Jesus: The True Vine
John 15:1-8
There is a story told of another time, just beyond our memories, in another land. It is said that a native from a remote mountain village had the opportunity to visit a large modern city for the first time. He took in the sights, amazed at how different it was from his simple life back home. Much of it seemed fantastical, beyond what any one in his village would ever believe to be possible.
Still, he felt compelled to bring back something to support his stories of all these wonders. He could not bring much home with him, and he had little money. He settled on the amazing electric lights which he saw everywhere.
So he bought a sack full of electric lights bulbs and sockets with switches so he could turn them off and on. He thought that this would be a wonderful gift for the people of his village.
Arriving home, he hung the light bulbs in their sockets in front of his house, and on his neighbor’s trees. Everyone watched him with curiosity and asked him what he was doing. But he just smiled and said, “Just wait until dark – you’ll see.”
When night came, he turned on the switches. What do you think happened? Nothing! The light bulbs did not light up. And this distressed and confused the man. After all, he wanted to do good for his friends and family in the village. He used his own money with the intent of helping others. He had seen how helpful those light bulbs and sockets and switches had been in the city. He had done all the right things with all the right intentions. So why didn’t the light bulbs light up in his village?
Well, we know why. It’s because the bulbs were not connected to an electric power source. The bulbs were made to light up, but they couldn’t do it on their own. The sockets provided the place for the lights to be in contact with the power, but the sockets were not connected to the power source. The switches were designed to regulate this power so that it could be used when needed, but there was no connection to the power source. The light did not shine in the darkness because these three things were not connected to the power source.
That’s the point Jesus is making in saying to his disciples that he is the True Vine. A branch cannot produce grapes if it is not connected to the vine. This is an image about the necessity of being connected to God through Jesus Christ. This is an image that is also timely for the disciples, as it is offered by Jesus just before it will seem that they will be forever disconnected.
The last verse in chapter 14 tells us that Jesus and the disciples are about to leave the upper room. They are headed to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus will pray the High Priestly prayer, and where he will later be arrested by the mob led by Judas. From there, Jesus experiences the trials and condemnation which lead to his death on the cross and his burial in a tomb.
In chapter 15, Jesus declares to his disciples that he is the True Vine. We can imagine Jesus and these men going through the darkened streets of the city and then passing beyond the walls into the surrounding countryside on their way to the garden. During this time of year, the grape vines would start to blossom with the promise of a fresh harvest. As Jesus walked with his disciples, perhaps he reached out and took a vine in his hands as he made this declaration.
The most obvious take-away from this imagery is that we need to be connected to Jesus. Most Christians would agree to that need. In many churches, the need to be connected is indicated by this question:“Have you asked Jesus Christ to be your personal Lord and Savior? That is an important question, but our reading indicates that it is not enough.We get into trouble if we think this is the only question that matters in the life of a disciple.
If this is the only question, we might be convinced that we choose God, rather than believe that God has chosen us – and that can lead to an undue pride. If this is the only question, we might be convinced that God does not love us unless and until we make our choice – and that makes us the master over God. If this is the only question, we might be convinced we have done all that we need to do to be saved – and that can lead us to a Sunday faith that not reflected on Monday in our homes and work places.
If, however, we believe that Jesus coming among us is a grace of God, that God chooses us, then asking to be connected to God through Jesus Christ will lead us to holiness in humility. It will lead us to have a heart for service. It will lead us to a life of integrity.
In our reading, the image of the vine and branches didn’t end with just being connected. Jesus continued with the imagery of dressing the branches so that they would bear more fruit. This is an image about our formation as disciples. Most Christians would agree to this need, as well. In many churches, the need to be formed as disciples is indicated by the questions:“What does the Bible say?” “What would Jesus do?” Those are important questions, but our reading indicates that these are not enough. We get into trouble if we think these questions are the only ways we can be formed as disciples.
If these are the only questions, we might be convinced that we can pick and choose from the Bible and the life of Jesus – and that can lead to antinomianism, or the belief that we don’t have to do what we don’t want to do as long as we can find some justification somewhere in the Bible for not doing it. If these are the only questions, we might be convinced that we can pick and choose which things we do if we want to do them – and that can lead to sins of omission. If these are the only questions, we can be caught in a religion that relies more on the rules of the church than on the life of Christ – and that leads to members who are either fed up, or burned out,from trying to get everyone to conform to the system.
In our reading, the image of the vine and branches doesn’t end there, either. After being connected and formed, the branches must abide. Most Christians would agree to this need, as well. In many churches, the need for abiding is indicated by this question: “Do you trust the Spirit to guide and equip you as you grow in faith and love?” In the Methodist tradition, we ask the question this way: “Are you going on to perfection in love?” We get into trouble if we think this question is the only one that matters for continuing our discipleship.
If this is the only question, we might be convinced that we have reached a point in our lives where we are good enough and no longer need Jesus or the church in our lives – and that leads to the sin of desiring anything other than God. If this is the only question, we might be convinced that the only way to maintain our goodness is to get away from people who are not as good and holy as we are – and that leads to the sin of schism. If this is the only question we ask, we can get caught up in a faith that is focused on pleasing ourselves, whether we define that pleasure as intellectual, social, or spiritual.
Being a disciple of Jesus Christ begins with a connection to the Risen Lord. But it cannot end there if it is to be a complete faith. There must also be a formation in the faith, as well as a direction in our faith. That is why, on the front of our bulletins, it says that “we depend on God, conform to Christ, and have confidence in the Holy Spirit.” It is our way of affirming that Jesus is the True Vine, and we are the branches. It is our way of affirming that we are tended to by the Spirit, so that we may bear fruit as we abide in Christ’s love so that we can grow in faith and love.
To go back to the imagery of the opening story, it is not enough that we were made to be the light shining on a hill, to be the image of God at work in the world, if we are not connected to the power source. It is not enough to be seated in the socket, to be in the place God has made for us to be, if the church is notconnected to the power source. It is not enough to have a switch to help us know when we are to shine and when we are to wait to serve, to be ready to follow the direction of the Holy Spirit, if we are not connected to the power source.
A connection with God is grounded in our experience of God. We experience God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We experience this grace as a forgiving and redemptive power in our lives that assures us that God loves us. Practicing the means of grace helps keep us connected to God.
Formation as disciples is the work of acquiring a set of actions and principles which shape how we interact with our neighbors. As disciples of Jesus, our primary principle is that we love because God first loved us. Our primary actions are to be in fulfillment of loving God and loving our neighbors as Christ has loved us. Doing this forms us as disciples.
Direction for disciples is the living out of our faith. It is the journey of faith sometimes called the pilgrim’s progress. In the Wesleyan tradition, we call this “going on to perfection in love.” Our direction is discerned as we listen to the Spirit in prayer and in holy conferencing. Discernment is the work of continually asking if what we do draws us closer to God, and does it draw others closer to God.
Discipleship is based on the revealed truth that being in community, being connected to others, and being dependent on God and the community is the shape of our reality. It is the living into the kingdom of God, that it is God’s will that we are to be connected to each other and to God.
That’s just another way of saying that praying together connects us to God and each other. Having common affirmations of faith connects us to God and each other. Singing hymns together connects us to God and each other.
These activities don’t save us, of course, because that is the work of Jesus alone. But they do help create a place in our hearts where only Christ can dwell. Or to say it as Paul did, it helps us to work out our salvation as we grow into our discipleship.
Being connected changes things. Being connected changes us. But we can also change how we are connected.
When I was the pastor at Browning, I started a choir. And just as I do with our choir, I had them review the hymns for the coming Sunday. At one choir practice, I was told that we couldn’t use one of the hymns I had picked because it was a funeral hymn.
I sang the first verse, and one of the members said, “Well, the way you sing it, it doesn’t sound like a funeral hymn.” And that was because I had a different connection to that hymn than they had. And by giving them a new way to connect to it, I helped change their connection to God.
I want to do that again this morning. Our next hymn is “Abide With Me.” For most people, this is a funeral hymn. It is to be sung slowly, wistfully, sadly – as we emphasis the failing light and loss. The rhythm of this hymn is that the first part of each verse is based on our need; the second part is based in God’s promise.
This is a hymn of hope and promise. It is a hymn that invites us to reach out to Jesus, to ask Jesus abide with us, because he is the True Vine and we are the branches. It is a hymn that affirms our need to be connected to Jesus, to be formed as disciples, and to abide with him as he abides with us.
So let’s sing it that way. Let’s sing thishymn with vigor, with promise, and with hope! It just may change and strengthen your connection to God!
UMH 700 “Abide With Me”