“Nourishment for the Soul” – John 15:1-8 – May 10, 2009
When my brothers and I were growing up there were times when my mother could not be found. Can you imagine wanting to get away from four boys for a few hours? When we needed to get a hold of my mother she was usually at one of two places: either at the grocery or at the church. My mother learned early on that with a family of six you go to the grocery frequently and you only purchase a few items at a time since food would be consumed in a matter of minutes.
In those days we didn’t have cell phones. In fact, my mother only recently acquired one. We knew when she was at the grocery because there would always be coupons lying on the table where she had sorted out the ones she needed. All other times we knew to call the church because my mom was a volunteer who helped in the church office.
For my brothers and me, our mother was both our physical and spiritual channel of support. We ate healthy because Mom majored in Home Economics in college. She always prepared balanced meals that included plenty of fruit and vegetables. I attribute my good health to my mom’s culinary and dietary education. She made sure we were well nourished with nutritious meals. My three brothers have enjoyed good health also. We all agree that it was due to our mother’s great cooking. She was our life-line to the daily substance we needed to survive.
At the same time she was our spiritual source as well. Mom was a role model for us through her volunteer work at the church. If you needed her, that’s where you could find her. My mom taught us how to love; loving God, loving others and loving ourselves. There was a lot of love in our family and there still is to this day. I didn’t realize that early in life, but looking back I cherish the love that I experienced through my mother and father as well. My brothers and I have been blessed with loving parents. More importantly, as a family we were part of a community of faith. Our relationships extended beyond our biological family into the larger fellowship of the people in our church. Consequently we received the love from many others who helped to nurture and guide us. The community of faith was our grape vine for the power of God’s love.
A missionary in Africa had a small generator to supply current for his church and small rectory. Visitors from an outlying mission noticed the electric light hanging from the ceiling of his living room. They watched wide-eyed as he turned the little switch and the light went on. One of the visitors asked if he could have one of the light bulbs. The priest, thinking he wanted it for some sort of trinket, gave him an extra bulb. On his next visit to the outlying mission, the priest stopped at the hut of the man who had asked for the bulb. Imagine his surprise when he saw the bulb hanging from an ordinary string. He had to explain that one has to have electricity and a wire to bring current to a bulb. (from: Homiletics, May 2006)
In the gospel of John, chapter 15, Jesus is reminding us that as believers we need to stay connected. “I am the vine and you are the branches,” he said. As long as we remain connected and “abide in his love” we are able to bear fruit. When we are connected to Jesus, we will always act in a loving way. When we are disconnected, we will wither and die. As Jesus also said, "Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned."
Those words sound very harsh and final. Perhaps we don’t realize how essential it is for us to remain connected to the love of Christ and bear fruit. If you have ever seen an orchard or vineyard you can appreciate one of God’s creations. At one time I lived in Florida and during the orange season there was a severe frost. Hundreds of thousands of orange trees were lost due to the extreme cold temperatures. It was a sad thing to see all those trees which eventually withered and died. It totally changed the splendor of Central Florida’s heartland as many of the orange groves could not be replaced.
Just as those orange groves needed warm temperatures to survive, we too need the warmth and loving care of God’s love. Without it we cannot be effective disciples. Jesus also said that “Every branch that bears fruit is pruned to bear more fruit.” Any good gardener knows that a grape vine has to be pruned to produce quality fruit.
The Ohio State Extension Office says this about pruning: “Grape gardeners often become confused as to what should be pruned off and when. Proper pruning will help maintain a grapevine’s potential of producing a good quality fruit crop, develop good vine structure, increase sunlight exposure into the canopy, promote the development of next year’s fruiting wood, and potentially reduce disease and insect pressure. The key to good pruning is learning how to select good quality fruiting wood to leave for cropping. As green shoots mature in the late summer and fall, they will begin to harden-off by developing a periderm (bark layer) that is reddish-brown in color. Healthy shoots will harden-off the full length of the shoot. Any green growth (generally at the tip) remaining at frost will be killed. Proper pruning can help to reduce the amount of unproductive wood and balance the level of fruit crop with the overall vegetative growth each year. Once pruning is completed, the remaining fruiting wood should be spread out over the entire allotted space for the vine on the trellis.”
In other words the “unproductive wood” needs to be removed in order for the vine to produce. That is also true for us. I believe that unproductive wood could mean “overbooking. At one time in my life I had an important decision to make. I was reading books, seeing counselors and talking with friends about my dilemma, almost to the point of being obsessed. At one point I was having a conversation with my mother about the difficulty I was having in making a decision. She said, “Son, perhaps you are working too hard on the problem. Just let it rest and turn it over to God.” My mother was absolutely correct. I let it go and in a few days the answer came to me.
I see far too many people who fill their lives with things to do 24 hours a day. They don’t take time to rest and take time to nourish their spirit. What in your life can be removed that will provide time for nourishment of your soul? What needs to be pruned away that can enable you to be more productive?
People want wholeness and refreshment. People want peace and trouble-free lives. Without nourishment of our souls we are in danger of disappearing from the earth like the orange groves in Florida.
Jesus wants his disciples to be bearers of fruit. That means giving and spreading the love of God. It is important to remember however that we are not the fruit, but the conduits of God’s fruit. In other words, God’s love needs to flow through us. That light bulb at the end of the string can’t provide light because a string is not a conductor of electricity. For us to be effective we have to be a conduit of God’s grace and love.
A young girl known as “Little Annie” was locked in a dungeon of a mental institution for the mentally insane, outside Boston. There were times when Annie behaved like an animal, attacking those who came close. Other times she sat in a daze. An elderly nurse held hope for her and began taking her lunch break in the dungeon, just outside Annie’s cell. She hoped in some way she could communicate love to her. One day she left a brownie outside her cell. Annie made no response, but the next day, the nurse found the brownie had been eaten. Every Thursday thereafter, she brought Annie a brownie.
As weeks passed, the doctors noticed a change in little Annie. After several months they moved her upstairs to a regular room. Eventually the day came when this “hopeless case” was told she could return home. By that time, however, Annie was an adult and she chose to stay in the institution to help others. One of those she cared for, taught, nurtured and loved was Helen Keller. Little Annie’s proper name was Anne Sullivan. (from God’s Devotional Book for Mothers, Gordon Brooks, Honor Books)
Like the nurse who became the conduit of love for Annie, Annie became the conduit of love for Helen Keller. The souls of others are nourished when we become like a vine whereby God’s love can flow. Our perpetual connection to the faith community and occasional pruning will insure that God’s love never ceases to flow, both to us and from us.
Dr. Keith Wagner