Dear Friends,
We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk. We give thanks to Rev. Pam Reed, Registrar and Student Support Tutor, for writing this devotional.
You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
John 15:1-8 (NRSVUE)
15 “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.
Devotional
Connected and Pruned
It wasn’t until I moved to South Australia in my early twenties that I started to understand grapevines. During Winter the grapevine and its branches look dead. The fruit, leaves, shoots, and tendrils from the previous year’s growth are gone. And what doesn’t come away naturally is pruned by the grower. Instead of bright colour there is just dark brown. Yet in Spring comes life, abundant life.
Last week we envisaged Jesus as the Good Shepherd who cares for his sheep (John 10:11-18). This week we see Jesus as the Vine, and us as Branches. Two things are emphasized – abiding (staying connected) and being pruned.
Staying connected seems obvious – if a branch becomes disconnected it dies. But do we consider this when we avoid participation in Christian community, and “do our own thing”? We think we can faithfully love God without developing love for others. We prefer to stay away from those who irritate us or have different ideas about aspects of faith and worship. But we are not called to be branches of the Wesleyan Theology vine, or the evangelical vine; we are called to stay connected to the one vine, Jesus. The branches may not always look the same, but we are part of the one vine in union with Christ.
What about pruning? I used to think that pruning was a response to us not being as fruitful as our grower (Father God) desires. But looking more closely at the passage, we see that the unfruitful branch is removed completely (v2). Pruning is the grower’s response to a fruitful vine not an unfruitful one. Pruning happens so that we will grow in new ways and new directions, to become more fruitful. Without regular pruning, a grapevine will not flourish, and without our heavenly Father’s guidance and direction, through pruning, we will not flourish and reach our potential as God’s servants in our world.
Pruning hurts, but it has a purpose. During the long winter months when a grapevine looks dead, we may not see the fruitfulness to come. But if we accept God’s pruning, and learn patience, we will see the outcome in our lives and in the lives of others; in our own church and in other churches. Do we trust our heavenly Father enough to do his essential job of pruning? And are we willing to stay connected with Jesus our vine, even when we would rather go our own way? This is the key to flourishing, both as individuals and as Christian communities.
Prayer
- Father God, our gardener, teach us to accept and welcome both your tender care and your hand of pruning in our lives.
- Jesus, our strong vine, help us to remain connected to you as our source of strength.
- Spirit, guide and strengthen us as we learn to grow more and more to reflect the image of God.
Blessings,
Pam Reed (Registrar and Student Support Tutor)