Sunday Praise & Worship 10:00
Christian Education - 10:00 - Casual Dress - Loving Childcare
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Key verse: John 15: 16 “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”
Our passage today comes from a section of John known as the Farewell Discourse. Here, Jesus has gathered his disciples for their last meal together before he goes to the cross. Jesus has already washed their feet, demonstrating for them what servant love looks like. He has also promised them the gift of the Holy Spirit, which will come to them after he leaves, and he has encouraged them not to be afraid.
In chapter 15, Jesus invites the disciples to remain in his love and to let that love flow out from them onto others through sacrificial love. He uses the imagery of the vine and the branches to explain how that happens. The vine connects the branches to the roots and therefore to the nourishment that they need to survive and thrive. As long as the branches stay connected to the vine, they can grow and live. When they separate themselves from the vine, they experience death and decay. Likewise, when we live in the love of Christ, bathing ourselves in that love every day, we also experience growth and health and our lives bear fruit. When we feel disconnected from the vine, we begin to see difficulties in all areas of our lives, since we are cut off from love.
On the other hand, when we tap into Christ’s love for us, it flows outward and we bear fruit. Bearing fruit describes the outward change that takes place in our behavior when our inner hearts have been changed. The fruit that Jesus describes comes from his commandment: love one another the way Jesus has loved us. We can only love in that sacrificial way, giving up our very lives for others, when we remain connected to the love Jesus has for us. When we share this love, our joy will overflow!
Jesus invites us to share this kind of love with others, whom he calls “friends.” Actually, the Greek word for friend (filos or philos) literally translates into “loved ones.” Again, Jesus reminds us with the very words he calls us, that he loves us. Because we are his friends, we will care what he cares about and love the way he loves. He chooses us as his loved ones and commissions us to go produce lasting fruit by loving. This fruit won’t rot or die, but will nurture the hearts of others as they come to see God’s eternal love for them. In the section following what we read today, Jesus contrasts his love with the love the world has to offer and reminds us that when we love the way Jesus loves, we will have conflict with the world. His love is not a sentimental love, but a difficult, painful love of choosing right relationships over popularity, wealth, or other empty benefits the world offers. When we love with this kind of love, we discover the true joy of living completely for God.
We also discover when we love this way that we are joined together inseparably with other Christ-followers. If you have ever seen the branches that come off of a vine, they intertwine so much as to almost be indistinguishable. Our lives as a community of faith share this enmeshing quality. Our journeys cannot be solitary, but instead rely on the faithfulness of those around us. We find ourselves, then, not only connected to the vine, but also to the other branches which surround us. Also note that only the Gardener can cut off a branch. God remains the only judge of fruitfulness in our lives. We cannot place ourselves in a position of judging another’s fruitfulness or else we risk usurping God’s authority and sinning ourselves, finding that we then become separated from the vine.
So, why should we read about Jesus’ Farewell Discourse right before we celebrate his birth? If the Incarnation, which means that God has become human in Jesus, is to make any sense, Jesus must move out of the manger and into our hearts. We must live in his love, remain in his love, just as he commands us. Then, we truly experience the joy of Christmas. Questions for Reflection 1—How do you practice remaining in Jesus’ love? How do you feel when you realize that Jesus chooses you again and again and again to be his partner in love? How do you experience that joy? 2—In what ways does God’s love for you overflow into your everyday life? How does your life bear the lasting fruit? What can you do differently that will enable you to love even more? Who might God be calling you to love sacrificially? 3—How do you feel connected to the other branches on the vine at Skyline? If you feel disconnected, how can you reconnect this season and in the new year? If you feel connected, how can you celebrate that connection? How can we as a community practice more connection making? How can you help make that dream a possibility? 4—How did the Holy Spirit speak to you in worship today?
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