John 15:4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

This whole passage about the vine and the branches is justly famous, because it is an image that even thoroughly urbanized people can understand. The thing that strikes me this morning is actually a way in which we are different from grape branches, and that is that we can choose whether we abide in the vine or not. If it were not so, Jesus would not have commanded it. The idea of a grape branch deciding that it had had enough of the vine for a while and it was going to go off and do it’s own thing is the the height of absurdity, but that kind of thinking is all too common among Christians. We get sated with church, regular Bible reading seems like a drudgery, and we decide we’ll “worship God in His creation,” going to the beach or wherever on Sundays and not feel like we’re missing a thing. That’s not to say we’re to make a fetish of church services, because that too can become a subtle form of idolatry, and it’s not to say we’re never to take vacations, but it is to say that our focus needs to be on abiding in Christ, and that includes His Body, the Church. Many people have been greatly blessed by experiencing corporate worship in unfamiliar settings, when they sought out believers with whom to worship while they were traveling. We may say the words, but we don’t like to admit that we are as dependent on Christ as a grape branch is on the vine.

I have no high horse from which to speak down to people on this issue. As a pastor, I am of course in church every Sunday, but that doesn’t mean I always want to be! There was a period in my life in which it took a lot to get me to church, but thankfully, God was faithful even when I wasn’t. The temptation for me now is more subtle. I am even tempted to think I can get something done for God without getting His help! I’ve got to remember what Jesus said in verse 8, that without Him I can do nothing, nil, nada. The flesh doesn’t like to admit that! I am charged with communicating God’s truth to others. The thought that I might be able to do that without Him is absurd from the start, because it’s His truth to begin with, and we all need the help of the Holy Spirit to be able to grasp it. (1 Corinthians 2:14) I need to demonstrate to the believers what abiding in Christ looks like, and be His instrument to strengthen and encourage them to do the same.

Father, thank You for how You are growing this congregation in this area. As always, I don’t have the wisdom to guide them, so I ask You to do it through me. May we all be earnest in abiding in Christ, so that all of Your plans that are wrapped up in that may be fulfilled in and through us, for our blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!