Unfortunately, some of us feel that if we don\u2019t check our smartphones every few minutes, we will miss out on something crucial, maybe the event of the year or the e-mail that will change the course of our lives. And it is even more embarrassing when we don\u2019t seem to be aware that we are doing it, and someone brings it to our attention \u2013 often the person we should have been listening to!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A common lament, whether working in an office or as a full-time parent, is that there simply are not enough hours in the day. Schedules are too full, responsibilities too numerous and commitments too demanding. Given this, a common reason as to why we don\u2019t eat better or exercise more or even pray more regularly is simply, \u201cWho has the time?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can easily mishear the invitation in today\u2019s gospel passage as yet another demand on our time. We can make the mistake of assuming that what often works well in one aspect of our lives, works equally well in our spiritual lives: in this case, the motto of every controlling and rushed person \u2013 which is all of us at one time or another \u2013 \u201cIf I don\u2019t do it, it won\u2019t get done.\u201d But listen to Jesus today, \u201cI AM the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower.\u201d And Jesus goes on to tell us very clearly who is doing the work, and it is not you or me, my friends. \u201cHe removes every branch in me that does not bear fruit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This image of the people of God as \u201cGod\u2019s vineyard\u201d is a very old one, going back to the Jewish psalms, as well as other places in the Old Testament. Listen to part of Psalm 80: \u201cYou brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.\u201d Again, notice that it is God who is doing all the planting here, not us. And think of all the other I AM statements found in the Gospel of John: \u201cI AM the light of the world,\u201d \u201cI AM the gate,\u201d \u201cI AM the resurrection and the life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All these I AM statements in the Gospel of John point to the reality of God\u2019s availability. It is ironic that Christianity has the reputation of being an other-worldly religion, focused almost exclusively on how to get into heaven. Maybe you have seen the bumpers stickers declaring, \u201cJesus is coming, look busy!\u201d or \u201cFriends don\u2019t let friends miss out on heaven!\u201d It may sound surprising, but this kind of theology of a \u201cdistant god\u201d is what most of us are comfortable with, because it ultimately pushes God to the sidelines and we can remain in control. We are very good at being busy and taking responsibility, and we rather prefer this to being on the receiving end of change. But as Jesus says in today\u2019s reading, \u201cAbide in me as I abide in you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In today\u2019s gospel, Jesus addresses us twice with the phrase \u201cI AM the vine.\u201d There is a promise here. \u201cI AM the vine, and you are the branches.\u201d Jesus is asking each of us to simply be with him. This sounds deceptively easy. Listen to the words of the Collect for Purity, as if for the first time: \u201cAlmighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid.\u201d It\u2019s OK to relax a bit and stop worrying about hiding those parts of ourselves that we don\u2019t want others, and surely not God, to see. We can abide with God, instead of busying ourselves to keep God at a distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The promise of Jesus, the Vine, the Gate, the Light, is abundant life here and now, not just in some future time. God is doing more in our lives than any of us are aware. God in Jesus is simply inviting each of us to take the time to notice. But the trick, of course, is to let God do what God needs to do and for us to get out of the way. Jesus is very clear on this point when he says: \u201cI AM the vine, you are the branches.\u201d That is what abiding in the power of the Word is all about, not placing impediments in God\u2019s way by trying to do for ourselves what God wants to do for us: reshape our hearts, bodies and minds to receive the forgiveness being offered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hopefully, now, you can hear Jesus\u2019 words as the beautiful invitation it truly is: \u201cAbide in me as I abide in you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, some of us feel that if we don\u2019t check our smartphones every few minutes, we will miss out on something crucial, maybe the event of the year or the e-mail that will change the course of our lives. And it is even more embarrassing when we don\u2019t seem to be aware that we are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201212,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[22,43,52,3],"tags":[199],"class_list":["post-512342","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-easter","category-sermons","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-easter-5b"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":22,"label":"Easter"},{"value":43,"label":"Sermons"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":199,"label":"Easter 5B"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/512342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sermon"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/512342\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":949874,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/512342\/revisions\/949874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=512342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=512342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=512342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}