Psalm 1; John 15: 1-11 by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
April 8, 2018
Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish. - Psalm 1
[Jesus said," ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. - John 15: 1-11
The Gospel of John is one of my favorites. I love the way John paints pictures of Jesus’ ministry with the disciples and the growing number of followers.
John has one sole purpose as he draws his readers into God’s great story: “That you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
Today, John paints a beautiful landscape of growing grapevines in hopes that we might allow the roots of our faith to sink a little deeper in the source of life.
John tells us that God is the vine grower. Just imagine the Creator’s hands working the soil to loosen the hard places and to prepare the earth for the true vine. John goes on to say that Jesus is the true vine and the Creator’s hands continue the work of pruning the vine’s branches to allow it to bear more and more fruit.
John is particular to say that you and I are the branches. The landscape of this incredible vine has the opportunity to grow exponentially. Jesus says, “Those who abide in me and me in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
But to abide in something – especially to abide in Jesus Christ – means to remain in Jesus’ teaching, continue to follow Christ’s example, stand in the Lord’s grace, and strive to endure in God’s faithfulness.
We are encouraged to abide in our Savior as our Savior abides in us. And for John there is something at stake. One commentary I trust shares these words:
It is not enough to be with Jesus Christ and to have received his word. The disciples must abide in him and he must abide in them. There must be an ongoing [opportunity to share life because of the relationships between Jesus and the disciples.][1]
We cannot come to a full understanding of who we are in God’s love alone. That understanding is informed by our relationships with God and one another in community. And as we abide in God’s love, we begin to grow into a beautiful landscape that is God’s garden. That garden is where the community of faith begins to thrive and be nourished by God. And in turn, the community of faith becomes a space for others to experience the goodness of God.
One of my colleagues in ministry is Melissa. She serves as pastor of a small rural Presbyterian Church in Pulaski, Virginia. The town of Pulaski is about 7 square miles and is located near the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains in southwestern Virginia.
A few years ago, Melissa, the session and church members were in prayerful discernment about how to abide in the community. The small church felt God leading them to partner with a non-profit project called “Pulaski Grow.”
This relatively new non-profit was founded by Virginia native Lee Spiegel. Lee moved back to the New River Valley area with a vision to “draw upon the region’s long agricultural history and confront one of its most pressing needs.” That need was small town economic growth.
Lee’s vision entailed a community garden and cannery to grow and can produce with the help of local individuals, churches, and youth. Lee hoped to “teach teenagers the leadership, management, and customer-service skills which area employers need” in order to foster economic growth in their small rural town.
Individuals from across the country began hearing about Lee’s vision. Local area churches began reaching out to help make a difference in the community. Together they have been learning to abide in a mutual and life-giving reality to improve the overall quality of life for everyone.
There are just six weeks of school left this year (not counting Spring Break) and my ministry colleagues and I are already planning for August 11, 2018 – our second annual Lancaster Back to School Bash.
A handful of our Indian Land and Lancaster area clergy saw a need in our community to give underprivileged children (k-12) the resources they need to succeed in school. In August of 2017 churches, businesses, and individuals worked together to serve 800 children in need with school supplies, haircuts, new shoes, foot washings and prayer.
Lancaster County School District serves 20 schools and 12,959 students. The county-wide poverty average is 55.8%. Do you know that 11 out of 20 schools have a poverty rate between 65% and 94%?
As more people hear the stories of how our Lancaster children and families were impacted by Back to School Bash, more want to be a part of this ministry that is changing lives.
This week I met with a local business woman to share about Back to School Bash. She was moved to hear about one little boy who chose his back pack and school supplies, had his hair cut, his feet washed, received a prayer and then had a new pair of shoes placed on his feet. He walked out of the doors with his arms raised high and shouted, “Alleluia!”
The local business woman shared with me that she wanted to be a part of that.
And then she shared a similar event that she has helped lead in Kings Mountain called, “Dare to Dream.”
The vision for the event came from a local pastor who says, “For all of us to get together and love one another – it is the only way that I know personally to change my community and the world that we live in.” Dare to Dream focuses on children and youth who are underprivileged but also are at risk to gang influence.
The Dare to Dream planning team not only saw a community need but also saw a shared interest of dirt bike riding among youth and young adults. Therefore, churches, corporate sponsors, individuals and professional dirt bikers came together to give out back packs, school supplies and inspire children and youth to reach for their dreams. I was equally moved to learn of what another community is doing to sow seeds of God’s love and hope to change the world.
These communities are reflections of God’s great garden. God’s garden is filled with so many branches. And as a wise gentleman shared with me last week after Easter worship, “God is definitely bigger than our individual denominations.”
Once these branches begin to grow out of prayer and commitment to abide in the vine of God’s love, they all intertwine with one another. These branches offer support for one another and yield space for all to thrive and grow. These branches abide and bear good fruit.
Just think about all the branches that make up this community of faith here in Van Wyck. How have the branches among us helped you to abide in our Creator’s hands? In what ways have you experienced the truth that abiding in the vine of our Savior’s self-giving love is where you tap into the source of new life?
This week I pray you reflect upon all the different people in your life who have helped you to grow in God’s love. Maybe it is a teacher, a pastor, or a new friend. Maybe it is a colleague at work whose dedication and humble heart inspires you. Maybe it is a family member who tends to so many with a nurturing and selfless love.
Jesus wants the seeds of our faith to reach down and mature with deep roots. Our Teacher and Savior has a vision for our faith to grow into large beautiful branches that yields blooms of hope, reaching out into the community and into the lives of others.
That hope bears the visible fruit of God’s promise that the love of Christ changes the world. Sometimes God alone is the one who begins to see the hidden promise of transformation. And yet as we hold the resurrection promise of Easter as our vision, we too will see God’s love at work in our lives as we keep in step with the Spirit.
This Easter season we have the opportunity to pray about how to abide more deeply in the vine of God’s love and coming kingdom.
May we remain in Jesus’ teaching, continue to follow Christ’s example, stand in the Lord’s grace, and strive to endure in God’s faithfulness.
Let’s go out and be God’s Garden and invite others to come and see how good God is.
In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.
Sources Referenced:
[1] Sacra Pagina, “The Gospel of John” (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1998), p. 420.
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