Sunday, May 14th: "I Am the Vine"

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First United Presbyterian Church

“I Am the Vine”

Rev. Amy Morgan

May 14, 2023

John 15:1-10

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”



Long-term relationships, relationships that last, relationships that stand the test of time, relationships that abide: these are not easy relationships to maintain. Whether the relationship is between a parent and a child, between siblings or friends, between lovers or colleagues, all these relationships experience struggles, stresses and strife that makes them challenging to maintain over the long haul.

Every relationship expert seems to have their own set of criteria for maintaining long-term relationships. But this week I learned about one small study that found that the most reliable predictor of whether or not a relationship would last was how the partners in the relationship talked about past difficulties. When asked to share about their past struggles in the relationship, some people exhibited attitudes of regret, contempt, and shame. They would say, “we fought, and it was awful. In fact, my partner is awful.” But other people expressed feelings of growth, gratitude, and resilience. They might say, “we fought, and it was awful. But we got through it and learned things that have made our relationship better than ever.” The nature of the struggles wasn’t necessarily any different. But some people viewed those struggles as setbacks or deficiencies in the relationship while others saw them as experiences that made the relationship better and stronger.

This study out of the University of Washington calls this “glorifying the struggle.” It found that the struggles we experience in relationships don’t determine if they will last. It is how we interpret those struggles. Are they a sign that we should cut off the relationship? Or are they an opportunity for growth?

So, I’ll be the first to acknowledge that I am not a relationship expert. I am a pastor. I have my own relationship struggles, and I have interpreted them in a variety of ways, I’m sure. I don’t have the secret to making marriages, friendships, or healthy family relationships last.

But we are talking about lasting relationships today because that is what Jesus is talking about in this segment of his farewell address to his disciples. This is all part of the Last Supper event, a pivotal moment in the relationship between Jesus and his disciples. Jesus has given his disciples the new commandment to love one another. He has told them that he is going to be leaving them soon. And, as we read last week, he promised that where he is going, they can follow, and he is preparing a place for them.

And then he launches into this metaphor about vines and vine growers, branches and fruit. Now, we can once again hear this as a message of exclusivity or of judgement. Stick with Jesus and do good things, otherwise you’ll be chopped off and thrown into the fire! Terrifying. Eew. Why would Jesus say that to people he dearly loves in some of his final words to them? That’s ridiculous.

The thing that stood out to me as I read this passage this week is the number of times Jesus uses the word “abide.” It’s the Greek word meno, and it appears 11 times in just these 10 verses. And it’s not just that this is a really common word in the New Testament. The gospel of Matthew uses this word only three times, Mark only uses it once, and it’s found 7 times in the whole gospel of Luke. Eleven times in ten verses is a lot. It’s almost overkill. John is making a point he does not want us to miss. And that point is that when Jesus is talking about vines and branches, he is not dictating an agricultural manual. Once again, he is speaking metaphorically about relationship. And what he wants with the disciples is a relationship that lasts. He wants them to abide – to stay, reside long-term, hang together – in relationship. The place he is going to prepare for them is not a short-term rental. It is a permanent home. Jesus wants a relationship with the disciples that will last forever.

And he’s talking with them about this now, not just because he’s about to leave them for a time. After this portion of the farewell discourse, Jesus tells the disciples that they are going to experiencing suffering and persecution. There are some major stressors that are about to be introduced into this relationship. Separation and suffering. Disappointment and disillusionment.

It may have been fun to follow along after this truth-telling, paradigm-shifting, miracle-working messiah. But now the disciples are going to need some resiliency, some commitment, and some perspective that will help them abide in relationship with Jesus through what is coming next.

If we read the book of Acts, we see how this works out for some of the disciples. Those who stay in relationship with Jesus through his Spirit do manage to “bear much fruit.” The Christian movement spreads and transforms lives. The disciples heal people in the name of Jesus. They speak truth to power and sometimes suffer and die for it, but the mission of Jesus continues through them. Captives are freed and the poor are cared for. Their way of life witnesses to the love and justice of God in Jesus Christ.

But a lot of this has to do with how the disciples end up interpreting their relationship struggles. Some struggled in relationship with Jesus because they misunderstood him and his mission. Others experienced power struggles or lost interest in the relationship. Some were disappointed in Jesus and others were frightened by the consequences of this relationship. Some struggled with his death and others struggled with his resurrection.

Jesus gives them this metaphor of the vine and the branches to give them a way to interpret their relationship struggles. First, Jesus wants a relationship that is long-term and life-giving, the way that season after season, a vine gives life to branches, feeds their growth and nourishes their production of fruit. Second, Jesus wants them to see that struggles – pruning and cleansing – are all part of the process of maintaining a healthy and fruitful relationship. And finally, Jesus wants them to see that cutting off the relationship doesn’t lead to life or growth or anything good. It’s just a waste.

If you’re here today, if you bothered to get up and come to church, or log onto worship online, it’s because you have, or you want to have, some kind of relationship with Jesus. It’s because you have, or want to have, some kind of relationship with the community of Jesus followers. You’re here, you are showing up for this relationship, and that is awesome.

Many of us have probably already experienced struggles in this relationship. Times when we feel like Jesus abandoned us. Times when the community of Jesus disappointed or even hurt us. Times when these relationships were costly in some way. Times when we didn’t understand Jesus or his mission. Times when there were power struggles in the community or when we lost interest in the relationship. Many of us have experienced these struggles. Some of us may be experiencing them right now.

I have talked with many, many people who have given up on a relationship with Jesus and especially on a relationship with the community of Jesus followers. And I’ve listened to how they interpret these struggles we all experience. They were disappointed, angry, hurt, scared, and they interpreted that as a sign that the community was dysfunctional, the institution was a failure, that God was a myth or a maniac, and that the relationship was over. And there’s really not much you can do with that.

Jesus talks about dead branches withering and being cut off and used as fuel for the fire. This isn’t a judgement of damnation to hell for anyone who doesn’t do what Jesus says and bear good fruit. This is an image of clearing away parts of an organism that are no longer life-giving, of clearing away waste. After someone has been in relationship with Jesus, been a life-giving part of a life-giving community, to see that relationship to wither and die, well, it’s just a sad waste.

What Jesus offers, desires, invites us into, is a relationship that abides, a relationship that lasts and is life-giving. To stay in that relationship, we have to be able to interpret our struggles with it differently. We have to “glorify the struggle.” Now, I’m not talking about glorifying suffering and certainly not glorifying struggles in an abusive or chronically dysfunctional relationship. But that’s not the relationship Jesus invites us into.

Jesus invites us into a relationship that is intimately connected to him and to the community that gathers in his name and continues his mission on earth. Only through these connections can we nourish the growth of God’s reign as it continues to emerge. Only through these abiding, lasting relationships can we experience the abundant life Jesus promises and share that abundance with others.

And I agree with the University of Washington study that it all comes down to how we interpret the struggles we experience in relationships. If we see those times of misunderstanding, disagreement, disappointment, and fear as signs that the relationship is doomed, that would be a terrible waste. But if we can see those struggles as a plant in need of pruning, as opportunities for growth, we can hang together, we can abide.

This community has been through a lot in the last year. We have lost beloved, fruitful branches of our beautiful vine. We have been pruned through a period of uncertainty when I had to step away. We will soon be grafting Sam onto a new branch of this vine in Maryland and seeking a new music director to graft onto our branch.

These experiences may have strained our relationship with the vine who sustains us, caused us to be sapped of life or energy, brought up doubts and fear, created feelings of anger or disappointment or left us confused and hurt. But through these experiences, we have grown, our relationships with God and with each other have been strengthened, and I trust that this will all bear good fruit.

In fact, we can already see it. We are bearing good fruit as a community, as branches on the vine of Jesus, in our Sunday School and music ministries with children. We are bearing good fruit in the laptops that were delivered to young people who managed to graduate from high school without a stable place to live or adults to help guide them. We are bearing good fruit in all the community groups that have found a welcome home in our building. We are bearing good fruit in the deacons’ ministry of care and fellowship. We are bearing good fruit in our Green Team creation care work. We are bearing good fruit in caring for folks discerning a call to ordained ministry. We are bearing good fruit in every way we as a church and as individuals witness to the love and justice of God in Jesus Christ in our lives.

This is not a pat on the back, friends. This is what we need to see and acknowledge so that we can continue to abide in relationship with Jesus, even through whatever struggles may come next. Our elders have a bold and ambitious vision for this church. They feel called to empower us all to restore relationships between God, creation, and humanity in ways that will stretch and challenge us. They are being moved by the Spirit and will be moving us in some exciting new directions in the coming months.

And we will struggle with some things as we grow together. We will struggle with our relationships with each other and perhaps even with Jesus. But how we interpret those struggles is what will make all the difference. How we talk about our challenges is what will determine if our relationships will abide.

May we abide in Jesus, the true vine. May we abide in life-giving relationships. And may we continue to bear much fruit, to the glory of God, to whom we give thanks. Amen.