I have shared before that my mom was what I might call a Master Gardener. She was rarely happier than when she was working in the dirt, tending the garden and cultivating food for the family. She LOVED it. And her goal seemed to be to try and raise basically every vegetable and fruit you could raise. Short of the tropical fruits you simply can’t grown in the Midwest, we raised it ALL!
And she didn’t just have a huge garden and orchard. She also paid attention to the aesthetic as well. That led, among other things, to having a hedge of lilac bushes that bordered the front of the garden, forming a beautiful barrier at the right time of year. She loved that lilac hedge. And every year she would trim it back in anticipation of the next growing season.
But there was ONE year that stands out. We were doing the “Fall prep” in the garden area- getting everything ready for the cold, snowy winter ahead. She had me start pruning that lilac hedge. Well, I had seen her prune it before so I thought I knew what to do. But that year, she just kept having me prune it back more and more. I DID- because if Mom said so, you did it! But by the time it was done to her satisfaction, it had been, by my estimation, butchered! I suggested that, just perhaps, we had gone too far and killed it! She assured me that, while it needed pruning every year, occasionally you had to prune it WAY back, to get the deadwood out. I was more than a little skeptical.
But, when Spring came, that lilac hedge took off like a rocket. And before you knew it, the hedge was 6’ tall! It was full, healthy and produced tons of beautiful blooms that year! I was amazed!
Lent is the season of the church calendar leading up to Easter. It begins the Sunday AFTER Ash Wednesday and it is a 7-week period of preparation. Today, we continue our current sermon series that leads us to Easter morning. We started in a rather unorthodox place…Christmas. And from the full manger of the first Christmas morning, we said we would walk all the way to the empty tomb of the first Easter. And along the way, we would always keep the image of “the nails” in front of us- reminding us that it was never the nails that held Jesus to the cross- it was His love for us all along.
John 15:1-4 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
So, let’s look at this passage. Along with those lilacs, we raised just about every conceivable vegetable and fruit, including grapes. And it you’ve ever raised grapes, you know how important it is to to keep the true vine intact. But you also know how important it is to prune the vines. If you DON’T prune them, they spend all their energy trying to leaf out vine that is NOT going to produce grapes. So, at the right time of the year, you cut the grape vines back so they will be healthy and productive during the next growing season.
Here, Jesus continues to use what are called agrarian images- farming illustrations. Why? Because they made sense to His listeners. And to many of us, growing up in the heartland of America, they resonate as well. So, He talks about the branches that DON’T bear are cut away so that the branches that DO bear will have a better shot at doing just that- bearing more fruit.
And then He says something very interesting- we are clean because of the word that He has spoken to us. Two things are implied here: 1. He has spoken directly to each of us, telling us who we are, Whose we are and what He is calling us to do in His name and 2. We are clean because of that interaction. He speaks to us and we are made clean and given a purpose.
And then comes the invitation pointed to in the title of today’s message. Abide in Me and I will abide in you. I fully believe that Jesus abides…lives…within each of us. We chosen to either acknowledge that fact and reciprocate or not. But I think His spark is inside each of us, even if we don’t realize it or don’t want to acknowledge it.
To drive His point home, He goes back to His farming image. Just like a branch can’t produce fruit unless it is connected to the vine, we can’t bear fruit unless we are connected to Him. And as I intimated earlier, I believe that He dwells within each of us, whether we realize or acknowledge it. We have someone close to us who is Jewish by birth and heritage and yet is NOT, by their own admission, a “religious person”. But I would argue that this person is one of THE most “Christian” people I have ever met. Kind, gentle, loving, would do anything for anyone- all traits that reflect Jesus abiding within you!
Do you realize, recognize and acknowledge that Jesus lives within in you and you in Him? What fruit are you producing? Are you producing the fruit that He wants you to produce? Or, are you instead stubbornly clinging to some sense that you know what’s best- insistent on trying to produce YOUR fruit instead of His? Because, in the end, I firmly believe that we are all trying to produce fruit. The question is simple- WHOSE?
Ultimately, God is not calling you to focus on the fruit of the world. Climbing the ladder, getting ahead in the corporate world, making more money, earning more titles- this is not the “kingdom fruit” He ultimately calls us to. Ultimately, there is nothing wrong with getting a promotion or a raise. It’s what your motivation was in seeking it and what you do WITH it that matters. Again, what fruit- “kingdom fruit”- are you bearing for Jesus? Look around. This church is bearing MUCH fruit. People outside the church- shoot, those of us INSIDE the church, for that matter- look at what has been accomplished over the past, let’s say 1½ years, and marvel at how it’s even been possible. People out in the community and beyond say things like, “How are you DOING that?!” or “We could NEVER do that!” I don’t know about YOU, but my response is consistent- “we” AREN’T doing it- God is. We are simply fortunate to be along for the ride. We have the extreme joy of being His hands and feet, His eyes and ears in this time and place. We are playing a small part in producing powerful “kingdom fruit” and I, for one, am jazzed just to be “on the show”!
Stick With Jesus 