Abide in Me

Lately I have been getting back into gardening. Eunice and I have spent many a long hour out in the sun clearing dead brush, moving copious amounts of dirt, leveling, doing irrigation upgrades, or downgrades, depending on how you look at it. We have planted several rose bushes, a blackberry bush, several flowers, a desert willow tree we inherited from Grace in Ridgecrest, which I believe has already died, and a number of vegetables.

So far, wind and irrigation problems have moved a lot of the dirt we placed, so that has to be redone. The irrigation system we upgraded, well the old sprinkler valves are giving me a headache now, as they wont work like they used to, two of the more expensive rose bushes we purchased died and our vegetables are not doing as well as we had hoped. But it is still early in the season. I hope we can get to the place where most of this is fixed and we can begin to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Today’s text that confronts us is the Gospel reading from John 15, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser.” Today we are going to be talking about gardening. Not physical gardening, mind you, but the parable regarding the grape vine and the work God does to make His vineyard the best there is, to be the most productive vineyard.

“This discussion as well as what follows in chapter 16 Jesus addressed to His disciples after He rose from the supper to go into the garden to pray before He was arrested by the Temple Guard. He continues to speak of the consolation that will be theirs after His resurrection, when they will see Him again, but will continue after His ascension into heaven and their dispersion throughout the world, where they, too, will suffer and be persecuted. He foresees how His disciples and the Christians will fare, and at the same time He takes into view both His own suffering, which now is at hand, and the suffering that will befall the disciples.” (Luther’s Works, volume 24).

Gardening is a lot of work, especially here in the desert. Plus I have to figure in myself into the equation, which means that some things I fix, I end up having to redo somewhere down the line.

There is a lot to do when you grow things, they need to be weeded, fertilized, pruned, harvested and well watered. It takes a lot of knowledge and effort to successfully grow good things. That is the business that our Heavenly Father is in. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (vv 1-2).

Here is the one part of gardening that is very productive, pruning. Pruning of living things is important in that the branches that don’t produce are taking up vital nutrients and energy away from the rest of the plant or tree. Once those are removed, the plant or tree is able to use that wasted energy for the branches that are more mature and are bearing fruit. That additional energy and nutrients help to produce richer and more luscious fruit.

The same thing happens within our lives as God’s people, as His vineyard. Regardless of who you are, whether you are a preacher, a pupil, or a hearer.” says Luther. He does not let His children be idle but sends trials and tribulations which compel His children to exercise their faith; He lets the devil and the world hound him with external and internal persecutions. God uses these things to purify and trim us branches, to make us stronger and better. The result of this trimming by our Divine Vinedresser is that we cling closer to Him and bear all the more fruit.

What kind of fruit is our Divine Vinedresser interested in? God desires us to grow in our faith, to constantly and consistently mature so that faith may assert itself more and more and, by reason of trials, may become sure and strong; that they may praise God all the more, pray, witness and confess.

This requires the art of believing and being sure that whatever hurts and distresses us does not happen to hurt or harm us but for our good and profit. As the apostle Paul encourages us in Romans 8 “…that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us…And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those who He justified He also glorified.” (vv. 18; 28-30).

All the pruning and hoeing of our Divine Vinedresser is painful but it has great benefits. We grow in our faith, we help expand the kingdom of God and we are at peace. Our pruning is not punishment for sins, but a chastening and refining process. “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” This is a peculiar cleansing. What Christ says here seems to contradict His previous words, which deal with suffering and the cross. With these words Christ offers us a fine preservative or remedy against the poison called presumption or overestimation of one’s own holiness, lest anyone think that through suffering he obtains forgiveness of sins and becomes a branch in the sight of God without Christ.

We become branches of the True Vine only through the work of the Vine itself. It is only through faith in person and meritorious work of Jesus on the cross and empty tomb that makes us branches. Jesus was sent into the world by the Father to redeem us fro our sin by His suffering and death, and to reconcile us to the Father, that all who believe in Him might not be damned and lost but have remission of sin and eternal life for Jesus’ sake. This Word makes a person clean when the heart takes hold of it in faith; that is, it brings forgiveness of sin and makes man acceptable to God. On account of this faith, by which alone the Word is received and apprehended, we who adhere to it are accounted completely pure and holy before God, even though we—because of our nature and life—are not clean enough but during our sojourning here on earth are always infected with sin, weakness, and shortcomings, which must still be purged.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” It is as if Christ were saying, “You now have My Word whereby you are clean; through it also your fruit is good, and everything pleases God.” However, if we want to retain this cleanness and to keep on bearing good fruit, see to it that you remain in Me through faith and do not prize your own deeds presumptuously or falsely rely on them. We should not allow any trials alienate us and tear you away from the faith. For if we do allow trials and tribulations to overcome us, we just may forfeit the cleanness Christ has granted to us and completely spoil the fruit.

To keep us from running off to other things, our Father in Heaven has granted us many benefits through our Lord Jesus. He gives to us His Word, wherein we are declared clean and righteous through faith in Jesus. If we remain in His Word, and not another, we are fed and nourished through the vine. He also gives us Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The former grafts us into the Vine of Christ through faith, and the Holy Supper we receive Christ’s true body and blood as sustaining nourishment. Word and Sacraments keep us abiding in Him. If we refuse to remain in Him, to continue to abide in Him, then we would be “thrown away like a branch and wither. Those branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.

But we have a beautiful promise here. “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” So, if we abide in Christ, that is to abide in His Word and Sacrament we will have everything we need. But this is not everything that is to be yours. No matter what we need in life, if we remain faithful to God’s Word and Sacrament, all we need is to ask and it will be granted to you and you shall surely receive it. But what more could we want? Everything we do will be good and pleasing in the sight of our Lord. No matter how feeble you may be, no matter if you do soil yourself at times, He will not cast you aside, He will always clean you and improve you. If you feel any want or trouble oppressing you, just call on Him. Open your prayers confidently, as a little child speaks to his father, who is pleased with everything he does as long as he goes to him. He continues to provide all that the child needs, as that is the father’s concern. And if a child can expect that from an earthly father, how much more will our Father in heaven do for us. And we, as His children, can surely expect this of God the Father and His only begotten Son, only if we stay on the Stock and branches of the Vine.

“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.” By continuing to be connected to the Vine, we will do all sorts of good for others, and avert every misfortune through prayer. We are also the people through whom the Father is honored. We are all priests and servants of God who offer holy and acceptable sacrifices to the Father without ceasing. And these holy and acceptable sacrifices to the Father is nothing more than presenting our bodies and lives to Him in holy obedience to His Word, and He will use us to complete His will, loving our neighbors as He has loved us.

Our Lord is the true Vine. As branches grafted into the vine, may our lives be filled with His Word and Sacrament that powers and enables us to continue on with the work that Christ has given us to do, “Make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the HOly Spirit, teaching them to observe everything He has commanded.”. May our lives reflect the True Vine, that continues to feed and nourish us, as we go about loving our neighbor and being His witness to the end of the ages.

in the name of Jesus and for His eternal glory. Amen.