John 15:1-8
“I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.
“Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.
“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Today would be Grandma E’s 98th birthday. My husband’s mother left for heaven nearly three years ago, and we truly miss her. This passage reminded me of Grandma, because she never met a plant she didn’t like…and her thumb was a deep, deep green! There were three plants in particular that she grew with great aplomb…camellias, gardenias – and her prized gingko tree. While on a Mississippi River cruise with her aunt, Grandma found a gingko seed. She brought it home and planted it in her yard. Some fifteen years later, that tree was the talk of the town each fall, as it literally glowed with brilliant yellow leaves. As the gingko tree grew, Greg sometimes pruned the lower branches. Grandma was dubious about this at times, but these under-branches impeded mowing and overall strength. As the tree grew taller, it was clear that this pruning had produced an even more beautiful shape to the tree.
Sadly, when Grandma E passed, the new owner cut down every tree, shrub and flower in the yard as part of a remodeling project. Thankfully, Grandma had eagerly shared “sprouts” from her bushes and the tree, and many yards now display this floral ornamentation, including a small-but-thriving gingko tree in her grandson’s yard in Nashville, Tennessee. Last spring, Greg and I purchased a gingko tree for our yard to honor Grandma’s memory. It will take several years for our tree to (hopefully) reach the height – and spectacular showiness – of the one she nurtured, but we will do our best to get there. And yes, when necessary, Greg will prune the branches to spur further growth and improvement.
Jesus used this example of the vine and the farmer to talk to us about growing in our love and witness for God. He told us that there would be times when God might “prune” us…times when He might steer us in a different direction and/or close a door to “open a window.” But the more we stay close to God and seek His nurture and guidance, the more we will flourish in our missions and ministries. And this is why we are here!
Plants and trees will not grow well without proper care…and neither will we. But we must be attuned to God – and open to His “pruning.” If we wander away or try to do things our own way, the results will never be what they could. And in many instances, we will fall flat on our face. Each time I look at the trees and plants in our yard (many that are “heirloom transplants”) I think of those who cultivated and nurtured them to pass on to us. I am reminded in a profound way of how God loves and “cultivates” us…then nurtures our own growth and “farming.”
Let’s humble ourselves before God and say, “LORD, prune away! Make me who you want me to be as your witness and disciple.” May we be open to the will and the “cultivation” of the “Farmer” and the “Vine” – and always bear good fruit. Alleluia!
©2024 Debbie Robus
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