5^th SUNDAY OF EASTER May 10, 2009

the Rev. Ken Kroohs

(Acts 8:26-40; i John 4:7-21; Ps. 22:24-30; John 15:1-8)

SHRIVALED & SHRUNKEN

St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, High Point, NC

MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH ... AND THE MEDITATIONS OF ALL OUR HEARTS ... BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU --- OUR STRENGTH AND OUR REDEEMER AMEN

This is one of my favorite passages. It may be my favorite image of our relationship with God. Last week we looked at two extreme views of our relationship with God – the passive sheep image as in “the Lord is my shepherd” and the very active image as in ”How does God’s love abide (remember that word) abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?”

One image depends entirely on God and in the other we are ultimately responsible. ... As I said last week, reality is probably that we should somehow be living at both ends of the extremes simultaneously.

Today the imagery shifts a bit. It is also extremely powerful, and seems to link into both the extremes. It is one of my favorite passages when “discussing” what it means to be a literalist. I believe I am a literalist in that I believe the Bible is always true. But I also believe we frequently mis-understand what the Bible says. And, as shown in today’s passage, the true meaning of the passage is frequently ignored.

Two great examples from today’s gospel – one more clear and the other a bit less clear.

First, Jesus says “I am the vine, you are the branches” What an amazingly simple and yet powerful image!! Consider it – the branch grows from the vine. The branch depends entirely ... 100% on the vine for sustenance. Effectively the branch depends entirely on the vine for protection – if the vine is destroyed so is the branch.

The branch depends entirely on the vine. .... Consider a branch which has been broken from the vine. It quickly becomes dark, dry and dead. It has no life and no hope of life.

Apart from God we have no life and no hope of life. BUT – in truth few people are separated that completely from God.

Instead picture a branch that has been broken but still clings with a partial connection to the vine. That branch’s leaves are shriveled up and dark – but still have some green. That branch’s grapes are dry and shrunken - but still have some life.

I believe most of us fit more clearly into the middle category. We have a connection with God but it is far from complete. We accept sustenance from God – but only a little. Unlike the branch which has not choice, we have decided to separate ourselves somewhat from God. .... more on that later.

I believe this passage is literally and powerfully true! But I don’t every expect to have leaves, or grapes, growing from my hands. This is literally true in a poetic sense rather than a newspaper account sense. Still true. Still literally true but not in the most simplistic sense of that term.

OK – most people would agree with that understanding of “literal” so let’s go down a few lines to where Jesus says “ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you”. Is that literally true? ... You will frequently hear other preachers use these words, and the other places Jesus makes the same point. They talk about “praying in Jesus’ name” and argue that if we do not receive what we request it is because we have not prayed enough. They argue they are taking these words literally. ........... Hogwash.

If you just pick and choose your words you can make anything say anything! In fact, what they are doing is AVOIDING taking these passage literally — which we should. This is an extremely important and powerful statement about our relationship with God and we should take it literally ... exactly as written. Not poetically in this case but specifically.

Jesus really said: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you ---- ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ---- My Father is glorified in this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

We wish we only had to ask God and we would receive. We wish God was willing to behave like a grandfather who gives the child anything and everything they want no matter what their mother says!! ... Yeah, I was describing me. I find great joy in annoying their mothers.

We wish God was our wealthy grandparent – providing anything we ask for.

Unfortunately that is not what the Bible says. Read literally that is not what it says. Sorry.

It says very clearly that if we abide in Jesus and His words abide in us ..... “abide” meaning “to be part of”. If we are so closely connected to Jesus that we are part of Him, and His teachings are such a part of our life — then we get what we ask for BECAUSE – we will ask for what Jesus wants to give us.

We will ask for the energy and the courage to talk to friends about Jesus. We will ask for the humility and desire to be generous with our possessions. We will ask for the patience and caring to be a model for others during a crisis. We will ask to be a part of God’s team. We will ask God for what God wants to give us .... and therefore we will get it.

In fact, if we are fully connected to God as a healthy branch is to a vine, we really don’t have to ask because we already have the resources, the sustenance we need. In fact, what we probably need to ask for only is the discernment to understand how we are part of God’s great dream for this world.

Notice how different that is from praying in Jesus’ name to win the lottery — or find a parking space. Those are basically greedy, ego centered requests. I find it difficult to see those as “abiding” in Jesus.

Let me hasten to add however, that people who are constantly asking God for the parking space or lottery winnings MAY be building a close relationship with God so they can grow into knowing what God wants for them. That is a lot better than most of us who don’t speak to God for hours or even days.

The 1^st John reading from today follows the one I quoted at the beginning: How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Notice that word “abide” – How can one claim to be abiding in Jesus if they do not help the person in need?

Today we are told that if we abide in Jesus, we will respond to those needs. The most difficult challenge for us is finding the boundary – Where does that “person in need” stop? In reading scripture it appears that Jesus seldom stopped ... and abiding in Him, and His words in us, would cause us to do the same.

I wish I could remember the source and the precise quote but a paraphrase is something like: “I am so blessed!! God has blessed me richly by giving me so many people I can help!!” .... I have some problem with the theology when I consider it from the person in need’s perspective — but the thought is solid. If we abide in Jesus we cannot help reaching out ... we cannot stop reaching out. And, we will find joy in doing so.

Let me say, as always, that this is not a call to be abused. But there is much more each of us could do, without being abused, then any of us actually could accomplish.

When we take the time to read the entire passage again we see why Jesus linked these two thoughts. If we abide in Jesus, then He is vine which provides us with the sustenance we need to more fully abide in Him. We are given the resources we need so we can pray for whatever we want ---- which will be something God wants us to do and not something egotistical and selfish. And with those resources we will share the surprise and disbelief of 1st John that it is impossible to be so linked with God and refuse to help those in need.

So how do we grow from the shriveled leaves and shrunken fruit of a branch only partially connected to God’s vine? How do we grow from that condition, our current condition of occasional, partially connection to God into a position of a full connection? Grow into a relationship where we are both fully dependent on God AND fully active in serving God?

First step ---- consider the two images: the healthy, growing branch with bountiful sweet fruit and the shriveled, barely alive branch ---- consider both images and ask ourselves – which do we want to be?

If we decide we want to be the healthy, growing branch – or even want to seriously consider that option – then we pray to God for guidance. We ask God for one of God’s greatest gifts to us — the gift of discontentment. ..... We ask God to make us more aware of and discontented with our shriveled, half dead condition. We ask God to make us so discontented that we are willing to seriously work to deepen our connection with God.

From that discontentment we realize that true discontentment is NOT about the resources God is giving us ... We are not shriveled and half dead because God has not given us enough. We are shriveled and half dead because of the way we use those resources.

We need to ask God to make us discontented with the way we use our resources — money, time, talents, our very lives. We need to ask God to make us discontented so we can grow stronger and more alive.

If we truly understood how much we were missing we would not hesitate to make the moves. The true power of evil is that it convinces us we are living pretty much the best life we can.

That’s why we pray for discontentment — because we aren’t living a life even close to the best, most wonderful, happiest life available to us!

AMEN

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CLICK HERE TO RESPOND: I would enjoy reading your comments about this sermon. Please feel free to discuss content or presentation. (If you wish to use another email system send your comments to: ken@st-christopher.com)