Abiding

John 15: 1-11 by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
October 4, 2015
World Communion Sunday

'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


This past week I was blessed to travel to Indiana for a week of continuing education. I spent the week with twenty-five PC(USA) pastors from across the country for some Sabbath time and reflection of our lives in ministry. All of the pastors who gathered are in the first seven years of ministry. The conference retreat is called CREDO, which is Latin for “I Believe.” The conference is modeled after one used for clergy in the Episcopal Church to decrease pastor burnout. I deeply appreciate the way our denomination is caring for pastors and helping us to cultivate a healthy sense of self in ministry.

Through the week we were led to reflect on six areas: vocational identity, spiritual health, physical health, emotional health, financial health, and leadership identity. The key was not to focus on our skills in these areas. The key was to reflect on what gives us life.

As we gained more insight into these areas, we were charged to write a Rule of Life – a spiritual map – to integrate the many parts of ourselves into one. This idea goes back to the fifth century where monks wrote a Rule of Life to grow in their spiritual relationship with God in the community of the monastery. The Rule included practices or disciplines centering upon prayer, Bible study, and actions to be faithful to God.

My colleagues and I wrote four important practices to live by over the course of this year. As I wrote my Rule of Life I focused on my spirituality, physical and emotional well-being, my family relationships, and growing as a disciple of Christ. I could not think of these practices as something I had to do. It is hard to find joy in something that is an obligation. It soon becomes something we dread and it loses its intention to be life giving. Instead I felt the Spirit’s encouragement to consider practices where I might abide more deeply in God’s love.

Jesus taught his disciples about the practice of abiding. Did you catch how many times he said the word “abide” or “abiding” in the text? He says it ten times. That must be important.

“Abide in me as I abide in you” (verse 4). Through the years these words have become a life verse for me. I hope they will become a life verse for you too. How do we find real ways to position ourselves in Christ’s way of life? How do we abide?

In order for us to live more deeply into Christ’s example, we have to remove all the stuff that gets in the way. God sees those things in our hearts and minds that are not bearing fruit. God wants to remove every branch that bears no fruit. But first God invites us to look inside ourselves and to be honest about what we see. It is important for us to have the courage to be vulnerable with God.

It is not easy task to look into our lives and even into the past hours of the day and remember how we have denied God. Old habits, stress, and apathy are just a few obstacles that choke the roots of our faith. The Spirit moves us to confess the ways we have focused more on our situations than trusting God’s promises to work through them. That kind of vulnerability begins to prepare a place for Christ’s example to abide in us.

God clears away the obstacles to our faith and redirects our trust and faith priorities. As God does this spiritual work within us, God looks for the buds of faith that have taken root in our lives. And God begins to prune or shape the good that we are doing. Think about the branches of faith in your life that have shown glimpses of Christ working through you. That moment that you prayed for patience with your children as chaos surrounded you. The year when your friend’s deep faith inspired you to be more faithful to God. The time when your marriage was tested and you reached towards grace instead of resentment.

Reflection is necessary for our faith to grow more fully into the likeness of Christ. When our faith helps us to take the next right step we may not do it perfectly or as often as we should. But that is just part of being human. Only Christ lived in perfect relationship with God. As we look at our lives and consider how we are abiding in Christ’s way of life, God honors our efforts with love and grace. God continues to shape our faith so that it may bear more fruit. A colleague of mine shared with me last week, “Don’t get ahead of God’s grace.” The best we can do is to open ourselves to God’s transformation in our lives.

If we can focus on a few significant ways to truly abide in God’s presence, Christ’s grace, and the Spirit’s embrace then we truly see our faith bud and grow. Later this morning we will be joining sisters and brothers in faith from all across the world at the Lord’s Table. We all will have the opportunity to see, touch, taste and experience God’s amazing grace in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Christ invites us to consider how we might abide in his love more fully. The bread of life and the cup of salvation nourish and strengthen our faith.

As we share in the feast I invite you to consider a few ways that you might deepen your commitment to abide in Christ as he abides in you.

Take a pulse in those areas of faith we talked about earlier this morning:

Do you spend meaningful time in prayer and Bible study?
Are you taking care of your nutrition and physical health in life giving ways?
How are you tending to your significant relationships?
Do you honor God through your gifts of time, talent, and treasures?
What are you curious to learn about to deepen your faith?

Consider two things you might put into regular practice to abide more deeply in Christ. As I think about my own faith practices I have made a commitment to be with God every day to sit in Scripture and to pray. Sometimes prayer will be just listening for God. Sometimes prayer will be through activities like exercise or coloring. Sometimes prayer will be talking with God on the behalf of others. Another faith practice of mine is to be intentional about nurturing the significant relationships with my family. How might you consider abiding?

Ask God to remove the obstacles. Invite the Spirit to help you redirect your faith priorities. Where have you not trusted God in your life? What parts of your faith have been life giving? Look for Christ living through you in such a way that this gift of faith bears fruit. The fruit you and I are looking for is what the Apostle Paul calls "the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5: 22-23).

God wants us to abide in Christ for one purpose. “That Christ’s joy may be in [you and me] and that our joy may be complete (John 15:11). Joy is not happiness in our circumstances. Joy is having a keener awareness of God’s grace in our lives. Take the next right step in God’s life giving grace. Abide in Christ as Christ abides in you.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.