Scripture: John 15:1-5
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper. He removes any of my branches that don’t produce fruit, and he trims any branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. You are already trimmed because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can’t produce fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything.
Thought for the Day: Today is the last day of General Assembly, and the theme from John 15 has guided our life together. I have been blessed beyond measure, not only by the Assembly itself, but by my fellow travelers from Cypress Creek Christian Church. What an amazingly gracious group of human beings. God is good! As I reflect on what I have heard and experienced, I am taken back to the first night when our General Minister and President, Rev. Teri Hord Owens, preached on the above text. During the sermon, she provided an image of a bouquet of flowers where no one has watered it. The flowers are dead and dry, and when you go to throw them away, they crumble and make a mess. Rev. Owens then said, “Those who are not connected crumble.” How many churches see themselves as a beautiful bouquet, but because they are not connected (are not connected to the source or “abide”) they are dry and brittle. In the end, they leave only a mess. What I see at Cypress Creek Christian Church is a community that truly abides, and in that experience, finds nourishment and life. And in that, there is something beautiful to give the world.
Prayer: You are the Vine, and we are the branches. May we abide in you as you abide in us. We ask this as those who seek true life. Amen.
