All Saints Lutheran Church
Pastor Raita Neely
Easter 5B
I John 4:7-21, John 15:1-8
May 18, 2003

In our gospel for today Jesus chooses a very graphic, powerful image of nurturing, belonging and intimacy to express the unity between himself and his followers. We are as close to Jesus as the branches are to the vine. It is an image of life and growth that carries the hope of fruit. Those who abide in his word and love will bear fruit, but those who are apart from him, can do nothing.

This was familiar imagery for the disciples of Jesus' day for in the Old Testament Israel was often likened to a vine. The difference is that here Jesus proclaims himself the true vine, the one in whom God's presence is decisively, uniquely revealed. His disciples are branches springing from the taproot of Jesus life with God. God is the overseer, or vine grower. In other words, God is in charge of the whole operation.

Abide is the word Jesus uses to describe the believer's vital relationship to him. To abide in Christ is to be in vital communion with him through the power of the Holy Spirit. The life-giving flow of Christ's presence sustains and strengthens the disciple, much as a vine supports its branches. Only through communion with the living Christ can we get the spiritual juices required to live as Christ's disciple in a world that needs what only Christ can give. Only as we cling to Christ in faith and devotion, can he call forth the fruit of His Spirit in and through us.

"Apart from me you can do nothing" , Jesus tells us - what a gracious invitation to be in communion with him who is the source of our life.

But how do we abide, how do we maintain that living union with him that allows us to flourish and grow as his disciples?

One answer, Jesus suggests is that centering ourselves upon him requires pruning. When a plant is pruned, the branches remaining are driven back to their source, thereby becoming vital and strong. An unpruned plant grows wildly in all directions until its strength is sapped and its form destroyed.

So often, our lives resemble a plant in need of pruning. How quickly the demands and pressures seem to multiply in all directions. Before you know it, you find yourself overextended and rushing to keep up. I know this is true for many of you. With a full appointment book and a looming "to do" list, there seems precious little time to center on Christ and his will for our lives.

Yet maintaining the maddening pace we set for ourselves rarely yields the results we seek. It seems we work harder and harder for less and less, not only financially, but in every sphere of life. Soon we find ourselves empty, spent and exhausted - a brittle branch, fragile and at the breaking point, devoid of vitality and life. And Jesus' voice sounds in our ears, "Apart from me you can do nothing." We are forced to concede that once again he is right.

If we are to abide in Christ, we need a daily session with ourselves. We need a time for consciously choosing among the many demands on our lives in the light of Christ's claim upon us. We need a pruning session, as it were, in which all that keeps Christ from blossoming and flowering within us can be cut away. For unless we systematically prune our lives of all that draws us away from our life with Christ, we will quickly become a barren branch, devoid of fruit, devoid of life.

How does this pruning take place? Yes, sometimes the vine grower prunes the branches directly, as when God uses the difficult circumstances of life to drive us back to Christ. But most of the time spiritual pruning is heavily dependent on "the word" of Jesus. Jesus teaches us , "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free." (Jn8:31-32) So you and I can be "pruned" or "cleansed" by meditating directly upon Jesus' word. In cherishing His word, probing its meaning and seeking its life-giving sustenance-we become Jesus' disciples.

Jesus "word" is both the whole of his teaching and the whole of his person; in him, as in no other, the medium and the message are one. We need to be steeped in Scripture, not only to know his teaching, but to know the saving deeds of God in the life of Israel and in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we don't know Scripture, Christ remains a figment of our imagination instead of a living figure who speaks for himself. Regular reading of the Bible allows Christ to emerge from the thicket of half-truths and fanciful assumptions, where we are inclined to keep him. When the Bible is read in faith, the living Christ confronts us within its pages. Sometimes a particular passage speaks so clearly to our need or to our circumstances that we can almost feel Christ's breath as he whispers the words.

But Jesus gives us more. Beyond the pruning of our lives in response to his word, Jesus points us to the importance of prayer in maintaining a vital union with him. "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you". As we center ourselves upon Christ and his word, we no longer reduce prayer to a litany of favors sought or a wish list. Instead, prayer becomes our seeking of Christ's empowerment for the work he has for us to do.

A week ago, there was an amazing article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press about answered prayer. It is incredible how God can work in our lives when we are open to God's promptings. Zachary Wood is a fourth-grader who lives in International Falls. Two weeks ago his dad Terry was raking the yard when a neighbor dropped by, wondering if the family was interested in a used van with a wheelchair lift. Zachary has spina bifida and has used a wheelchair since he was a toddler. The boy has had 29 surgeries since birth. He suffers respiratory problems and his vocal cords are paralyzed. But doctors have told the family that Zachary can expect a normal life span. A new van with a lift was definitely in the family's future. The neighbor encouraged the family to go with him to check out this particular van. So the two families drove to Rainy Lake to take a look. It was a nice van- full size Ford, motorized lift, low miles, no rust. "I'm supposed to show you the pontoon boat and house too," said the Wood's neighbor, a cousin of the home's owner. "Uh, sure," said the Woods, a bit puzzled, but they decided not to pass up a chance to check out a beautiful lakefront property. It was wonderful, like the van, equipped with ramps and sturdy level surfaces that made it easy for Zachary to get around. The house even had an elevator.
"It's fantastic. Thanks for the tour." Terry Wood said. He started to ask about the van and its price, but the neighbor interrupted.
"Now, couldn't you just picture yourself living here?"
After that, it was all like a wonderful dream.
The house belonged to Marlene and David Perling. David was paralyzed at age 15 but went on to become an electrical engineer. Six years ago, he and his wife bought his uncle's home on Rainy Lake, where they spent their summers while living most of the year in Arizona. In January, David Perling suffered a stroke and died.

A Rainy Lake neighbor called Marlene about buying the lake front place. But she could not put a price on it. She prayed for an answer. And then an answer came to her, she says, "I decided I wanted to give it to a family who could benefit from it, who could enjoy it as much as David and I enjoyed it those six years." The answer to her prayer came suddenly, but she knew it was the right thing.

When her cousin heard of her intentions, he immediately thought of the Woods. Many times he had seen the father lift the little boy from his wheelchair to place him in the car. He knew the father already had a hard time lifting Zachary.

The Woods could not believe their ears when Marlene Perling said to them, "Take it all. The house. The boat. The van. It's all free. I just want you to enjoy it.
Please enjoy it."

Marlene explains her actions this way, "God orchestrated this whole thing. God took me step by step. God led me to this family. I asked God to show me a family who could benefit from this. The Woods are all that and more." The Woods plan to move into their new home after school lets out. With the place fully furnished, they plan to keep only their most cherished possessions. The rest? "Give it away," they said. And Zachary along with his grandfather is planning his first ever fishing trip on the pontoon boat.

Marlene is connected to the Lord. Because she knows the Lord holds her close, she can hold others close. God's love encouraged her to seek well-being for others. She showed Zachary and his family an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return.

Dear people of God at All Saints, today, God is saying to you, "I am the vine, you are the branches." God is calling you to live in him and walk humbly on the way. God calls you to love tenderly, to act with justice and take God's love wherever you go. Amen