John 15:1-8 (NRSV)
Read John 15:1-8 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 15"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. Verse 2He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. Verse 3You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Verse 4Abide 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. Verse 5I 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. Verse 6Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. Verse 7If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. Verse 8My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
Devotion
Some years ago, as a hobby, I started to photograph landscapes near where we live. What is there to photograph in a rural area without mountains or forests? Very quickly I learned to notice sky, clouds, wild flowers, roads, buildings, the varying shades of green and gold in growing crops, the native grasslands, and much more. Look around you. See what God is doing. Jesus says “look at the lilies, at the birds of the air, at the vine.” “I am the vine, you are the branches,” he said.
Perhaps we need not add any more. We already know how branches depend on the vine for sustenance, and how plants bear fruit. The picture of the vine tells us that we need to live in the Jesus story. We need to hear it, repeat it, love it, and know that we are in the story. Branches are nourished in the vine. God’s people are nourished in Word and Sacrament. And fruit is borne.
Prayer
Lord, keep us steadfast in Word and Sacrament. Amen.