Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Christ is the true vine
An excerpt from John 15:1-2
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.
Reflection from Pam Green, Trinity: Jesus says “I am the true vine” – not just a vine, but the True Vine. Then tells us “my Father is the vine-grower.” I believe there are times when we are being pruned by God with sharp tools, and we are not interested in the pain that it causes – yet it is an essential part of being a branch of the vine. We cannot fully exist apart from Christ, just like the branch can not thrive removed and apart from the vine. God prunes us, and guides us in the molding of our ways to help us to bear more fruit. I always think of the fruits of the spirit, that these things are what God is trying to cultivate within all of us, to strengthen the body of the church with love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These fruits give us the strength to do his work and to be the light of Christ in our world.
“In the Vineyard” by Jean Francois Millet from the Vanderbilt Divinity Library.
ADDITIONAL READINGS:
For further study and prayer, the readings assigned for today are:
• Psalm 122
• Acts 15:1–6
• John 15:1–8
MUSIC:
“Christ is the Vine”
by James Biery
“The branch which God is tending is bursting with new life,
Its reach is never-ending while pruned with sharpest knife.”
Tags: Easter to Pentecost 2024