December 28, 2021 — John 15:1-9 – “Heard Through the Grapevine”

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts (or lifts) every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” John 15:1-9 

“Heard through the grapevine:” When wires were first being strung from telephone poles and homes and businesses, these wires utilized in America’s first telegraph stations often swooped and draped in twisted, random patterns. The workers who strung the lines and onlookers alike believed the tangled masses resembled grapevines, eventually birthing a common idiom still used today. Of course, we cannot reference this idiom with mentioning the catchy song by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”. 

The parable of the Vine in John 15 is so significant in our understanding of how the word feeds us, and connects us to Jesus, to G-d, and to each other. If Jesus is not our vine, then we, as individual branches, run the risk of withering away when the scorching heat of sin and satan burn away at our lives and our souls. As Jesus says, “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine…” — for if it does not remain, it will die (spiritually). How do we remain in the vine? By dwelling in the Word of Jesus, in the love of Jesus, and in the Grace of Jesus.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, help us to remember to dwell in your word, for your word nourishes, empowers and sustains us every day. Amen.

Pastor Dave