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Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
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Quinquagesima Sunday |
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February 18, 2007 John 15:1-7 The Fruit of the Vine I want to talk today about the fruit of the vine. No, not that fruit of the vine. I want to talk about being connected to the vine of life. These days everyone wants to get connected to something. It may be the internet, a cell phone, or a chat group, or, even God. In the ultimate sense, getting connected means to be in touch with what really matters in life. It is to be in touch with that which provides answers to some of life’s riddles, and which helps us not only prioritize the various aspects of our lives, but also gives meaning to them, and energizes us to do what we need to do. Think of this as a branch connecting to a vine. In this sense, we are all branches connecting, more or less, to the vine that provides our meaning and existence. This is not my metaphor, of course. Jesus used it long ago in our reading for today. The True Vine Allow me to say at the start that not all vines are good vines. You may have had experience with bad vines in the past. I know of one, an attractive vine, with lush green leaves in the summer that turn to a beautiful mottled crimson in autumn. But don’t be fooled by its beauty. It is called Poison Ivy for a reason. Wild grapes are another example. They look very much like the domesticated grape vines, and some may believe they will get a bountiful harvest of grapes from them, but it just won’t happen. Some domestic grape vines are disappointing too. Their vines are luxuriant, but their fruit is bitter. It doesn’t take much imagination to symbolically apply these vines to the claims of various human endeavors, each claiming to be the vine you need, each inviting you to “get connected,” yet always failing to provide the fruit they promise. There really is only one True Vine; the gracious God who created us, and loves us, and knows how to give good gifts to His children. He is the One in whom is life, and meaning, and energy, and all the things we need so desperately in this life and beyond. And, Jesus, who said, “I am the vine,” and, “ye are the branches” spoke of two kinds of branches, the connected, and the disconnected. Or, as He put it, those who abide in Him and those who do not. The Disconnected Branch Let’s look at the disconnected branch first. Notice that it is not completely disconnected. It is attached to the Vine, but there is a problem with its connection, such that it is not deriving all the benefits of Vine Life. All people are connected to God. We can’t help it, and we can’t change it. We were created by God, and we live in His universe. We breathe his air. We eat the produce of His soil. We exist in Him. Were He to remove His sustaining power from us, we would not die; we would cease to exist. So, in that sense we all are connected to God, but we are not all properly connected. Not all abide in him. Some people do not seek Christ. They want to live by their own rules. They want to think their own thoughts, and be their own people. Like Eve in the Garden, they want to decide for themselves what is right for them and true for them and good for them. They would rather trust their own small minds, which are controlled by passions and lusts, than to trust the great God who created the universe, and has watched the rise and fall of countless generations of humanity. Therefore, they are dead in their souls. Just as a branch with a faulty connection to the vine will wither and die, so they are withered and dead without Christ. They are dead because they are not properly connected to the source of life, but they are also dead because the things to which they so long to be connected are things that kill their souls. The, “no rules, do what feels good, wanton pursuit of pleasure” life kills souls. It also kills communities, and nations. Yet it glitters and deceives, and makes us want it, the way a fishing lure deceives a largemouth bass. It glitters, it attracts, and it kills. What happens to dead branches? A good gardener removes them doesn’t he? They are cut off and thrown into the fire, lest their disease and pests spread to other branches. And so it is with the dead souls of those who cut themselves off from the True Vine. Since they refuse the grace of God they leave no alternative but the justice of God, and, whatever else hell may be, it is surely a place where those who wish to live apart from God are allowed to do so, forever cut off from life, and happiness, and peace, and hope, and love. Forever will they live in the folly of sin, and forever will they eat sin’s bitter fruit. The Connected Branch The connected branch is the fruitful branch. Fruit is simply the things that make life worth living. It is not “winning souls.” It is not even primarily righteousness. Fruit is “really living.” Righteousness is a part of it because righteousness is “real living.” Keeping God’s commandments is its own reward. That is why Jesus said in verse 10 that if we keep His commandments we abide in His love, and in verse 11, “that your joy may be full.” Righteousness promotes happiness. Talking to a young engaged couple a few years ago, I said there is no secret to a happy marriage. The more closely you approach the will of God as revealed in the Bible, the happier your marriage will be. The further you get from it, the more miserable it will be. Biblical living heaps blessings upon you. Unbiblical living heaps buckets of hot coals upon your head. The branch that intentionally seeks to be connected to Christ is the branch that receives the blessings. But, and this is what causes much of our trouble as Christians, we want to have the blessings of being connected to Christ, and, at the same time, do the things the unconnected branches are doing. We want to be Christians, and still indulge our fleshly passions and lusts in undisciplined and ungodly ways. Therefore, the Great Vine Keeper has to do as the earthly gardeners do, He has to prune us. I am sure you have grown pumpkins and squash and roses in your gardens, and you know how those vines run wild. They must be formed and shaped, and the “suckers” must be pruned away to keep the branches fruitful. We are the same way, so the Lord shapes us and trains us. Sometimes He ties us to the trellis like a rambling rose. Sometimes He trains us with scissors. We do this for our benefit in our gardens. We do it to make the plants produce fruit for our use, or we do it to produce a plant that is pleasing to the eye. But God prunes for our benefit, and the result is worth the pain. The one who is connected to Christ is the one who enjoys real life. The branch that is trained and pruned is the one who bears the fruit of love, joy, and peace. The connected branch is the one with purpose, and hope and joy, for he is assured him that all things work for his good on earth, and the joys of Heaven await him forever. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
The Rev. Dr. R. Dennis Campbell, Vicar, Holy Trinity Anglican Church,
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