Abiding in Love -- A Message for April 28, 2024

 Scripture John 15:1-8 

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  

² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  

³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  

⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  

⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  

⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  

⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 

Here ends this reading of the Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God. Amen 

 

Sermon                                                        Abiding in Love 

 

What does it mean to bear fruit?   

When Jesus walked the earth, most of the people he met grew their own food. The main food that people ate was bread – people who lived in villages grew their own wheat and barley, processed it, and baked bread each day. In Israel, barley was easier to grow than wheat, but people thought wheat bread tasted better than barley bread. Legumes were the people’s main protein source, and they grew and ate fava beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas. Wealthy people ate vegetables, but most of the population did not depend on them for regular nourishment. They used olives for food and oil and ate figs. People drank wine, so grapes were cultivated to support people’s “drink of choice.”  

Jesus’ audience would have been quite aware of how grapes grow. They knew each vine stems from a branch that is rooted in the ground. The vines have leaves and clusters of grapes growing from them.  

Jesus often used every-day items and occurrences to illustrate his teachings – he wanted his listeners to relate to what he said. God was the gardener. God planted, pruned, and watered the plants. Jesus said he was the true vine – the branch that is rooted in the ground. All the other vines grow from Jesus – Jesus’ followers, you and me, stem from the source of life, Jesus. It is our work to bear fruit. 

What does it mean to bear fruit?  

When we bear fruit, we work to be like Jesus. Jesus summed up the entire law of God by stating: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” So, when we bear fruit, we will love as Jesus loves. We will love God and love our fellow man and woman.  

When we start from a position of love, we will change our character and outlook to be more like Jesus. We must fight against our human drive that encourages us to be competitive and self-centered. Instead, to bear fruit, we must strive to embody what the Apostle Paul called the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  

Certainly, our lives are less dramatic and chaotic when we strive to embody Jesus’ teachings – when we respond to others with love and generosity, when we work to be patient and kind, when we try to be gentle and have self-control we live more peaceful lives. 

Jesus wants us to bear fruit.  

When grapes are growing, the healthier branches make more fruit. This is where the God’s pruning comes in. We are called to be life-long learners and practitioners of the Christian-faith. If we have things that distract us from Jesus and work against our being loving to others, we must prune them from our lives. If we become workaholics and do not have time for God, we need to change our focus. If we are too distracted by our tv shows or scrolling on our phones, we need to change our focus. If we spend time with unhealthy people or doing unhealthy activities, we need to change our focus. We are called to be focused on God and on embodying Jesus’ example in our lives.  

When we are bearing fruit, we are still growing, changing, and striving to be more and more like Jesus. Jesus wants his followers to share his message of love with others – to bear fruit by spreading our faith. Our friends and contemporaries are often searching to understand the purpose of life – our faith is key to understanding why we are alive right now and the direction we are headed.  We are called to be generous in our love and in our sharing of the good news. We are connected to Jesus and are called to serve God by supporting and caring for God’s people.  

I just read a book that talked about how lonely most American adults are. Our loneliness leads us to feel disconnected from each other. Our loneliness leads to depression and to self-destructive behaviors and activities. People are hurting, and they often have few close friends or relatives they can talk to about their pain.   

Considering the reality of how lonely and exposed many people are, the church and the community of believers can step into the void.... this is where the interconnected vines of the followers of God can really make a difference. As we welcome people to become a part of the church, of our church, we are called to lovingly listen to eachother's pain and offer support. We are called to be kind and compassionate to one another. We are called to provide a listening ear to people who are struggling with grief or loneliness. We are called to be nurturing to the children who belong to the church – children who are not related to us by blood but through baptismal promises. We are called to reach out in support to fellow church members who are unable to drive or are contending with illnesses that keep them isolated. We are called to make connections with people who are different ages than us, different genders than us, different professions than our own, and who have different interests than we have. What connects us to each other is our love and dependence on Jesus and our work to genuinely love our neighbors as ourselves. 

So, let us work to bear fruit....to model our lives on Jesus....to love one another....and to bear fruit in our support and care of each other. Amen.