Vines and Fruit

[Jesus said,] "I am the vine, you are the branches. 

Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, 

because apart from me you can do nothing. 

Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; 

 such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 

 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, 

ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit 

and become my disciples. 

 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; 

abide in my love. 

"If you keep my commandments, 

you will abide in my love, 

just as I have kept my Father's commandments 

and abide in his love. 

 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, 

and that your joy may be complete. 

"This is my commandment, 

that you love one another as I have loved you. 

 No one has greater love than this, 

to lay down one's life for one's friends. 

 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 

 [John 15:5-14]

Seeing this scripture passage brought back a lot of memories. The first sermon I preached in a church -- not a student sermon for a class -- was based on the above verse -- John 15:5-14.  I was blessed to have been asked to lead a Sunday evening worship service at Dumbarton United Methodist Church in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C.

Dumbarton United Methodist Church

Two of the illustrations I used in the sermon included that one of my main experiences with grape vines personally had to do with our Italian grandfather growing grapes in an arbor he built himself. The trellises formed something like a covered bridge in the middle of our grandparents' back yard.  As young children we were often attracted to the beautiful shade the mature, fully-leafed vines provided in the summer.  And we were often scolded for trying to climb the walls of the arbor since they were made of fragile wood just strong enough with the lattices to support the vines and the clusters of fruit.

By coincidence (God-incidence) Krista's kindergarten teacher had grown up in the house. Her father had built it. The house sat close to the street on a huge lot that was 90' by 180' and was about 30 years old. In the front and back yards there were beautiful mature oak, elm and maple trees. Lilac, bride's wreath and snowball bushes delightfully decorated what we came to call "Brown Park."

Three quarters of the way toward the left-hand corner of our "park" was a small garden with some grape vines draped over a small frame.  The first fall we were there we harvested a two-quart bowl of delicious Concord grapes.

Not long after we enjoyed the delicious treat, we became acquainted with some Soviet professors who were taking part in the International Relations Exchange Program (IREX). I have written about meeting them previously.

The Radio Physics Professor from Kharkov in Ukraine had grown up on a collective farm where his father was a vine-dresser. When the exchange professors came over to our house early one Friday evening in October, we gave them the "Nickel Tour" of the house and back yard.  When he saw the grape vines, the Radio Physics Professor, Anatoly, told me that they needed to be cut back so that they would bear more fruit the following year. I was very suspicious of his advice, (he was, after all, a Communist -- *wry smile*). But Anatoly talked me into getting him some shears and he ruthlessly cut back the vine branches so that it seemed like he had killed them all.

Just imagine my surprise the following September when we ended up with almost four two-quart bowls of the juicy fruit.

All this reminded me that there are so many ways that many of us are removed from the era and context of the parables Jesus used to describe The Kingdom of Heaven and share the Good News of God's Love. The illustrations He used were very clear to the people Jesus spoke to, healed and encouraged.  However often we are far removed in time and culture from the background of Jesus' teachings. Never fear, though. If we have willing hearts, the Holy Spirit can lead us in study and illuminate our understanding of scripture so that the precious seeds of knowledge that lead to faith can find fertile ground.

With the warmth of the sun and the Holy water of God's grace, those seeds can sprout and grow in our hearts. And as Jesus says the branches of the vines can bear fruit when tended by the vine-dresser.

I will flesh out the rest of the homily sometime, but you get the idea, don't you?  

The one post script I will add is to remind you that neither pruning nor being bound to another branch are necessarily very comfortable. (Especially the pruning has never been my favorite part.) We need to be able to look back on our lives to see that everything we have gone through is worth a great deal. Perhaps we won't completely understand until we have the perspective of eternity. We have, after all been promised that in 1 Corinthians 13:9-10,12 -- "For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears." "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."

Alleluia! Amen.