Sermon for May 2, 2021 Easter 5 B House of Prayer Lutheran Church

John 15:1-8; 1 John 4:7-21 Rev. Karl-John N. Stone

I think for many people, some of the times when you’ve felt most connected to God is when you went out of your way to help another person--or when another person went out their way to help you. This is really no surprise, because it’s the way God has created us: to live as his people by learning to be partners with one another; to recognize God’s presence in each person we meet.

In today’s gospel, Jesus gives us a power metaphor for what it means to be connected in this way--the metaphor is the vine and the branches. Jesus says. “I am the vine and you are the branches.”

Jesus is the vine. In this metaphor, I picture him as a grape vine, because grape vines are mentioned all throughout the Bible, and of course are the source of the wine he uses to be the “blood of Christ” when we celebrate Holy Communion.

So Jesus is the vine--but what do vines do? They grow branches. And we--Jesus’ followers--are the branches. So, what do branches do? They grow fruit. And what does fruit do? It feeds people. It gives people life. The fruit is plucked from the vine and eaten; it’s tasty and satisfying. The fruit isn’t meant to stay in the vineyard. After it is picked, someone carries it out into the world. The fruit makes its way into a farmers market, a grocery store; a kitchen, a fruit salad, a family dinner table, or a restaurant. The fruit makes its way into a lunch box, a school cafeteria, a work site lunch break. The fruit makes its way into a picnic, a playground, a ball game, a track meet. The fruit makes its way into a hotel lobby, a truck stop, a food pantry, a homeless shelter, or a mission trip.

Where are all the places that you’ve seen a piece of fruit? Where are all the places where you’ve carried a piece of fruit? Where are all the places where a piece of fruit has been enjoyed? Where are the places that need more fruit because the people don’t have enough to put on their table? All of these are the places where the risen Christ has already gone ahead of us. These are all the places where God calls us to share the fruit that Christ has produced in our lives.

Now, when you think about a piece of fruit--a grape, an apple, a blueberry--the fruit doesn’t decide to just grow on its own. That’s not the way fruit works. It only grows because the branch is connected to the vine. Likewise, Jesus will grow the fruit of discipleship in each of us as long as we stay connected to him and use the fruit he produces in us for its intended purpose--that is, to feed people with the love and grace of God, wherever they may be.

If you want to see the fruit of God’s love and grace making a difference out in the world, the most basic thing we need to do as Christians is to cultivate our connection to him, like branches to a vine. Now in many ways this past year, we’ve encountered challenges in staying connected to Christ, because so many of the usual ways of practicing our faith have been disrupted. But you know, it’s not only during pandemics that we face challenges. Every time and place and culture in the history of Christianity produce challenges that make it harder for people to stay connected with Christ. The details may change, but the challenge of staying connected to Christ is not unique to our time or even to the pandemic. It’s the way it's always been (in one way or another), and it’s why Jesus taught the disciples from the very beginning that “he is the vine and we are the branches”.

Jesus knew we needed daily encouragement. So he promises--no matter the time or place--that he will be fully available to us through faith. And he promises to provide many ways to keep us connected to the vine so that the Spirit of Christ will be flowing into us, the branches. We can keep connected through things like praying daily, or scheduling time each week to worship God and give him thanks and praise. We can read through the Bible, or just turn to a favorite Bible verse,or listen to a song for inspiration or comfort. And if you don’t know which verse or song to turn to, ask one of your brothers or sisters in Christ about something that is meaningful to them--maybe it will be meaningful to you, too.

We can stay connected to Christ by seeking out our neighbors in need--whether they be neighbors at church, in your neighborhood, or in the wider community--and find ways to support them when they are struggling, or be supported by them when we are struggling. We can always provide a kind word or a listening ear. And we can be confident that the Holy Spirit is present in the space between us.

And even as you find ways to put your faith into action and carry the fruit produced by Christ in you out into the world, remember to find some time each day to simply be in the presence of God--to be connected to the vine. If you are not accustomed to this, you might set the timer on your phone for one or two minutes, and use that time to clear your mind, hand over all your distractions to God; simply open your heart and mind to whatever God wants to give you in that moment. Most of the time it probably will not be earth shattering or give you goosebumps, but I promise you that God will always show up when we make the time for him. After all, Christ is the vine, we are the branches.

And if we want to share with other people the fruit of Christ’s love and grace that grows through the branch and vine--and I mean share Jesus; not share ourselves or our own egos or agendas--then we’ve got to take some time to learn how to simply be in the presence of God, without distractions, so that we can let him do his work within us. You might do that while sitting in a chair or laying in your bed. You might do that while weeding your garden or mowing your lawn; listening to the birds sing and watching the wind rustle the trees. You might do that while walking or jogging or dancing or fishing or quilting. But whatever it is, it’s a time to put aside any agenda you might have, and let God set the agenda. Just let God work within you, in whatever way God decides, and carry no preconceived ideas on your part.

You know, we have been given an awesome and humbling calling to be God’s people, and to be present in our community to go and tell the story of how much God loves the world, and how much God loves each person in it, through Jesus Christ. But we don’t produce this kind of fruit by simply deciding to produce fruit on our own--that’s not the way plants work. The fruit doesn’t decide to grow itself. After all, we are branches and the vine grows the fruit through us. So if branches are cut off from the vine, they stop producing fruit. It’s being connected to the vine that makes it possible for the branches to produce the fruit. The fruit grows as we remain connected to Christ, and he pours into us God’s life and love; pours into us God’s grace and hope; pours into us the forgiveness and faith that come from Christ. These are the gifts of God that the world needs most. Amen.