If someone was to ask you,
who are you, how would you reply?
Pardon me, but would you please tell me
who are you?
Now if that person was to ask
you not only your name, but to ask you to tell one other fact about your
identity, how would you reply?
So, you have revealed some initial
info on your identity, and if you were willing, you could tell us all about you.
We could talk about our identities as family mbrs, as workers and/or
professionals, as sports fans, as voters, and etc.
But that, would only be a part of your identity. That part will only last 70 to 90 plus years
or so.
Now there is another part of
your identity , which you may have left
out, which was described in our Gospel reading.
If you call yourself a Christian, then your true and eternal identity is
that you are a branch of the vine--- the vine being Jesus Christ. And actually,
every single person, whether they are Christian or not, is also a branch of
that very same vine—though they may not recognize that truth.
You see, God made all people
not to be separated from Him, but to be a part of Him. Being connected to the vine is crucial for
both a full and abundant life now, and in the age to come.
[Today we conclude our sermon
series on the Gospels by dipping into the Gospel of St. John. John was Jesus’ closest personal friend. He stood by Him at the
cross, when the other disciples fled. Out of that experience of friendship,
John has written the most magnificent of
the Gospels. There are so many rich
avenues that we could explore, but today we look at the relationship between
God & humanity from God’s eyes]
If you would be look at your
sermon insert, Jesus is saying that some branches, like some people, bear a lot
of fruit in their lives—like the top branch on the graph. Fruitful branches on a grape vine bear healthy
fruit, because the branches are connected to the vine. Likewise, we bear healthy fruit in our lives
when we make all effort to stay connected to Jesus, the vine. His life giving sap , the Holy Spirit, flows
through us producing the fruit of the spirit, described in our first reading
today: forgiveness, reconciliation, acceptance, warmth, joy & the like.
Now some of us are naturally
kind and accepting...but God’s goal for us is that through nurturing our connection
with Him, that we would grow in all of the fruit of the spirit. Indeed, as I
have grown in my relationship with God, so I have been better able to forgive
people, and to defer to others as an act of love; and I am sure that many of
you can see this in your lives, too, because many of you are strongly connected
to the Vine of Jesus Christ. PAUSE
However, what happens if a
person does not nurture an active
spiritual life?
· Then that branch, over the course of time, will bear
less and less fruit.
· Likewise, with people who are only tangentially
connected with God, or who , indeed, cut themselves off from God and His
people—something dies within.
· In order for
our emotional hearts to fully function, we must nurture and cultivate our
spiritual lives; otherwise, something dies with in, wounding that heart...or
maybe even killing it.
· How many people
do you know are relationally impaired in their families, homes, or place of
employment? Perhaps the reason is that
they have cut themselves off from the vine?
Now, how does this apply to
us?
1.
One, obviously ,
is that Jesus wants us to understand the vital importance of being connected to
Him and with each other. Coming to
worship is great; but relationships need to be developed at Coffee hour or in
Small groups, or in other settings.
2.
Next, I realize that it is summer, and many folks
of our congregation travel; but at least some of us know of church friends who
have drifted away, and we have not seen them recently.
· Studies confirm that if a person drifts away from
church friends and friends, then those friends need to reach out to him or
her—to let them know that they are missed and that they are wanted.
· This is not something that the newsletter or even the
rector can do; but think of it: you can be the instrument of someone
reconnecting with the Vine of Jesus
Christ. Just give him or her a phone call and reach out.
3.
Thirdly, of
course, we can decide to be a new friend for someone new who walks through our
front door. Again, statistics show that
most visitors, looking for a new church, like ours, are primarily interested in
making new friendships. Likewise, if a
newcomer does not make one new friendship within the first 2 months at a new
church, they will most likely drift away.
What I am describing, I
believe, is way that Jesus wants us to be the Church.
· It’s not about the money.
· It’s not even
about the attendance.
· It’s not about
the music, or the pastor, or any of the programs.
· It is about one Christian connecting and/or
reconnecting with Jesus, the vine. In
turn, that person helps someone else,
broken away from the vine, to connect or reconnect with the life giving
Vine, who is Jesus Christ, our Lord.
[So, the Gospels—Matthew , Mark, Luke and John, are the
treasure trove of the Good News. Our the
past 4 weeks, we have reflected upon 4
gems of spirituality:
1. From
Matthew, we learned about the incredible Kingdom of heaven, which is both in
heaven, with its roots here on earth.
2. From
Mark, we heard that we are called to be disciples of Christ, to grow in our
relationship with Him, that we might make new disciples.
3. From
Luke, we heard how we are to be assistant shepherds, who help the Good
Shepherd, Jesus Christ, to seek out the lost.
4. And
today from God, we have seen how all people are meant to be in relationship
with Jesus—who is the vine, giving us His own life and spirit that we might
bear good fruit in our homes, church, & in our communities.
The Gospels tell us not only about the life of Jesus, but they also tell us
about all of us, His followers.
· They
tell us about who we are, and whom we are becoming;
· Which
through Jesus Christ, is better and better and then the best.
· Thanks
be to God.]
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