Today’s scripture reading is John 15:1-17.
I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. –John 15:5 (The Message)
When I went to the Holy Land, our group visited a winery. While we were there, someone brought up this scripture verse. After referencing the verse, he said this: “Because we are branches, our job is to bear fruit, not make it. And the only way to bear fruit is to stay connected to the vine.”
Now, “bearing fruit” is a phrase that I use often. But in honestly examining the way I live, I’m usually focused on “making fruit” as opposed to “bearing it.” It’s so easy and tempting to live life (and do ministry) out of my own strength. It’s so easy to allow discipleship to slip into works righteousness, a list of things that I have to do rather than God doing them through me. And when the list of tasks to be done gets too long, I look for shortcuts. I ask “What can I eliminate in order that I can make my “to do list” happen today?” And, more times than I care to admit, the first thing I am tempted to do is to disconnect myself from the vines in my life: skipping my morning scripture reading and journaling time, staying at the office late (or bringing work home), neglecting my family, and not resting/remembering the Sabbath.
John 15 reminds me that I’m a branch. My job is not to make fruit; my job is to bear fruit. And the only way that I can bear fruit is to stay connected to the Vine, my source of life.
May God grant you the grace to stay connected to the Source of life and let that Source make the fruit that you are to bear.
