Today I had the privilege and joy of leading the community of St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in worship, as well as preaching and presiding over communion for the first time! What an fun, fun time - I found myself smiling like an idiot the whole time I was in front. The people that make up that congregation have such sincere hearts, and it is a work of God to see how intentionally they worship. A fantastic day. Without further ado, here's my sermon manuscript:
"John 15:1-8 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. 2He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 4Abide 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. 5I 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. 6Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
Friends, grace to you and peace from God the Creator and the risen Son, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
It is a joy to be here today at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church. My name is Dean Safe. I am just wrapping up my second year at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, where I am studying to be a pastor. Next year, I’ll be going out on internship to Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, where for a year I will try on the role of pastor. I got my beginning in this very congregation, however, where for a year I worked in the Grand Rapids community and among you faithful people. It is a joy to be back here once again leading worship and preaching – thank you for having me.
I grew up in the country, on a dairy farm nestled on the plains and hills of southeastern Minnesota. Some of my earliest memories are earthy – the smell of the cows in the barn, the sight of corn being harvested, and the sound of onions being pulled from the garden. We had a large garden just up from our house, and my grandfather was the gardener. He told me when I was small that you could pluck an onion up, and most times they were so sweet he could eat them like apples. He would wash them under the hose and eat them right there. I never understood how he could do that. Every year after the harvest was out he would cover our garden in leaves, and sometimes trim back and prune our strawberry patches when they got too big – so that next year, the garden would be abundant with ripe fruit and we would have all we needed. My grandfather was an excellent teacher, and got me interested in what it means to tend a garden – planting, watering, waiting, and harvesting – that rhythm of life is central to producing fruits and vegetables that are perfectly ripe and ready to be picked. Today, we still garden together.
Our text for today in the Gospel of John finds Jesus using gardening metaphors – pruning, bearing fruit, branches withering, and the like, and at first you can feel like you’re lost in metaphor trying to understand what this passage means. I spent a lot of time over these past few weeks conversing with friends in order to understand what this text is saying. I, admittedly, am still working through it myself, but I think there are treasures in this text that speak volumes to God’s working in the world through God’s love. I must be clear about something before beginning. I don’t think that this text is speaking about salvation – because it can be very much read as “some people are in, and some people are out”. In Christ, our salvation has been decided, and I firmly believe that every single person in this sanctuary is extraordinarily loved by a God who does radical, earth changing things. Your belief, whether you call out to God in prayer regularly or haven’t in years, doesn’t disqualify you. Your heart, your disappointments, your failures, and your actions – those don’t disqualify you. Know that God has laid claim to you and calls you his beloved each and every moment.
This text is not about salvation. Rather, I believe that this text is speaking about what it means to abide in something. To abide means generally to remain, continue, or stay invested in something, and that easily translates into our lives today – we are dedicated to our jobs, we are invested in our family, and are involved in our church and our life together. Those are all good things. But what about if things aren’t so great right now? I know I’ve kept a bad job, and stayed in an unhealthy relationship a time or two because I was afraid of how I would be perceived if things changed – I abided, I remained in situations that weren’t good. Even if what we abide in isn’t healthy or life giving, it’s admittedly hard to change habits or ways.
This is where today’s Gospel lesson comes in – this is where Jesus intersects our very own realities, no matter how good or bad life is right now. The text today is part of Jesus’s farewell speeches, that he gives to his disciples and followers in preparation for his crucifixion, essentially saying The ministry is turning to you now, so this is how you should live. The words Jesus speaks are ones of invitation and welcome. Yes, he says, life will be difficult. You will be persecuted, you will be beaten down, you will become weary of what this life holds for you – but know that in my resurrection life you will encounter a hope beyond your wildest imagination. This is where we meet Jesus in the text today. He uses metaphor. God is the vine grower, Jesus himself is the true branch. We, the people, the followers, are branches. We either grow fruit or we don’t. We either abide in Christ, or we don’t. Regardless, I believe God still calls us God’s beloved.
That’s a question worth pondering, I think. What does it mean to “abide” in Christ? I could offer theological responses on what that means, but I think a simple answer will be more than enough. God gives us the choice as to whether or not we want to live fully in Christ’s promises for us and for the world. To not abide in the life that Christ offers does not mean damnation, but rather that things aren’t as full and as vibrant as they could possibly be. When we get weighed down with whatever is difficult in our life, it does become difficult to notice Christ in our midst. I’ve noticed that in myself. When I get too focused on the things that hurt, I lose sight of what it means to be a Christ follower. Loving others becomes difficult. Doing ministry becomes a chore – and I know that that is not what God intends. He intends for this: for us to abide and bear fruit. To put it simply, those who live in Christ experience what the Spirit brings forth in each of us – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those who abide in Christ are continually refined – pruned, as it is in the text – to continue to bear more good fruit, more works of ministry, to live humbly, honestly, and authentically out of the Christian life. As I said, the choice is ours.
Jesus continues on to say that “Abide in me as I abide in you” – that when we are living life in Christ’s hope, then so is Christ in us. When we are abiding in Christ and he is our true hope and our highest joy, suddenly the things that hurt aren’t as hurtful. Mourning will turn into joy. We love our neighbor and we love ourselves because we know that Christ abides in us and loves us. And that, my friends, is what it’s all about. I believe that it is happening in our very midst. It is evident in the things we do in this congregation. In my year here at St. Andrew’s, and even now – I have the joy of witnessing ministry done and conversations had that have been full of that kind of life, from pie auctions to Grace House work to wedding policy conversations to so much more. All of that, done out of abiding in Christ’s life, furthers God’s work in this world. We are, even 2000 years later, living in the footsteps of the first disciples and followers.
Christ, through God, has encountered us in real and tangible ways as we do ministry here at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church. Good, rich fruit has been produced, and as we continue to do this work together in the resurrection hope that Jesus offers, I encourage you to look for ways you find yourself – or not – abiding in the risen Christ. Where does your life intersect with the holy? Notice where you are bearing fruit, because if it is in Christ, you will live in abundance, and I promise there, you will find the very heart of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
God's Joy this night, my friends -
Dean
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