Last Sunday was Good Shepherd Sunday. Today is Grape Vine Sunday. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, God is the vine grower.
Next to olive groves and possibly figs vineyards were the most basic crop in Palestine. In a land where water was often not safe to drink wine was an essential staff of life. Grape vines require constant care. Water, weeding, trimming the branches, grafting, fertilizing, watching out for parasites and fungus. Vines require constant maintenance lest the wild root stalk reassert itself, to trim unproductive branches and unhealthy growths.
Jesus uses an analogy familiar to his listeners to explain essential truths about life in Christ.
First, once again we return to Acts for our first lesson. Let it be noted that Philip was sent to meet with a Gentile. Eunuch was a common term for government official much as we refer to infernal revenue today. The passage that was being read was Isa_53:7-8, often referred to as the suffering servant passage. This is, of course was applied to Jesus and used as a pretext to expound upon the Good News culminating in a baptism.
The Psalm avows that God lives in us and we in him. God is not a cure-all for every ill to which man is prone but neither is he deaf to our concerns but we must trust in him and make our needs known.
The Epistle reaffirms that the greatest of these is love. Love one another as I have loved you.
The Gospel expounds upon the Psalmist's concept of an interactive relationship with God the creator. The Christian Life is not a one-time conversion experience. Our Christian faith must be tended and nourished for if it is not growing and producing it will become moribund and dead. We live in Christ and he in us. We are nourished by our life in Christ's body the church. We are not redeemed by our good works but our response to God's love will be reflected in the fruit we produce expressed in love for each other.
Next to olive groves and possibly figs vineyards were the most basic crop in Palestine. In a land where water was often not safe to drink wine was an essential staff of life. Grape vines require constant care. Water, weeding, trimming the branches, grafting, fertilizing, watching out for parasites and fungus. Vines require constant maintenance lest the wild root stalk reassert itself, to trim unproductive branches and unhealthy growths.
Jesus uses an analogy familiar to his listeners to explain essential truths about life in Christ.
First, once again we return to Acts for our first lesson. Let it be noted that Philip was sent to meet with a Gentile. Eunuch was a common term for government official much as we refer to infernal revenue today. The passage that was being read was Isa_53:7-8, often referred to as the suffering servant passage. This is, of course was applied to Jesus and used as a pretext to expound upon the Good News culminating in a baptism.
The Psalm avows that God lives in us and we in him. God is not a cure-all for every ill to which man is prone but neither is he deaf to our concerns but we must trust in him and make our needs known.
The Epistle reaffirms that the greatest of these is love. Love one another as I have loved you.
The Gospel expounds upon the Psalmist's concept of an interactive relationship with God the creator. The Christian Life is not a one-time conversion experience. Our Christian faith must be tended and nourished for if it is not growing and producing it will become moribund and dead. We live in Christ and he in us. We are nourished by our life in Christ's body the church. We are not redeemed by our good works but our response to God's love will be reflected in the fruit we produce expressed in love for each other.
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