Looking Ahead to April 28, 2024 -- 5th Sunday of Easter

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Galatians 5:22-23
• John 15:1-17

Source

The Sermon title is Fruit of the Vine

Early Thoughts: The first commandment God gives humanity in Scripture is "Be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28). What does it mean to be fruitful?

Or maybe the better question is 'what sort of fruit should we produce?' and then ponder how it compares to what we actually do produce.

Looking at the passages for this week I find myself calling to mind another piece of Scripture, Matthew 7:15-20, which reminds us that trees are known by the fruits they produce. Jesus calls us to see ourselves as branches growing from the True Vine (which is Jesus) rooted, I assume, in God. Paul calls us to strive to produce the fruit of the spirit (with all its multiple flavours) that stands in direct contrast to what Paul, in verse19-21, calls the works of the flesh.

What fruit are we producing?

If we live into our identity as followers of Christ, branches of the True Vine how will people know that to be true? As the folk song goes "They will know we are Christians by our....love". We are called to bear fruits of love (the first flavour Paul lists). Growing from the core of Christ, who has been called Love Incarnate, we bear that fruit first and foremost. John's Gospel even suggests that if we fail to remain connected to the vine, if we fail to bear good fruit the branch may be cut off/pruned/cleansed, it will no longer have the life in abundance that Jesus promises to bring.

We can only be fruitful if we remains connected to the core, drawing strength and nutrition from the vine and the root. We are the branches stretching out into the world, may we be healthy branches, full of good, sweet, fresh, life-giving fruit.

What do you grow?
--Gord