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 Sunday, May 10, 2009
Sermon: "God, Our Creator and Wine Maker"
Scripture: John 15: 2-8
Reverend Larry Gerber
"The fruit of the Spirit must be cultivated. All that grows naturally is weeds."
"God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts." Great wine is the result of a great vineyard. Today we look at the question: "How do the disciples of Jesus contribute to the reputation and success of God's vineyard?
When you think of fine wine (that is, if you think of wine at all, which you may or may not depending on your tradition) your mind and palate might wander to a particular region of
But while the French seem to be, in the opinion of some people, wine snobs, more adventurous winemakers have lately been branching out, so to speak. Leaving behind the conservative and highly regulated regions of their homeland, some French winemakers have moved to America's more freewheeling wine country around Napa, California, because, as Philippe Melka puts it, "Here, you not only have a lot more options, but there is an excitement about trying new things." Nicolas Morlet, who descends from a long line of champagne producers, agrees: "It is completely different here. We have the freedom to fully realize our passion, to push our limits with every vintage. We aren't working under a classification made in 1855 or a constitution of grands crus (French for "great growth"). Still, some things are inviolate about winemaking. One foundational principle that applies to both Old World and If you want to pick a good wine, in other words, you have to know the source. Jesus obviously knew a little about wine himself, since we often see him at parties in the gospels and since he knew exactly what kind of wine would blow the minds of the guests at the Cana wedding feast (John 2:1-12). So it shouldn't be a big surprise that he used the metaphor of a vineyard to describe his relationship to his disciples -- a discussion that appears a few chapters later in John 15. Jesus knew that the best way to tell what kind of product you were getting would be to look at the label and see from where in the world it came. In this case, the source isn't a place but a person -- Jesus himself. Jesus is the Vine. Jesus begins by saying that he is the "true vine," the source of growth and fruit-bearing, in a vineyard that is tended by the "Father." God is the Winemaker: The Creator God is thus the real winemaker, the one who tends the vineyard and assures its quality. The Vineyard has a history: a long and storied history. The metaphor of the vineyard is used several times in the Old Testament to describe God's relationship with But while the vine is the source for good fruit, there's a vital link between the vine and its fruit. The "branches" are thus the focus of Jesus' teaching with his disciples. "I am the vine," says Jesus to his followers, "you are the branches" (v. 5). Notice that the disciples of Jesus aren't the "fruit," the end product, but the conduit for the vine's nourishment. The quality of the fruit thus depends on the branches' connectedness to the vine itself. What Jesus is describing here is the necessary interrelationship between himself and his disciples -- a relationship characterized by mutuality and indwelling, but one that is also focused on bearing grands crus (great growth) for the whole world.
Look closely at a grapevine, though, and one of the first things you notice about its branches is that it's very difficult to tell them apart individually. All the branches twist and curl around one another to the point that you can't tell where one starts and another stops. Jesus' use of branch imagery is thus a way of expressing that it's not the achievement of an individual branch or its status that matters. The quality of branches and fruit depends solely on the quality of their connectedness to the vine. When it comes to discipleship, each "branch" or individual gives up his or her desire for individual achievement in order to become one of many encircling branches -- a community that is rooted and nurtured by Christ and points to his reputation and quality, not their own. We have many branches within the church: education, missions, music, church growth, worship, finance, the foundation, singles ministry, care giving, health and welfare, Stephen Ministry, Sheepherders, UMM, UMW, men's prayer group, women's prayer group, grief groups, cancer support, tape ministry, and more. Within each of these branches there are offshoots. The offshoots and the branches sometimes twist around each other offer a somewhat confusing configuration as to which direction they are going. Combine each of the branches with all of the others and one can see a real complex configuration. However, if we were to trim all of them so that they stand alone, each one would die unto itself. Not one of those groups can survive alone, they must all mingle, and they must all be supported by the vine itself, which is cared for by the vine dresser. To nurture and be nurtured will bring success.
We are continually working on our Strategic Direction within our own church. If each of the branches tires to reach out alone each one will fail for lack of support. The vinedresser (God) will prune the branches (people of the church) in order to bring the best support and result of the vine (Jesus).
With that understanding of branches in mind, there are a couple of things that we branches must remember in order to stay effectively and fruitfully connected to Jesus. First, we have to remember that branches are fruit-bearing, not fruit-making. "Just as the branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me ? Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing" (vv. 4-5). We've heard these words of Jesus many times, but we also hear the call of a culture of workaholism, achievement and success that can lure disciples of Christ into thinking that we can be fruitful as a result of our own efforts. Many are the pastors, for example, who have built large churches and famous reputations only to crash and burn as a result of moral failure, which is frequently the result of a failure to stay intimately connected to Jesus. When a branch gets the idea that it can make fruit, make wine, on its own, it dries up, withers, and is no longer useful (v. 6). The mission of a branch isn't to look good or to call attention to itself, but to give all the glory to God, the one whose name is on the label (v. 8).
Second, the "fruit" that we are to bear, like the grapes of a fine winery, is full of many textures and flavors. Paul outlines some of these in Galatians 5:22-23 when he talks about the "fruit of the Spirit." We are conduits and not the end product. God's grace and love always come to us on their way to someone else; someone who will be able to "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8) because we have been faithful branches. But how do we best stay connected to the "true vine?" The branches that are carrying no fruit are removed, but even the most fruitful branch is pruned in order "to make it bear more fruit" (v. 2). Branches on a grapevine are prone to growing too aggressively, producing more and more leaves and shoots that can bleed nour ishment away from the grapes and sometimes even hide them from the sunlight. A good winemaker knows that trimming back excess growth is key to maximizing the branch's effectiveness. Our Strategic Direction must be one of pruning the excess branches that grow no fruit or less quality fruit. By that I mean that if we are to be the best branches on the vine of Christ, and if we are to be the conduits that deliver the best fruit, all committees and each individual within the church must concentrate on the healthy vine, that of Jesus Christ, and we must be a part of the healthy branches that provide the best channel for church growth, discipleship, witness, and faithfulness. If the conduits (us) between the vine (Jesus) and the fruit (new converts) are not open there will be nothing but a twisted confusion of excess branches that must be trimmed.
Great wine is the reflection of a particular vineyard, be it from an Old World tradition or an eclectic Source: Nalley, Richard. "How to make great American wine: A few lessons from the French." Food and Wine Web Site. foodandwine.com/articles/how-to-make-great-american-wine-a-few-lessons-from-the-french. Viewed November 24, 2008. |
