1 John 4: 7-21       

John 15: 1-8

April 28, 2024

Rev. Dr. Galen E. Russell III

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit.”

Prayer: Holy One, may we always feel our connection with you, and may others feel you through us as well. Amen.

Do you remember what you were doing on Monday, April 8th? Chances are, some of you, maybe a lot of you, at one point in the day, glanced up in the sky a few times. Maybe a lot of times. Right! We were paying attention to the eclipse! What a cool event! I loved it!

I know most of us were around here when we saw 90% of the sun eclipsed. A few of you went to Dallas, or Indianapolis, or Erie to see 100% of the sun blacked out. Several of my neighbors and I gathered for an impromptu neighborhood block party. Snacks were served. Adult beverages brought out. Really dark sunglasses were passed around giving everyone a chance to see the eclipse. My one neighbor even sang an impromptu version of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” at the top of his lungs. Which I had to miss because I had an appointment. I was bummed. 

When it was all over at the end of the day, TV reporters were highlighting the eclipse’s highlights, and I was struck by one reporter who astutely said something like, “For a few hours, collectively, we as a nation, put aside our differences long enough to look to the heavens and be unified by one of our solar system’s true wonders.”

I was struck by how true those words felt to me. That there are moments when we realize that we are all connected to each other. Unified in this case by looking into the heavens and watching that amazing extraterrestrial event.

But when I thought about it, the thing that impacted me the most was the fact that being interconnected as a people and feeling that unity with everyone are such rare things these days. I don’t think we see or feel that often enough.

But, I believe God wants us to feel and see that interconnection a lot! With God and with each other.

Jesus put it this way. “I am the true vine. God is the vinegrower. You [meaning his disciples and by extension, us] are the branches of the vine.” Jesus applies basic gardening principles here. A branch by itself cannot survive, let alone produce fruit for more branches unless it is connected to the main vine. In the same way, we cannot bear the fruits of God unless we are connected to God, to Christ, the main vine.

Some friends came to visit last month, and knowing that Barb loves flowers, they brought a forsythia branch that had lots of flower buds on it. Barb stuck the branch in some water, and sure enough, a few days later, the yellow flowers came bloomed out. And they were beautiful. But, a few days atter that, the whole thing started to die. The flower petals fell off. And pretty soon the entire branch had to be thrown away. Because it wasn’t connected to its life source.

Another basic gardening principle Jesus applies is pruning. If we are connected to the vine of Jesus, it means sometimes doing some cleaning out of the parts of our lives that don’t bear fruit for God. By the way, the Greek word for ‘pruning’ and ‘cleansing’ come from the same root word.

And pruning at times can be painful. Because it means addressing our broken parts. Cutting out stuff that’s not productive, the dead stuff. The stuff that doesn’t give life to us or others. The stuff that contradicts the interconnectedness we have with God and each other.

Stuff like fear. Fear is a thief. It takes away a sense that we are connected to each other.

There’s fear that moves us toward isolationism. That’s lonely place of thinking that we are separate from each other. Independent operators. Not accountable to each other, or each other’s needs. Everyone for themselves! We can easily turn our backs on each other. We guard our stuff protectively. We’re open to others only if they are part of our inner circle. All because we fear the other. Can we prune that out? It’s not productive a lot of the time.

Barb and I own some property in Schuylkill Haven, and recently we’ve been going there to maintain it. And the lawn needed to be mowed. But, my lawn mower is too big to fit in our car. I made some arrangements to borrow an electric one from across town which I still would have to get into our car. But when I got there, I saw the neighbor across the street was mowing his lawn. I’d never met him before, but… I’m just brazen enough sometimes… So, I went and asked him if I could borrow his lawnmower when he was done. I told him I’d pay for the gas and take care of the cleanup. Well… he was hesitant. I mean I get it. I’m a stranger. And it’s his shiny new lawnmower. He said, “OKaaaay, but… it would be a little while.” No problem, I said. I had leaves to rake. But, when he was done, I gave him an out. “If you are uncomfortable, I can work something else out.” “It’s OK,” he said. “Just don’t go over any roots. I’m pretty fussy about my blades. I just had them sharpened.” I said OK. He took my $3, and I mowed the lawn. It was a win, win.

And I thought, I think I just experienced a little sliver of God’s shalom. The way God wants us to be with one another. Interconnected with each other. Bearing the fruit of neighborliness. And peace. And trust. And love. Love for our fellow human beings. That’s abiding in the vine.

Because with God, there is no separateness in God’s vision of shalom. It’s there for all people. There’s no isolation of God’s love. No one is “outside” this love. Love is the glue that connects us to each other. And God is love.

And love is what casts out the fear that we may have of “the other.” Love transcends isolationism. Love eclipses being afraid that we won’t have enough resources. Love surpasses the fear that we may get hurt or our things may get damaged or we won’t have enough for ourselves if we bear the fruits of God, spending money to express God’s love. Or if we make choices that leads us to share the vision God has for us all.

Yes, there’s a risk that some of that can happen. And we have to think and act responsibly. But, we’re talking about God here. God who reveals to us that we are all interconnected with each other spiritually. That everyone is connected by God’s love.

And we are encouraged to have faith in God. Faith that God will keep and tend to what produces fruit in us...what produces love in us. Faith that our values and commitments, our hopes and dreams will be stirred in our hearts by God.

And I think all of this might be related to what we ask God for in prayer. When we’re interconnected with God, when we abide in God, which is the same as abiding in Christ, chances are much more likely that what we ask God for is not necessarily what we want, but for what God wants. What God has stirred in our hearts because we’re connected to the vine. What God wants of us that helps shape the flow of God’s love through us to others. Jesus says ask for whatever God has stirred in your heart because you’ve abided in God, because you’re interconnected with God, and it will be done for you.

But it must be based on love. If it isn’t. It must be pruned out.

Because love bears much fruit to others. God tends to that love. And God invites us and encourages us to tend to it as well. As much as we can. And maybe, just maybe, being interconnected with God and each other, unified by love may become not such a rare things these days, but the norm. May it be so. Amen.