Ornaments of Heaven

When I was in third grade I was selected for the spelling bee. Now, Jennifer who does most of my editing for the bulletin and such can probably understand the irony of this entire idea- if there is one thing in the world I definitely am NOT it is a good speller. Nonetheless, I was selected so I participated. I made it to the second or third round and I was given the word FRUIT. I knew how to spell fruit! That was an easy one! So I confidently approached the mic and said “Fruit. F-R-I-U-T. Fruit” BUZZZZZ. Friut- I spelled friut! Not because I didn’t know how to spell fruit, but because I got careless.....

Sometimes Christians get careless and forget a lot about fruit as well.

For the past few weeks we have decorated our Mt Zion family Christmas tree. So, today I want to reframe Jesus’ teaching on vines, branches, and fruit and think about it in terms of a Christmas Tree.

Jesus- The Trunk

Jesus tells the people that he is the vine- or for our image today, Jesus is the trunk. Think about the trunk of the tree- it is strong and it is steady. The trunk of the tree provides the definition for the tree.

This is Jesus in our lives. When we give our lives to Christ he desires to do these same things for us as individuals and for us as a gathered church. As Christians or as a church it should be Jesus that gives us definition; directing us in what to do and how to do it. Many social organizations, and even some churches get their cues from the world. They look at the trends and patterns of other organizations and see what is successful and they copy their practices. What seems to work? Fog machines? Coffee bars? Laser lights? Let’s do those things!

Think about the trunk of the tree- it is strong and it is steady. The trunk of the tree provides the definition for the tree.

But as Christians and as a church this is not the pattern we are called to. We are called to get our cues from Jesus. To ask and seek what He wants us to do and how he wants us to do it, and follow his plan.

Why? Because cultures and patterns change- God does not. The trunk of the tree is rooted and provides stability even in the most tumultuous winds. We find out that when we are walking in God’s plan and in God’s purpose the winds will not topple us either.

The Church- The Branches

Jesus is the trunk- we are the branches. Don’t get me wrong, branches are nice, and branches are useful, but you know what branches are best suited for? Connection to the tree. We do not just take the branches off our Christmas tree and decorate them, because, after all, branches cannot just stand on their own.

Jesus says in his teaching that like the vines- or in this image branches- without him we can do nothing. Now, Jesus is not saying that we cannot do ANYTHING without him- plenty of people do not know Christ but live lives, hold jobs, and even do some pretty good things without him. What Jesus is saying is that we cannot do anything that hold eternal value without him. That all that we do will pass away and be gone without him.

Paul put it this way in

English Standard Version Chapter 3

11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Branches are meant to hang on trees, without connection to the tree a branch can be used to make cover for a ground blind- or a cool little fort for a child to play in, maybe some other cool things, but without the connection to the tree there will be no growth in the branch, no fruit, no leaves…none of its intended purposes. Our lives are like that.

Ministry- The Ornaments

What is a Christmas tree without the ornaments, right? No one just puts a random pine tree up in their house with nothing on it, right? Or as Jesus says in his teaching- there is no point in having a grape vine with no grapes.

Let me be clear, friends, in the Kingdom of God fruit bearing is not optional. There is no point in our lives that Jesus wants us to be stagnate. This is true both for us as individuals and our church as a whole. Jesus wants us to be bearing fruit; or to be holding ornaments as this illustration would state.

So, let’s think about what fruit we are talking about, because it is important to identify what Jesus is asking us to produce.

Galatians chapter 5 lists the fruits of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self control- these are the kinds of fruit that we are looking for in our lives.

For a church spiritual fruit is discipleship, worship, stewardship

Now, I have made all of these definitions and unpacked all of that to get to this point and throw this idea out for you all-

Ornaments are a partnership between us and God! Bearing Spiritual fruit is not just about you, and it is not just about God- it is about both. Consider Paul’s words in - just before the passage we read a few moments ago in verse 9 Paul says that we are God’s FELLOW workers- we work together. When it comes to ministry in the community and in the world we are to work WITH God.

Think of it this way, God makes the ornaments and hangs them. God designs the pretty ornaments- he blows the glass, fabricates the plastic, he adds the glitter and the sparkles. He then takes the ornament, finds the perfect place on the tree and hangs it in just the right spot. God’s design and God’s intention are key in ornament design and placement.

But then the ornament hangs on the branch- the branch has a job to do. The branch stays connected to the tree and it will bear the ornament. If it loses connection it will die.

It is through our faithfulness to God and to the ministry that ornaments hangs. In order for the world to flourish and our ministries to grow God must be in charge, but we must also be faithful.