A few weeks ago, we discussed an aspect of Jesus’s teaching in the Upper Room and it is back here that we return this week. This time it is His discussion of being the True Vine in John 15:1-11. Here Jesus makes what would have been an easily understood analogy using the image of a grapevine being tended by God the Father with Jesus being the vine itself and the disciples being the branches of the vine. He states that if the disciples abide or depend on Him then He will provide nourishment that will yield much fruit for the Father to harvest. Conversely, if they do not abide, or depend on Him then they will be able to do nothing. He goes further to say that anyone not abiding in Him will be cast out and burnt as kindling.

This is an eye-opening passage for sure, and much debate exists regarding the theological implications of salvation at stake here…but that is a bigger bite than I want to try and chew this morning. At the very least, there are works and actions of a person’s life that are being examined. If the things we say and do for God’s Kingdom are not rooted, not abiding, in Jesus they will inevitably come to nothing. The Father will eventually prune out the things being done in His name that don’t bring Him glory or hinder His Kingdom work.

The reason I have been reflecting on this passage is because I think I have understood that it is true at an individual level but now I am thinking it is applicable at a corporate level as well. Just as the Father prunes out works and actions of individuals, we should expect Him to do the same for an organization that is not abiding in Jesus. Did you know that a vine can propagate itself? Under certain circumstances, if the end of a branch goes to the ground it can develop its own root system, eventually separate from the parent vine and actually become an independent vine? Similarly, much of Western Christianity operates not with a reliance on Jesus for direction and nourishment but by relying on itself for these things.

Before I go any further, I want to make something explicitly clear: God is not the author of evil, sin, or the fallen condition of His creation but He certainly will use circumstances involving those things to accomplish His purposes. Joseph recognizes this in Genesis 45:7-8 and 50:20 as he explains to his brothers how God worked through their sinful choice of selling him into slavery (and all the things that happened after as well) to preserve Egypt and Joseph’s family. In a similar vein I have been reflecting on the last 2 years of the Covid pandemic and trying to understand how God is bringing preservation through it. God did not create Covid, He did not force individuals to make the choices that allowed it to be transmitted in the first place, and He is not responsible for the death and destruction that have resulted from its spread. I do believe, however, that He is using some of the effects of Covid to prune out aspects of the church that are not bearing fruit for Him.

I confess as I sit here and write this that it seems harsh and cruel on some levels…I am not writing this in an attempt to minimize the devastating effects we have witnessed due to Covid. I have prayed over this post extensively for several days because I want it to be true and God-honoring. Fortunately, God directed me back to His Scripture and gave me a verse out of Isaiah in which God claims, “I am the Lord; that is my name. I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.” (Isa. 42:8 NIV) I found it doubly insightful that this verse is included in the same section that we have been reading at Christmas time as the prophecy of the coming Messiah. If we as individuals, as a local church, or as a collective concept of the Church have replaced the Gospel with something else it will be pruned out by the Father.

The Father prunes so that we may have life in Christ. Just as Jesus alluded to, a vine-dresser prunes out the unhealthy branches so that the rest of the vine is even healthier than it was before. We have talked in previous blogs about Jesus promising abundant life to those who believe in Him and the Father pruning out the non-Gospel aspects of our faith makes our faith more fruitful. As Christians we stand on a precipice of change regarding how ministry is done and what truly matters in God’s Kingdom. I may be an introvert but I miss some of the large group gathering opportunities that the Church has historically provided but God has pruned out some of my reliance on the physical church and redirected it back to Himself. The questions I am now trying to answer aren’t simply “How can I meet the needs of my local congregation and make its life better?” but more in line with “How can I meet the needs of my community and make its life better.”

As we are in the midst of Advent and celebrating the birth of Jesus my prayer is that God and God alone would be the object of your faith. Let Him prune what needs to be pruned so that you can be a more effective worker for His Kingdom. May you all be richly blessed this Christmas and upcoming New Year. May we all have the heart of the psalm writer David.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

     test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

     and lead me in the way everlasting.  (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV)