I Am the True Vine

‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 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. 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. John 15:1-11

No matter how isolated, disconnected and alone we might feel, the message from Jesus is clear. We are all interconnected, abiding in one strong vine, full of love and possibilities, even in hard times. Despite the rhetoric, the voices that honor and idolize self-made people, we are none of us self-made. We are interdependent, interconnected and woven into a community that spans countless generations. We are tied to a loving Creator, wrapped in the arms of a loving Savior and buoyed up by a generous Holy Spirit. When we see all as relatives, and interdependent, we are living as disciples and changing the world by loving all living beings.

Loving Creator, you are near to all creation

you breathe through the tree leaves budding

you sing with the birds in the early morning

and you weep with the homeless on the streets.

We make ourselves busy with daily tasks

and believe we are doing well on our own

we overlooked the unhoused and the refugees

and we congratulate ourselves for not being poor.

Help us to see the world through your eyes

move our hearts to serve those who are suffering

change us so we might see all the connections

and rejoice that we are embedded in an eternal community. Amen.