Scripture: John 15:1–17
Today, we begin a Summer of Peace. Over the next weeks and months, we will explore different ideas around the theme of peace: Peace Within…Peace with Others…Peace with Creation. The Bible never stops talking about peace. So, we join the conversation today, and in the days ahead.
Imagine with me the night that Christ was betrayed. He taught his apostles. He prayed with them. He ate a meal with them. He washed their feet. And then they left: “Let us rise, and be on our way.” They walked through an olive orchard on a hilly area named for the plants. Perhaps he paused at one of the olive trees, vines and branches intertwined, beginning to grow plump, juicy olives. Perhaps he reached up and pulled down one of those branches, and gathered his apostles so that they could all see. Touch. Even smell the verdant fragrance of the vines. Perhaps the teacher, ever teaching told them….
John 15.1–17
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 4 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. 5 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. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10 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. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing, but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17 I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.
There was once a tree. Strong and mighty. And up along that tree ran a vine, green and growing. Day in and day out, that vine grew longer, twisting around the tree, growing strong up from its roots. Day in and day out, the vinedresser would walk in and amongst the vines. She would look at each section of the vine, and study it. She would look for leaves that were brown and withered, and would often take out her little snippers and “snip, snip,” away the dead leaves. She would look for invasive insects: big, fat grubs or little, tiny weevils, and if she found them she would pull out her spray bottle and douse the leaves with it. She would step back and look at the whole of the vine and see if there were sections where the branches were getting too heavy with leaves, and she would bring out her big choppers and cut away sections so that the whole vine did not pull down away from the tree, losing its support.
Then at the end of the day, the vinedresser nodded and smiled and said, “This is a good vine. It will produce good fruit.”
One morning, before the vinedresser had begun her rounds, a section of the vines began to wake up and talk to each other. “Good morning to you!” “And good morning to you!” They greeted each other as they greeted the morning. But one of the branches did not greet the morning with joy. “What’s so good about it? Here I am, day after day, stuck to all of you. If I wasn’t stuck to you all, I could become a great tree! In fact, I don’t need any of you. I have my own strength, you know I have my own rights, you know. The vinedresser says that we are all special, but I am actually more special than you are. My leaves are all the correct color. I worked hard to produce this fruit all on my own. I am bigger and more beautiful and higher up on the vine than any of you. In fact, I think I could pull away from this dumb tree that we blindly wrap ourselves around day in and day out, and I could dig my own roots deep into the ground. And then I would reach my own branches high into the sky. I would produce my own fruit. One day, they might even have a parade down the middle of the row between the trees…just for me. All of the vinedressers would come and sing of my greatness. They would raise their hands in the air to celebrate me! All would see how great I am and you all and everyone else would show up just to join the parade for me!”
And so, that’s exactly what it did. The big, beautiful branch decided that it would detach from the rest of the vine. It didn’t need them anyway! It yanked itself away from the rest of the branches, tearing some of their connecting branches and leaves as it did. Then, it smiled and smugly waited for the parade to begin! But the next day, some of its leaves began to look a little yellow. “Don’t worry. It’s all a part of the process. They will obey me soon and do what they are supposed to. I have decreed it.” But then, the next day, more leaves turned yellow, and some even began to turn brown. Before long, dying leaves began to fall off the branch. One. Then another. Then in bunches they fell. The branch began to lose all of its leaves. It began to look barren. Even the leaves on up the line from the branch began to yellow and die, as well. They had nothing to deserve it, but they suffered from the arrogance branch.
You see, disconnected from one another, insisting on its own way, the branch lost its connection to the vine. To the rest of the branches. It lost the power of connection. It lost its way. It thought that the way to grow was individual strength, but that is actually what killed it. One day, the vinedresser walked by and wondered what had happened to the branch that disconnected from the nurture of the vine and its roots. She didn’t even need to pull out her little snippers, or her big clippers. She just reached up and broke the big, ugly, dead branch away from the green around it. She drug it to the fire heap, where it was gone in a flash.
Then at the end of the day, the vinedresser nodded and smiled and said, “This is a good vine. It will produce good fruit.”
One morning, before the vinedresser had begun her rounds, a section of the vines began to wake up and talk to each other. “Good morning to you!” “And good morning to you!” They greeted each other as they greeted the morning, But one of the branches did not greet the morning with joy. “Oh no, it said, did you notice my yellow leaf? I didn’t have it yesterday, but here it is today!” And it began to live in fear. “What if the vinedresser chops me out and throws me in the fire?” Day in and day out, it feared what the vinedresser would do. It worried and withered, its leaves curling out of fear. “I’m not good enough. I’m not strong enough. I’m not valuable enough.” Along the way it refused to see the bright, green leaves that grew strong and vibrant along its branch. There were so many verdant and beautiful leaves, and strong sinewy branches. But it only saw itself as something dead and dying. It only saw itself through fear of the vinedresser.
Finally, the day came when the vinedresser walked by their vine. “This is it! Now I will finally get what I deserve. Here come the choppers. Here comes the pain. Here comes the death.” But as the vinedresser approached, she only pulled out the small snippers. And with those snippers in hand, she carefully examined each inch of the branch. She ran her fingers along the branch, and when she came to a brown leaf, she found the spot where the healthy growth ended. And with an intentional, diagonal cut…snip. Off went a dying leaf. And then she ran her loving hands down the branch again…and snip. Another leaf. Then to the other side of the branch, carefully running her hands along and between the green. Then, finding another spot…snip. Away went the fear. Then another…snip. Away went the shame. Another…snip. Away went the self-deception. The pain. The feeling of not enough.
You see, the branch began to see itself in a new way. Enough. Blessed. Cared for. Loved. It began to see how green and verdant it actually was. It always had been. And that beautiful and green branch began to feel coursing through it the strength of the vine that nourished it. The vine is what gave it its purpose. The vine gave it its identity.
Then at the end of the day, the vinedresser nodded and smiled and said, “This is a good vine. It will produce good fruit.”
One morning, before the vinedresser had begun her rounds, a section of the vines began to wake up and talk to each other. “Good morning to you!” “And good morning to you!” They greeted each other as they greeted the morning. But one of the branches did not greet the morning with joy. “I know the power of connecting to the vine,” it said. “I know that I am loved and valued by the vinedresser,” it said. “But I know that not every branch sees its value.” And so, it set out that day to proclaim the power of the vine!
It stretched all the way to the one side of the tree, where the shade was deep and many of the branches were weak and vulnerable. “Don’t give up hope!” said the branch. “Stay connected to us and we will draw you toward the power in the vine.” And it stretched all the way to the other side of the tree, where the sun was bright and many of the branches puffed out their branch chests and proclaimed that they were the best branches. “Understand that you are strong so that others can be strengthened,” said the branch. “Don’t forget why you were given the gift that you were given and move out of the way so that other branches might feel the sun. There is sun enough for everyone. There is strength because you choose to share.” And it stretched all the way to the bottom of the vine, where it dug its roots deep into the good brown soil, and it said, “Thank you. Thank you for being the vine that we all need to survive. Thank you for your nourishing and nurturing. Thank you for the opportunity to abide in you. To reside in you. To take our full and permanent identity from you. Thank you for being the vine that we need. Thank you…thank you …thank you.”
You see, because the healthy branch knew what it meant to be thankful, it brought peace and balance to all of the branches. When something was missing, the branches reached over and filled the gap. When one became arrogant or thought it deserved more, the branches reminded it of its place. And as the sun began to set that day, all of the branches began to sing the song of gratitude. Perhaps you have never heard the song of a vine and branches. It does not sound like the song of a bird up in the tree. It does not sound like the song of the wind through the rocks. It is a unique and quiet song, of gratitude for the Vine, and the vinedresser, and knowing peace within.
Then at the end of the day, the vinedresser nodded and smiled and said, “This is a good vine. It will produce good fruit.” And she went to sleep, as the branches grew.
Leave a Reply