Clergy from left, The Rev. Mary Ann Hill, Pastor Nicolé Ferry, Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, retired, Associate Priest Lynn Finnegan and Pastor Deb Church. Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com
By DEACON CYNTHIA Z. BIDDLECOMB, M.Div.
ELCA
The Gospel of John, chapter 15, verses 1 through 8 is read in many churches this week.
In this passage, Jesus says, “I am the vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to bear more fruit. …Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches.” [Jn.15:1-2,4b-5a] In verse 16b Jesus tells his disciples to “…go and bear fruit, fruit that will last…”
If you are a gardener, you know about pruning fruit trees and vines. Pruning keeps the tree or bush more compact, so the effort the plant makes at growth is not wasted on leggy, unproductive branches. The nourishment the plant draws from the soil doesn’t have to travel as far, branches are less likely to get damaged in harsh weather, and the resulting fruit is more abundant.
People in Bible times were in large part agrarian folk. They lived off the land and understood the seasons. They knew how to farm or glean crops, how to grow grapes and make wine, to harvest olives and make olive oil, to raise sheep, or tend an orchard.
And they knew about pruning and in what time of the year it was best to prune. For this reason, much of the imagery in the Bible is agricultural, so those for whom the scriptures were written would understand in a deeper way, what was being said.
Even folks like me, with little understanding of gardening, can understand better with earthy imagery like this. Look around our county! Now that Spring has sprung, there is a lot of new growth in people’s yards and along the trails. Cottonwoods are greening up.
Tulips are showing off their colors. There are buds on the fruit trees. It’s a great time to get outdoors and take in all the new life abounding around us.
And there it is… the Easter story of death and resurrection made obvious as Winter sloughs off and trees and plants wake in the Spring to produce leaves, flowers, and fruit. We need those reminders. There is hope, born anew in this season.
In the above passage, John recorded Jesus using the grape vine as an image of the connectedness Christ’s followers can have in him. The more regularly the vine is pruned, the closer the branches are to the heart of the vine – Jesus. Efficiency increases, yes, but also togetherness in our shared focus on producing fruit. Our part in the vine is to bear fruit, fruit that provides nourishment for others.
Need a sense of purpose in life? There it is. Bear fruit. Tearing down all the time is not making things better. Build up one another. Find the positive thing to say, rather than always looking for things to complain about. There’s a challenge for us!
In times like these, it is difficult to keep our spirits up. We lose our way as we are bombarded by messages of suspicion and despair. To overcome the temptation to give up on things, we need only get back to the earth, reflect on what the plants and animals are doing now that it is Spring. Remembering our call to bear fruit can put us back in the right frame of mind at this time of the year. New life is ours, as Christ showed us in his victory over death.
Amen
Editor’s note: ‘All Shall Be Well’ is a column written by local women clergy including ELCA Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, M.Div., retired (czoebidd@gmail.com); Pastor Nicolé Ferry, Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church (pastornicole@bethluth.com); Associate Priest Lynn Finnegan, The Episcopal Church of the Holy Faith, Santa Fe (rev.lynn@holyfaithchurchsf.org); Pastor Deb Church, White Rock Presbyterian Church (pastor@wrpchurch.com) and The Rev. Mary Ann Hill, Rector, Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church (momaryannhill@gmail.com).
