3rd Sunday after Easter, May 8, 2022, As Friends

  

3^rd Sunday after Easter

Christ the True Vine, icon (Athens, 16th century)

John 15:1-27 

"I AM the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit HE takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit HE makes pure that it may bear more fruit. You have already been purified by the power of the word that I have spoken to you. 

"Abide in me and I in you. 

"As the branch cannot bear fruit out by itself unless it is given life by the vine, neither can you unless you stay united with me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever remains united with me and I in them bears much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing. Whoever does not remain united with me withers like a branch that is cut off. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words live on in you, pray for that which you also will, and it shall come about for you. By this, my Father is revealed that you bear much fruit and become ever more my disciples. 

"As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Live on in my love. If you take my aims into your will, then you will live on in my love, just as I have taken the aims of my Father into my will and live on in HIS love. 

"These words I have spoken to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 

"This is the task I put before you: that you love one another as I have loved you. 

Arthur Ernst Becher

"No one can have greater love than this: that they offer up their life for their friends. You are my friends if you follow the task I have given you. No longer can I call you servants, for servants do not know what their master is doing. But I call you my friends because I have made known to you all that I have heard from my Father. 

"You did not choose me, but I have chosen you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should live on after you so that what you ask the Father in my name HE should give it to you. I say to you out of the fullness of my power: Love one another. 

"If people hate you, remember that they hated me before you. If you belonged to people in general, they would love you as belonging to them; but because you do not belong to them since I chose you out of humankind, people hate you. 

"Remember the word that I spoke to you: 'Servants are not greater than their master.' If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have held on to my word, they will hold on to yours also. Everything that they do to you, they will do as though they did it to me, for they do not know HIM who sent me.

 "If I had not come and had not spoken to them, they would be without sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done deeds among them, such as no one else has ever done, they would be without guilt. But now they have seen me and have still hated both me and my Father. 

"But it was to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without a cause.' 

"But when the Comforter comes, the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father, HE will bring knowledge of me and will be my witness. And you also will be my witnesses because you have been united with me from the very beginning."

 3^rd after Easter

May 8, 2022

John 15:1–27 

"No one can have greater love than this than that he offer up his life for his friends." 

To offer up one's life will not necessarily require that we be martyred. Nevertheless, we all have ample opportunity to offer our lives to others—for our lives are bound up with our time, our presence, and our attention. 

Wulfing

Today is Mother's Day in the US. To be a mother, to be a parent, is to be allowed to give one's life to a friend. For as many who have been parents sense, the child given to us to nurture is someone with whom we have been long connected in other past relationships. And one of the best future outcomes of the parent-child relationship is becoming adult friends. 

As all know who have ever been a parent, parenting means giving large amounts of time and attention, of offering up one's life forces for another. Such an offering creates both joys and sorrows. Joy in watching the child grow, as each new step in their development reveals more and more of their nature. Sorrow, for their difficulties. Times may even come when the child may rail against us. But the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth, comforts us with the knowledge that this is because they need to take a step in the direction of independence. And once they have mastered the new level, they will return. 

Artist unknown

Today we rejoice that we all have had a mother whose life gave us our lives--our bodily mothers and Mother Earth. 

In this gesture of giving life, we can see an image of Christ, the God who gave life to us all, indeed even to Mother Earth herself. And we are also reminded that in His great love, He made the extreme offering of his own life so that all creation on earth could live. He lived and died for all creatures, for the earth herself. He lived and died so that humans could develop from spiritual children into servants and finally into his friends. 

Christ rejoices in our independence. He rejoices in the further revelation of our essence. And He rejoices when we turn to him as friends.

www.thechristiancommunity.org

 

 

3rd Sunday after Easter, Everlasting Wine

 

3^rd Sunday after Easter

John 15:1-27

 

Burnand

"I AM the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit HE takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit HE makes pure that it may bear more fruit. You have already been purified by the power of the word that I have spoken to you.

"Abide in me and I in you.

"As the branch cannot bear fruit out by itself unless it is given life by the vine, neither can you unless you stay united with me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever remains united with me and I in them bears much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing. Whoever does not remain united with me withers like a branch that is cut off. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words live on in you, pray for that which you also will, and it shall come about for you. By this, my Father is revealed that you bear much fruit and become ever more my disciples.

Arthur Ernst Becher

"As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.
Live on in my love. If you take my aims into your will, then you will live on in my love, just as I have taken the aims of my Father into my will and live on in HIS love.

"These words I have spoken to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

"This is the task I put before you: that you love one another as I have loved you.

"No one can have greater love than this: that they offer up their life for their friends. You are my friends if you follow the task I have given you. No longer can I call you servants, for servants do not know what their master is doing. But I call you my friends because I have made known to you all that I have heard from my Father.

"You did not choose me, but I have chosen you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should live on after you so that what you ask the Father in my name HE should give it to you. I say to you out of the fullness of my power: Love one another.

"If people hate you, remember that they hated me before you. If you belonged to people in general, they would love you as belonging to them; but because you do not belong to them since I chose you out of humankind, people hate you.

Sjodin

"Remember the word that I spoke to you: 'Servants are not greater than their master.' If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have held on to my word, they will hold on to yours also. Everything that they do to you, they will do as though they did it to me, for they do not know HIM who sent me.

"If I had not come and had not spoken to them, they would be without sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done deeds among them, such as no one else has ever done, they would be without guilt. But now they have seen me and have still hated both me and my Father.

"But it was to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without a cause.'

"But when the Comforter comes, the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father, HE will bring knowledge of me and will be my witness. And you also will be my witnesses because you have been united with me from the very beginning."

3^rd after Easter

April 25, 2021

John 15:1-27

Grapevines send their roots down into the earth. They draw up life-giving water from the depth. They also draw up light-related minerals like phosphorus into their sap. In the inner light from the depths of the earth and the outer light from the sun, the water becomes red, rich, and sweet. Pulled up from the depths, the sap offers itself as fruit.

18th century Ukraine

We, too, are like vines on the earth. We put down our roots to find earth-light. We draw up life from deep in the earth. We rejoice in the light of the sun.

Our lives are the branches of Him, who is the Living Vine. It is He who helps us to find the light in the dark depths. It is He who brings us the water of life. Embedded in His life, we are transformed. He makes our lives fruitful.

What is a fruitful life? A fruitful life is one that, on some level, offers itself to nourishes others. One that supports and cares for the earth and the creatures on it. One that supports the beings of the spiritual world.

Yes, just as the kingdoms below us, the plants and animals, the minerals support us, we too support the angelic realms above us. We offer our thinking, our hearts' love, the devoted actions of our lives as fruit to the angels. But being eternal, angels need everlasting wine. Christ the Vine helps our lives bear immortal fruit. His transformative magic changes the water of our lives into wine as refreshment and support for the angels.

 

 

3rd Sunday after Easter, May 3, 2020, No Body But Yours

3^rd Sunday after Easter
John 15:1-27

Christ the True Vine

I AM the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he trims clean so that it will be even more fruitful. You have already been purified by the power of the word that I have spoken to you.

Abide in me and I in you.

Just as the branch cannot bear fruit out of itself unless it is given life by the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you stay united with me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever remains united with me so that I can work in him, bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not remain united with me withers like a branch that is cut off. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words live on in you, pray for that which you also will, and it shall come about for you. By this, my Father is revealed, that you bear rich spiritual fruit and become ever more truly my disciples.

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Ground your being in my love, just as I have taken the aims of my Father into my will and live on in his love.

These words I have spoken to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. This is the task I put before you: that you love one another as I have loved you.

No one can have greater love than this, than that they offer up their life for their friends. You are my friends if you follow the task I have given you. No longer can I call you servants, for servants do not know what their master is doing. But I call you my friends because I have made known to you all that I have heard from my Father.

You did not choose me, but I have chosen you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruits should live on after you so that what you ask the Father in my name he should give it to you. I say to you out of the fullness of my power: Love one another.

If the world hates you with hatred, remember that they hated me first. If you belonged to people in general, they would love you as belonging to them; but you do not belong to them because I have chosen you out of humankind. That is why people hate you.

Remember

Christ in the Winepress

the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have held on to my word, they will hold on to yours also. Everything that they do to you they will do as though they did it to me, for they do not know Him who sent me.

If I had not come and had not spoken to them, they would be without sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who turns in hatred against me turns in hatred against my Father also. If I had not done deeds among them, deeds which no one else has ever done, they would be without guilt. But now they have seen me, and have still hated both my Father and me.

But it was to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without a cause.’

But when the Comforter comes, the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father, he will bring knowledge of me and will be my witness. And you also will be my witnesses, because you have been united with me from the very beginning.

3^rd after Easter
May 3, 2020
John 15:1-27

 The wild grapevine will spread its many branches far and wide, climbing over fences and up trees.  A cultivated vine is trained on stakes and cross

grapevines

-wires. The vinedresser prunes it back to restrain much of the growth. Thus the vine sacrifices some of its wild leafy abundance in order to produce better fruit.
Once a mighty vine grew in the realm of the heavens. Its life was the life of the whole universe. Its roots were in the sun. Its branches were in the cosmos. Its fruits were the planets and the stars.

One of its planets, the earth, began to sicken and grow dark. And so the mighty vine concentrated its life into a single Seed, which dropped onto the earth. The seed died and was buried in the earth. There it germinated, grew toward the heavens, scattering seeds of its own into the heart of each human being on the planet.

Christ is that cosmic vine, who concentrated His life into the seed of a single life, which then germinated, grew and bore fruit on the earth.

Christ says, “I am the Vine, you are the branches.” John 15:5. Christ is our lifeblood. Our lives are branches of His Life. The Father, who holds humankind’s destiny, is the vinedresser. The Father is looking for healthy growth, trimming away what does not serve, to increase what will promote the best fruits.

Christ tries to convey to us that we are not to remain wild and uncultivated. Rather we are to contain ourselves on the cross-wires so that the Father, the vinedresser, can concentrate and strengthen our growth to produce excellent and abundant fruit. The goal of our lives, the fruit we are trying to produce, is love.

In our western culture, we have grown much that was useless, excessive, even diseased. The healthy part of us accepts the necessity of a “correction”, a trimming. True, the process is painful; but it is only right and just. It is meant for our good, for our health. Time to trim back. Time to become truly fruitful. Time to seek the living source.

In today’s reading, we are receiving a vivid reminder that Christ is indeed what nourishes. We cluster in prayer like fruit on His vine. We receive His wine-sap, the living juice of His blood, whenever we pray,

Bernardino Luini, Christ Among the Doctors

So that we remain connected to His love;
So that we become and remain fruitful;
So that we, in turn, may channel His strengthening life and love to others.

As Teresa of Avila said,

Christ has no Body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks
Compassion on this world
Yours are the feet with which He walks
To do good
Yours are the hands with which He blesses
All the world.

www.thechristiancommunity.org