.” Profound and simple, the imagery of this piece of the message is worth sitting with and reflecting upon.

Jesus is just beginning; he continues the metaphor. The gardener removes any branch that does not bear fruit. What could he be talking about? Perhaps it is those branches of malice, guile, insincerity, envy and slander – the ones that Saint Peter writes about in 1 Peter 2 that we read today. Those limbs and sticks are cut off totally and burned in the fire, for they detract our resources from what is good and meaningful and nourishing.

Jesus says each branch that is fruitful is also cut back or pruned, increasing its propensity to be more fruitful. And there is more: the benefit of bearing fruit is that it glorifies God, for all that is produced is brought into being with God’s lifeline, the Jesus vine.

Is there a secret fertilizer or soil amendment needed for these amazing results? Nope. Jesus says “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.”

When we are grounded in the love of God, we are nourished by love. We are knee-deep in love. When we abide in love, all that we do can come from that place of love and wholeness and nurture. Whether we grew up knowing the agape-filled loam of God’s garden or found ourselves transplanted into the soil of flourishing, Jesus calls each of us to abide in that love – as branches of the Jesus vine.

The Healer and Redeemer of the world calls us to abide in this great love, so that our roots deepen and strengthen. So that even on days when doubt, disease, and drought are afoot, God’s love is holding us. We can still bear fruit and the burdens that are upon us.

Friends, doing this is not easy. There are days when we feel each branch has been cut and we are left with an empty trunk. There are days when it looks like we are with Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness of Shur, surrounded by bitterness and need. Even then, God is with us, faithful and reassuring, bearing our gripes and sadness. May the call to abide as a branch on the Jesus vine bring you hope and inspiration this day.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection 

What does the word “abide” bring up for you today? What other words come to mind when you think about abiding?

What does being fruitful look like for you?

 Daily Challenge

Thinking about fruitfulness, take time to write for five minutes. Reflect on what in your life is fruitful today. What needs pruning? What branches are taking energy but not producing fruit? Who in your network of support helps you name the healthy and unhealthy branches on your trunk?