Greetings,
Friends.
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in docks,
Welcoming you to another reflection in our journey through Lent,
Meditating on the I Am statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John.
And this week we're reflecting on I Am the True Vine.
In a reminder that I'd love for you to join me for our final session,
Day 40 7,
Which will be held in Australian Eastern Standard Time,
5 a.
M.
On Easter Sunday morning for West Coast through East Coast US.
It'll be somewhere between midday and 3,
I think,
In the afternoon.
In the UK,
I think it'll be about 8 p.
M.
You can register at the top of my teachers page.
You'll see the session there and you can let me know that you're coming.
I'd love for you to join me as we usher in Easter together and we wrap up this series,
This journey that we've been through and reflect on if these statements tell us who Jesus is,
Then what does it say about who we are.
Today,
As we continue to reflect on the True Vine,
I invite you to feel yourself settle into the stillness,
Into the presence of God.
Take a deep breath in and out.
Let all the distractions fade as you turn your heart towards Christ and hear the words of Jesus in John chapter 15 verse 2,
Where Jesus says every branch that bears good fruit,
God prunes to make it bear more fruit.
Imagine with me for a moment walking through a vineyard in late winter.
The skies pale and the air's crisp with the promise of change.
The rows of vines are stretched before you but they're bare.
The fruit was collected for the season months ago and all the leaves have dropped as the weather has come cold and so all the trellises are filled with the vines still there but their branches are bare and twisted,
Reaching towards the sky.
The vine grower moves carefully among them with the clippers in hand and with great skill and great intention they prune every single vine and every single branch on that vine,
Cutting away what's unnecessary and shaping it ready for the season to come.
At first the pruning seems drastic.
Long branches are cut back until only the essentials remain but the vine grower knows that what they're doing isn't harming the vine or the branch,
This is care.
Without this sort of care the vine would become twisted and wild and it would end up expending energy in far too many directions and would end up bearing little fruit and the fruit that it did bear probably wouldn't be the best quality.
But with wise pruning the vine's strength is directed towards new growth and abundance.
Have you ever felt the sharp edge of pruning going on in your life?
Times when something was taken away or when a season that was very comfortable ended or maybe when change arrived that was uninvited.
Perhaps there have been habits,
Attachments and maybe even relationships that were once essential but in hindsight God was gently removing them to make space for something deeper and something far more fruitful.
Now friend I don't make light of this by any means,
This process can be very painful and in the moment we may not understand why certain things are being cut away.
But Jesus reminds us that pruning isn't punishment,
It's preparation.
It is an act of deep love,
Intentional deep love of divine care.
It's an act that is happening to ensure that we don't waste our energy on things that will not last but instead focus on what will bring true and lasting life.
Now in vineyards,
As mentioned,
This heavy pruning happens in winter.
It happens when the plant is dormant and the vineyard owner will go and remove the dead or unnecessary bits preparing the vine for spring.
And in the growing season there's also smaller cuts made to redirect the plant's energy towards bearing fruit.
And for that short season that I worked in a vineyard I could see what Jesus was talking about here in this whole part of talking about being the true vine because I note that God works in similar ways in our lives.
Sometimes we experience a significant pruning.
It's that unexpected loss or change or shift that challenges us,
Sometimes comes like a slap in the face.
At other times the spirit makes smaller adjustments,
Gently guiding our growth,
Encouraging us to let go of small distractions or unhealthy patterns.
Take a moment to consider your own life.
Where do you feel the touch of pruning?
Are there areas that God might be inviting you to let go of and to trust in the process of renewal?
Are you clinging onto something that no longer serves your spiritual growth?
As we pause for a moment and you reflect on this,
I invite you not to see this as punishment that's harsh and uncaring,
But to feel there's an intentional care about what's happening,
Gentle hands shaping your life for something greater.
And as you rest,
I invite you to allow any resistance or fear or uncertainty to flow out as you trust that even in the pruning there is love.
Let's just sit with that for a moment.
Jesus is the true vine and you are the branch connected to that vine,
Abiding in that vine.
When you experience the pain of pruning,
Ask for strength to trust in the wisdom of God in that moment.
May you have the courage not to cling to what no longer serves you,
But instead to open your heart to the new growth that God is preparing to come through you.
And may you bear fruit that reflects the love,
The grace,
The peace and the presence of Christ in your life.
That as others experience that fruit that comes through you,
They too can taste and see that God is good.
Amen.
May grace,
Peace and love be with you,
Friend.
We'll see you tomorrow.
