by Fr. Bill Garrison
John 15:1-8
Jesus said to his disciples, ”I am the true 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 make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 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. 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. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”
Well, here we are worshiping in church for the first time in almost a year. How does it feel? Would we call it a success? I would. We have survived the pandemic so far and are within sight of things coming back to a “new normal”. So, since we are thinking about success it seems to make some sense to talk about it. What is success? How to accomplish it? Before we engage today’s gospel for an answer, here’s a quick story that fits the conversation.
Four buddies caught up for coffee many years after high school. Each bragging to the other how successful and wealthy they’ve become.
The first guy said, “See that bank building across the street? I am going to buy it within the next six months.”
The second guy then said, “See that hotel building next to the bank? I am going to buy it within the next month.”
Not wanting to lose out, the third guy quickly said, “See that shopping complex next to the hotel? I am going to buy that next week!”
They then look expectantly at the fourth guy who simply smiled and took one long sip of his coffee before muttering the words, “I’m not selling.”
So, success, what is it? What does the world see as success and what do we think God sees as success? Are they the same? The immediate knee jerk answer is no, obviously not. But must we choose one or the other? I wonder about that. And I wonder if our immediate answer about what we think God sees as success is really correct? Let’s think about this stuff.
First of all, how does our culture define the word success? Is it how much money we accumulate? Is it the neighborhood we live in? Is it where we went to school and our grades there? Is it how we are regarded in our profession or community life? Is it an inner feeling of satisfaction in what we have done or who we are? I submit success is not an easy thing to comprehend. It’s elusive and it seems to morph and change for each of us as we go through life. I have known a ton of successful people and I must admit I have encountered almost an equal number of ways in which they measured success.
Maybe if we look at how God views success it might be helpful.
I am a scripture guy. I find most of my answers about God in the Bible. So please know that’s my foundation. Perhaps yours is different. If so, comparing your findings to mine might be interesting.
Now I am well aware that one may arrive at almost any conclusion a person seeks based on individual passages of scripture. That is why I am convinced we are best served when we look at overall passages, large chunks if you will, and not on one verse or a paragraph or two. For me I try to find out what the Bible is saying in general terms more often than what it is saying in a specific place. As an example, in some verses Jesus sometimes seems impatient, or sarcastic, or downright mean. I think about the woman at the well in the last instance. But if we draw back and get away from the specific and view the overall, we see that Jesus is a person of love, compassion and thoughtfulness.
As we may about Jesus, we can find all sorts of examples about success in the Bible. They range from rich Kings that God loved such as David to the Widow and her mite and everything in between. This stands in opposition to what most of us assume is the standard of success that God prefers. Most of us immediately think God prefers we work hard in the service of others and give away everything we have. But I believe nothing could be further from the truth.
God created each and every one of us. We are all similar and we are all different. God created us in this way. So, does it make sense that success for each of us is the same? Well, of course not now that we think about it. I am not seven feet tall. Expecting me to be the next center for the Lakers makes no sense at all. I draw stick figures so expecting me to be a famous artist is equally futile.
Think about it. What are reasonable expectations for yourself, your family members, your friends? Wow. It’s eye opening, isn’t it?
Today’s gospel has much to say in this discussion. It’s a beautiful metaphor. God is the vine grower. Jesus is the vine. We are the branches. The fruit grows on the branches. Even twenty centuries later the metaphor makes a pretty obvious case. And in the reading of the gospel one word sticks out. “Abide”.
We talked in Bible study a couple weeks ago about this word in the context of the gospel passage. "To abide" has to do with persevering, continuing, lasting, staying with it, marinating in if you will.
No wonder the term is rare. What it means is rare, in this or any time. Abide is a where word. We abide where the Lord gathers us, where we are, even two or three of us, in God’s name.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit,” The principle behind the command of our Lord to abide is stated both negatively and positively. Negatively, it is impossible to bear fruit without abiding. Positively, if one abides in Christ, they will bear much fruit. Abiding is essential for fruit bearing.
Fruit bearing equals success in the Kingdom of God. Abiding in Christ, partnership with Christ, and recognizing that we are each created individually, is probably the only door which leads to true success. The fruit might look like success to the world and it might not. But whether it does or doesn’t I am pretty sure we feel good about our “successes” as a branch when we are in concert with the vine. Think about it.
I know when I am in solid contact with the vine. I know when I am not. I’m sure you do too.