​Acts 8: 26 – end​ John 15: 1-8

Once upon a time, and this is not a fairy tale, I grew a vine. In reality it already existed in one of the gardens we had on one of our house moves. The vine actually produced grapes, none of which were particularly good, and the vine survived to when we moved. As far as I know the vine still exists.

The vine needs special care and I was a complete novice in this field. Which of the branches did need pruning, which remained, which bore fruit, and which were destined for the fire. The gospel reading gives us some clues about how to tend for a vine. Branches which bear no fruit are removed and cast to one side.

In this reading we can learn of how to be a faithful Christian. Such people are nurtured and live alongside Jesus. His words live within us, and in so doing we are attracted towards Jesus himself. We become one with him.

However, if we are like the useless branches bearing no fruit and which are chopped off and cast to one side we can be likened to those who stop their ears to the words of Jesus. They might be aware of the word of the Lord being spoken but it goes no further. It is as if the sound is filtered out. On the other hand there are those who hear the word of the Lord. Yes, they do listen. They take what they have heard away from church. Then, after a short while something else crops up and those words are replaced. We may have heard the words and given them some thought, but there is no staying power. Lip service may be given but there is no follow-up. The words eventually are washed over us to disappear.

No, we walk away from church, fired up by hearing words of wisdom. We step out into the world determined to do our best, to carry ourselves as true followers of Christ, not to be ashamed to confess our love of him, our allegiance to his name. That is so true. That is taking our faith out into the world, as missionaries determined to do our best. But then, we face a difficulty. Not everything is going the way we would like. The course that we have chosen does not fit the pattern that lies before us. We step away from our resolve. Immediately we become like the useless branches.

The wood of the vine has very little use when chopped from the main wood. It is too soft for much use. It cannot be used as the wood that had to be taken to the Temple for the altar fires. The only thing that could be done to the wood was to gather it into bundles and burn it. It was to this end that Jesus compared some of his followers to. Some of them were true and faithful at all times. Others were like the wood that is cut off from the vine to be burnt.

To be like the useful wood. Wood that grows and produces fruit, we have to take fully on-board Jesus. As he told us, if we abide in him, and if his words abide in us, then all we need to do is ask for whatever we wish and it will be done for us. it is in this that God is glorified. By praising God we will bear much fruit. We will become true disciples of Jesus.

Collect for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

Almighty God,

who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ

have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:

grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires,

so by your continual help

we may bring them to good effect;

through Jesus Christ our risen Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.