John 15:5

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.

My father, like many men of his generation, grew up working on his family’s farm. His father, my grandfather, had two jobs: he was a stationmaster at various train stations throughout East Tennessee, and he farmed. It wasn’t a huge farm, but he produced enough to sell or share with others. My dad recalled working alongside his father and learning how to cultivate and harvest many different plants and trees, including grape vines, from which they made jelly and juice. The grapes on these vines did not taste good at all. They weren’t cultivated to be eaten but to be used in other ways. As children, my brothers, sister, and I didn’t see much use for a grape that couldn’t be eaten, and one day, when we were visiting our grandparents, we decided the branches on the grapevine would be ideal for whatever project we were working on. Whether it was a mud fort or an imaginary sword, I don’t remember, but the four of us stripped several strong branches from the vine. Big mistake! We were soundly scolded for our actions and forbidden to touch the growing plants. Our sticks and twigs had to be those that had fallen on the ground naturally.

The branches we had pulled never had a chance to mature; they couldn’t fulfill their natural purpose. They had been separated from their source of life and were therefore useless.

I always remember that experience when reading this passage. We are the branches. Unless we remain connected to God through the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing. We often fool ourselves and think we can manage life, but when challenges arise, and they always do, we find we are powerless. It is in difficult times that we are painfully reminded that we can do nothing on our own. There are many forces at work in the world that would separate us from the vine: greed, seeking power or fame, being swayed by false teachings, focusing on how others are different instead of acknowledging that we are all children of God. If we allow any of these things to control us, we are ripping ourselves from God. We are dead branches. We can do nothing.

It is up to us to remain connected to God through worship, Bible study, prayer, and service. We can separate ourselves from the vine through willfulness and the false belief that “I can do it myself,” but no one else can do it if we find our strength in these practices.

Let us pray.

Dear God, we are so thankful that you hold us close, as branches on the vine, and give us the opportunity to find life and strength in You. Help us reject the forces that would separate us from You. Guide us to be fruitful in the service of your Kingdom. Amen.

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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.