The Vine and the Branches
“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. 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.”
John 15:4-5
When I served as a campus missioner, we had a large banner hanging in our main gathering space with the saying, “Remember who you are and whose you are.” I read this reminder many times, sometimes many times in a single day. It is a reminder that we all need from time to time, a reminder that we cannot be Christians, followers of Jesus, as lone individuals. We as the branches cannot bear fruit without the nurturing vine to help us grow. Once a branch is separated from the vine, it withers and cannot bear fruit. Just as Christ abides with us, we must abide with him.
To abide means to ‘remain with’ and Jesus tells his disciples that in order to bear fruit, to bring more people to follow Jesus, they must remain in him–remain connected to the nurturing vine of Jesus’ presence and life: to remember whose they are. We cannot be disciples taking the Good News into the world if we do not abide in Him.
How do you remain with Jesus? How do you stay connected? We stay connected to the Vine through prayer. Personal prayer is essential to an abiding relationship with Jesus, but there is more. Jesus says he is the vine and we are the branches: an individual branch cannot bear fruit on its own. That is why a worshipping community, the Church, is so important and not an add-on extra. We are nurtured by our connection with Jesus and with other Christians through our shared experience in prayer, hearing Holy Scripture, fellowship and worship. Our shared connection to the Vine supports us in our walk as disciples, carrying the Good News of Jesus into the world.
So when you feel yourself drifting without feeling a firm connection, remember that Jesus said, “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.” And then: remember who you are and whose you are.
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
(Book of Common Prayer, page 100)
