A WORD FOR FATHERS

(This is an abridged version of the sermon preached at Eepworth Chapel, Baltimore on 6/17/12)

"My child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves the one he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights." (Proverbs 3:11-12)

The images that can be conjured from the Proverbs text are stark and vivid as we remember growing up. We might hear in the text, the authoritative yet assuring voice of a father or father- figure saying in essence, “I’m applying this discipline for your own good, because “I love you” – “I hate to do this, but it is for your own good.” In the midst of being corrected and disciplined in our youth, we might picture – in the text - the hurt, anger, embarrassment, and disappointment that we experience of there being a need for correction by our father. We might even imagine – in the text - the warmth of assurance, confidence, and comfort in an unbroken relationship even amidst admonition and correction.

On this Father’s Day, we take time to celebrate and honor the unique contributions that fathers make to the development and well-being of their children. We also remember that even if we have not had the benefit of a relationship with our biological father, we have all been blessed at some point by men – father figures - who have stood in the breach and helped to lead families, teach the young, and prayerfully build a better future for us.

For those of us who are blessed by God to be fathers, Father’s Day should serve as our annual reminder of the divine, God-given responsibilities we have in helping to raise our children, helping to make provision for our household, and leading by example.
On this Father’s Day, we take time to recognize and acknowledge the need for fathers, and where necessary father-figures, to continue to step up and help show the way for our children. We remember the plethora of boys and girls who are being raised today without positive father-figures and male role models in their lives.

We remember those like the late Troy Anthony Davis who in September 2011 was executed in Georgia. In as much as his life became the mantra of an international movement in resistance to what many believe was the unjust state-sanctioned murder of a young man through capital punishment, Troy Davis was a fatherless child. Part of his story is the story too often repeated ad-infinitum regarding African-American males today. Troy Davis, like 75% of incarcerated African-American males, grew up without a father in his home. According to several biographical sources, Troy Davis’s father left the home when Troy was three years old.

Decreased wealth and family income pose problems for too many black and brown children with the absence of the father’s income. Having been blessed to grow up with my father living at home with me, I believe that my father’s presence was a key factor in enabling me to avoid the pitfalls that so often create a feeder community for the multi-billion-dollar prison industrial complex, and me becoming victim, as an inner city youth, to what Dr. Michelle Alexander calls the New Jim Crow. This is not to say that Troy Davis’s family failed to properly rear him simply because of economic disparity and dysfunction, but the statistical data related to this familial dynamic is significant – and is seen in the lack of educational achievement, abject unemployment and underemployment, and widening gaps between the richer and poorer across society.

Further, there is one glaring contradictory, contrasting reality that identifies facilities of mass incarceration of young black and brown persons as “Correctional facilities.” Unlike the correction of a loving father who has a vested interest in his son or daughter’s well-being, the correctional system that disproportionately houses citizens of African and Hispanic descent serves today – rather than rehabilitating black and brown life – to stunt life and diminish human potential and possibility with egregious impunity and insatiability.

This form of so-call “correction” is far removed from that which Solomon refers to in Proverbs 3:11-12.

Solomon’s story is considered by many to be perplexing as it relates to many of life’s ironies and contradictions. While Solomon’s name means “peace” or “wholeness” reflective of the expression “Shalom,” significant aspects of Solomon’s life were anything but peaceful. His father, King David was a man of war. David violently took Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba, from her husband, Uriah. David ultimately had Uriah sent to the front line of the war to fight, and Uriah was killed.

The prophet Nathan tells David that “the sword will never leave your household” (2 Samuel 12:10). Solomon was a dysfunctional family, and this carried over to his adult life. He married at least 700 foreign women, and his loyalties and heart became so divided that the nation of Israel eventually was divided while he was their king.

In the midst of this, Solomon was also a man of great wisdom, and offers us wise words on this Father’s Day. In Proverbs chapter 3 verse 11, Solomon says, “My child, do not despise or reject the Lord’s discipline.” The self-existent, self-reliant, self-sufficient God reproves the one God loves. Solomon then tells his readers to not be weary of the Lord’s reproof, for it is like that of a father to a son whom he loves.

The fact of the matter is that our children today need both fathers and mothers.
Indeed, one of the greatest needs in this day and age for a young man (or woman) is a father. And fathers are called upon to walk the walk and talk the talk, not to just live by the mantra that so many seem to choose, “do as I say and not as I do.” In other words, fathers must show consistent character. Teaching a child involves being a godly example as much as anything else.

In the 2002 film Antwone Fisher, navy officer and psychiatrist Jerome Davenport gives guidance and correction, as a father figure, to help a young navy seaman face his past and move on with his life.

When the two meet, Antwone is a moody young man with a record of violence. As a result of his violent behavior, Antwone is ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment. Antwone meets with psychiatrist Dr. Jerome Davenport, and Davenport attempts to get him to open up about his family background. When Dr. Davenport attempts to question him about his parents, Antwone claims that he does not have parents and that he came from “under a rock.”

Antwone eventually gives in and explains his upbringing. He shares that his father was killed when Antwone was 2 months old. Antwone’s mother, Eva Fisher, went to jail, and when she got out she did not claim Antwone, leaving him very bitter. Eventually, Antwone found his family, and this brought the healing he had sought and echoes his dream of sitting at a feast surrounded by loving family members.

Indeed, all of our children need a father or someone like Dr. Davenport in their life. The good news is that God is the example for all fathers here on earth. From the youngest to the oldest among, we have a Spiritual Father who created all of us. God, our Spiritual Father and Creator intended for each of us to exist with a sense of purpose, dignity, and self-worth. Further, like a good biological father, God, our Spiritual Father looks out for, provides for us, protects us, and corrects us. The prophet Jeremiah says it in a way that is encouraging and instructive: “I know the plans I have for you, to prosper you, to give you a hope and a future...” (Jer. 29:11)

Ultimately, it’s good to know that God – our divine parent - who has created us, loves us.

Love divine all loves excelling…

If We Want to See the Change - We've Got to Be the Change!

GOOD FRUIT

(This is an abridged version of the sermon I preached at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 6/3/12)

Matthew 7:15-20

The older I get, the more nostalgic I become. I’m sure many of us, as we get older, become more apt to reminisce about the events of our past, and we remember those important people, places and things of our youth, and we realize how they impacted who we are today.

One of most important parts of my youth was the way my sister, brother and I spent our summers. We were raised mostly in the city – in Washington, DC - but each summer – until I was about thirteen years old, we would travel to Madison Heights, Virginia (just outside of Lynchburg, Virginia) to spend the summers with my grandparents.

There are many things that I remember about Madison Heights, Virginia and those summers. I remember our large extended family (all of our uncles, aunts and cousins, and those we thought were our cousins). I remember Rose Chapel Baptist Church - where we would go every Sunday for Sunday School and worship service (even though we were Methodists when we got back home to DC-we were always reminded that while we were in Virginia, we were Baptists).

I remember that the doors of my grandparents’ house were seldom – if ever - locked, and I remember that we would run and play outside without seeming ever to worry about anything or anybody.

I remember my grandmother, Dorothy Mae Parrish’s cooking, and I remember my grandfather’s large garden. He called it a garden, but – being a city boy - it seemed like a farm to me. Every summer, my grandfather, William Andrew would grow enough vegetables in his garden for all of his seven adult children and their families to have enough canned goods for the whole year to come – and then he would give away much of what was left over to other relatives, neighbors and friends.

I also remember that my grandparents had several fruit trees in their yard. One of the fruit trees was a large peach tree. I can remember – every summer - watching that peach tree, and waiting until the middle of summer when the peaches on the tree would be ready of picking and eating. Sometimes, we would pick the peaches, and eat them right off the tree – right at the tree. We didn’t think to wash them – we would just eat the peaches off the tree. It was good fruit.

I realize now that such good fruit did not just emerge instantaneously. The good fruit of that peach tree emerged within the context of a seed that had been planted many years before. It was a seed that had been planted in good, fertile soil - soil that had been watered by consistent rains over the years, which with the sunlight that beamed down on it, served to nourish and cultivate the seed, and help the seed grow into a tree over the years. As a result of all of this nourishment and cultivation – combined with the irrigation and aeration of the soil - the peach tree that eventually emerged that would bear good fruit.

One of the lessons that Jesus is trying to teach here in what has come to be known as the Sermon on the Mount is a lesson about good fruit. In the Sermon on the Mount, we find that the Lord addresses a number of specific issues about how those who would follow him should live their lives. In these teachings, the issue is not so much focused on “what” we believe, but on “how” we live out what we believe – how we live out our faith before God and one another. These are ethical teachings that relate to our relationships with God and with each other.

Here in Matthew 7, the admonition of the Lord is first to “beware of false prophets - those who come in sheep’s clothing but are really inwardly ravenous wolves.” Jesus says, "You will know them by their fruit." Then Jesus goes on to teach this lesson within the context of two types of fruit – good fruit and bad fruit.

The Lord here makes a clear distinction between these two types of fruit. He indicates that good fruit is born from a good tree; good fruit cannot be born from a bad tree. And bad fruit is born of bad trees.

The teachings of the Lord here have implications for us on both individual and communal levels. We are to take account of how fruitful we are in our faith journey. In other words, what kind of tree are we? And what kind of fruit are we bearing? Are we bearing good fruit or bad fruit?

If you’ve lived long enough, you know what bad fruit is like, and how different it is from good fruit. Thinking back on my grandfather’s peach tree, we knew as soon as we bit into a peach from the tree, whether it was good fruit or bad fruit.

Bad fruit is either overly ripe or not yet fully developed. Overly ripe and rotting fruit has lost its texture and its flavor has become distorted from what it would taste like if it were still good. And if it is underdeveloped, the fruit is hard and usually hasn’t developed the full measure of what it would taste like if were allowed to grow to maturity.

And another thing we know about fruit is that it’s difficult to discern whether it’s good or bad – by outward appearances alone - without biting into it. Fruit might look good on the outside, look like it’s perfectly ready to eat, but when you bite into it, you might discover that it is rotting or underdeveloped on the inside.

That’s how many people’s lives are. They may look good on the outside, seem to have everything in their lives in order – even seem to have a measure of spirituality and godliness and holiness in them – they may go to church occasionally (some even regularly), they may even sing in choirs or serve on church boards, or preach from pulpits, but on the inside – their fruitfulness has begun to rot away or it has not been fully developed. Jesus says, “You will know then by their fruit.”

And so what does good fruit look like for the Christian? The apostle Paul points out in Galatians 5 that good fruit is born of the Spirit. Paul says that the “fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, long-suffering, generosity, and self-control.” (Gal. 5:22-23)

In other words, these nine things are the marks of fruitfulness for Christians. What kinds of fruit are we bearing?

Good fruit is also born when we heed the words of the prophet Micah who said that the Lord requires that we "love kindness, do justice and walk humbly with God.” (Micah 6:8)

The good news is that as we bear good fruit in this life, when we meet Jesus, we will get our reward in heaven. Indeed on judgment day, Jesus will inspect our fruit, and if we have born good fruit in this life, he will say to us, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. Now I will make you ruler over many.”

WHEN THE SPIRIT COMES

(This is an abridged version of my Pentecost sermon preached Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 5/27/12.)

Acts 2:1-21

On this Pentecost Sunday, we come to celebrate what is effectively the birthday of the church. Today, Christians all over the world – from various denominations – Catholics and protestants, Pentecostals and evangelicals, liberals and conservatives, traditionalists and those who are not so traditional - will gather together to worship as did the early Christians some 2000 years ago.

It is important to keep in mind that the early followers of Jesus – those who came to be known as Christians - were not an organized religious group. They were not an institution or an organization – they were considered to be a sect – a movement of people, first Jews and then gentiles who thought it not robbery to put their faith and trust in an unlettered, unknown, poor carpenter from Nazareth, named Jesus.

These early followers of Christ – these disciples - were a part of a movement, and as is the case with any movement, so it was with these early Christians that they were seeking to make sense of what was occurring in their lives as they had chosen to follow Jesus.

What was really happening in their lives as Jesus had come into the world some 33 years earlier, who had been declared as the one who God had sent as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesy to save the world, who had gone about healing the sick and raising the dead, who had declared that his very purpose in life was to set the oppressed free and bring Good News to the poor, who had died a sinner’s death on an old rugged cross, who had been buried in a borrowed tomb, who had been raised from the grave three days later, and forty days after his resurrection from the dead, who had ascended into heaven leaving his believers to wonder what was next?

And here, ten days after the Lord’s ascension into heaven, and fifty days after his resurrection, we come to the day of Pentecost. And his believers then - and I’m sure many people today - wonder what’s next? What is the meaning of all that occurred in the life of Jesus, and how does it really apply to your life and my life, and how we should live today? What’s next?

And so, it is recorded in the second chapter of the Book of Acts that they gathered together in one place on the day of Pentecost. And the scripture says that suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

And in the midst of all that was occurring, Peter stood up with the other disciples and began to explain to the crowd what was going on. He said, “What you are witnessing is a fulfillment of Scripture as it was spoken by the prophet Joel:

‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams…
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

And so what really happens when the Spirit comes upon the church and into our lives?

First, I believe we can learn something from the life and ministry of Jesus. We are told that at his baptism, the Holy Spirit (Spirit of God, Holy Ghost) appeared in the Lord’s life as the Spirit descended as a dove, and said, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” And Jesus spoke of this same Holy Spirit at the beginning of his public ministry, when he declared in Luke 4, the “the spirit of the Lord is upon me, because God has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to set the oppressed free, to give sight to the blind and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism had an encounter with the Holy Spirit on May 24, 1738 in the British town of Aldersgate. He was at a church meeting where there was a reading on the Book of Romans when the Spirit touched him, and John Wesley said that his spirit was awakened, and he felt his heart strangely warmed. John Wesley went on to lead a movement to reform the nation and spread Scriptural holiness across the land. And John Wesley would go on to pray that the people of God would catch fire, so that others would come to see us burn!

And we find in Acts 2 at the story of Pentecost that several things happen when the Spirit comes upon the church and our lives.

1. Our language changes and ours becomes a language of faith.
2. Our behaviors change and ours become acts of faith - worship, prayer, fellowship and service.
3. Our relationships change - and we begin to see and love our neighbors as ourselves. The Word says that they held what they had in common and shared with their neighbors.
4. Ultimately, when the Spirit comes, the church grows.

In Acts, we are told that those in the early church lived out their faith through worshipping God, and teaching others the ways of God, and reaching out and sharing what they had, and the Spirit of the living God moved in the church, and the church grew daily!

O that the Spirit of God would set the church so on fire today, that others will want to come to se us burn…

LIFT HIM UP!

(This is an abridged version of my sermon preached at Epowrth Chapel, Baltimore on 5/20/12)

John 12:27-36

We live in a society where the focus seems to have become increasingly upon material things. The acquiring of more things – a certain materialism - has taken on a dangerous priority in the lives of many people. Thus, the worship of things, the worship of money – even the worship of houses and cars - has become perhaps the essence of our contemporary culture.

We experience this “syndrome of the more” – this priority on material things – in our constantly wanting and needing more. There seems to be this insatiable desire – this yearning for more things.

One of the marks of this “syndrome of the more” – in this post-modern, post-Christian, secular age, is the reality that God, in many instances, has become a second option in too many people’s lives.

God is often perceived as a God of comfort and convenience. God is there, not to be worshipped and served, but merely stored away until we need the Lord. God has taken second place in some of our lives. God plays “second fiddle” for some folk. And so, the church finds itself on the margins of many of our lives – on the outside looking in.

Lest you think I’m meddling and messing, a simple trip to the closest shopping mall, or drive around the neighborhood this Sunday morning would bear this out. There are more people at stores this morning, doing the shopping that they could have done all week long than there are in church. Some folk think it is more important to stay home and wash their cars, or clean their house, than it is to be in church worshipping and praising the very God who blessed them with their house and their car. God has taken second place in too many people’s lives.

And so, the church in this present day faces particular challenges as to how we will go about proclaiming who Jesus is. The church faces particular challenges as to how to proclaim with a renewed sense of holiness and boldness, what God has done … is doing … and is about to do in our lives.

Many of those who prognosticate as to the future of the church are engaged in the seemingly ongoing debate of what makes a church grow. What makes a church vital and vibrant? What ingredients are necessary to bring about transformation and renewal in our churches?

Well, I am persuaded that if there is any one thing that we are to be about, it is to engage in the business of “lifting Jesus up.” I believe the song-writer said it well –
“How to reach the masses, men of every birth … for an answer Jesus gave the key … I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me…”

In John chapter 12, we find that Jesus was confronting his imminent death. The word was out. Many were out to get him. He knew that his days on earth were but a few. He knew that his time was short.

Here, in what was essentially the Lord’s last sermon, his last public discourse, Jesus needed to remind his followers that everything that God had sent him to do and to say was about glorifying the Father. In life and in death, the Lord’s work was about glorifying God.

Indeed, Jesus wanted his followers to know that even his death on the cross would be a part of God’s plan … that even as the Lord was lifted to his death, this would serve to glorify God. Jesus wanted us to know that in his in being lifted, God would be glorified.

"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."

Beloved, this is essentially our call to evangelism. We are called to lift him up. Both in season and out of season … we’re called to lift him up. When we’re happy and when we’re sad … we’re called to lift him up. When we’re broke and when we have money in the bank … it’s our responsibility to lift him up.

Why do we need to be reminded of our responsibility to lift Jesus up? It is the church’s tendency to create programs to meet every need. We have programs for evangelism and stewardship... programs for single and married persons… programs for elderly and youth. We have mass choirs, super mass choirs, gospel choirs, senior choirs, youth choirs, and inspirational choirs. We have senior ushers and junior ushers. We have programs for everybody. But wihh whatever else we may be involved, it is essentially our task to lift Jesus up.

Now to lift Jesus up may sound easy, but it is not always as easy as it appears. For to really lift him up means that a few things will have to occur in our lives and in our churches. It means that we will have to place God at the head and center of our lives. It means that Jesus will have to become the priority – the center-piece of our homes and our churches.

Lifting him up means that we may have to deny some things, and change some things, and move some people around and even out of our lives. It means that everything and everybody else will begin to take second place in our lives. We are called to lift him up.

I have realized that in order to live out the Great Commission and to become true disciples and effective evangelists for the Lord, we will first have to make a commitment in our hearts that we are going to lift him up. More of the Lord’s final words are found in Matthew 28:19:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember I am with you always, to the end of the age."

In order to live out the Great Commission, in order to lift him up, we will need to remember three things. We need to be mindful that we have been called, chosen and commissioned by God to go and lift Jesus up.

And the good news is that knowing these three things will give us a sense of purpose and the impetus to go forth and lift him up.

The song-writer wrote it best: For the world is hungry… for the living bread… lift the Savior up for them to see… trust him and do not doubt the words that he said…I’ll draw all men unto me…

Lift him up!

A MOTHER'S LOVE

(This is an abridged version of my Mother's Day sermon preached at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 5/13/12)

"Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child – please do not kill him.” But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine, divide him between us." (1 Kings 3:26)

I borrow the title for this Mother’s Day message from a recent song by the popular R&B singer Kem. In hearing the song for the first time about a year ago, I was taken back to my own mother’s love for me. Reflect with me on some of the lyrics from Kem's song:

In a mother's love
You'll find Everything
Everything's alright
To a mother's love
You are bound
You can rest
On sacred ground
In a mother's love
You are free
To dream
Because she sees
What you can be.

I believe that one of the things that each and every one of us can relate to is “A Mother’s Love.” For, the very nature of motherhood is love. In God’s divine love and creative genius, God has used motherhood as the means – the avenue through which life is brought forth, and through which life has been sustained from the very beginning of time. From the very first mother in salvation history, Eve, through to the newest mother today, a mother’s love continues and abides.

Last October, our family was privileged to travel to Steubenville, Ohio to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Matriarch of Lisa’s family, her grandmother Catherlene Johnston Smith. There, the family shared stories of Nana’s strength and compassion. We ate, we heard a congratulatory tribute from Willard Scott and the “Today Show,” and we listened with appreciative and attentive ears as Nana held court and doled out tidbits of wise motherly advice from her customary place at the head of the dining room table.

The backdrop for the story from 1 Kings 3 is the testing of the wisdom of King Solomon. But in as much as this story is about King Solomon’s wisdom, I believe that it says just as much to us about the true nature of motherhood. As the story goes, two women – two prostitutes - who lived together in the same house came to see King Solomon to have him settle a dispute they were having.

They told Solomon that both of them had had baby boys. One night one of the women woke up and discovered, to her shock and dismay, that she had rolled over on her baby and he had died during the night. In her panic and grief, she took her dead baby and put him next to the second sleeping woman. Then this woman took the living baby and pretended that it was her own.

When the second woman woke up, she discovered that the baby that was lying next to her was dead. But as she looked at the little boy in the daylight, she saw that this wasn’t really her baby.

Each woman insisted that the living baby was her baby. But there was no proof. Notice the difficulty of the situation. In order to find out which one of the women was the true mother of the living boy, Solomon realized that he could not test to see which woman the living child loved the best, and therefore he had to test to see which woman loved the child the best.

As King Solomon thought about the problem, after a while, he came up with a solution. He ordered his people to give him a sword, and he said he would cut the living baby in half and give each woman a piece. One of the women was stunned. “Oh no, my lord!” she said, “Give her the child – please don’t kill him! The other woman didn’t care.

So, Solomon knew which woman was the real mother – the one who wanted to save the baby’s life no matter what. That woman got her baby back.

In this day and age, I believe that we can learn some things from the mother’s love as found in the story from 1 Kings. Today, it seems that too many people are looking for love in all the wrong places, and in all the wrong ways. Look at the number of divorces, the preponderance of domestic abuse and violence, and the number of those who find themselves in counterproductive relationships. Look at the number of Internet chat lines and dating services that continue to crop up.

Look at the number of people in our materialistic, consumer-driven world who seem to find themselves unhealthily in love with their careers, in love with their reputations, in love with their houses, and in love with their cars.

And if the truth is really told, in many ways, people today seem to be angrier than we ever have been before. Look at the evening news. Fighting and hatred are everywhere in our midst. Neighbors are fighting neighbors… countries are fighting countries… races are fighting races, the rich are against the poor… conservatives are against liberals… Democrats are against Republicans… Christians are even fighting Christians.

In light of all this, it is clear throughout scripture that God’s very nature is love, and that God’s divine intent is that humans live in love with one another. And God’s love is steadfast love.

In Psalm 5, we find the first mention of the steadfast love of God. The Hebrew word for this steadfast love is chased – that is also translated to mean the loving-kindness of God (or womb-love). This word chased is the same word that the Psalmist used later in declaring to God in a prayer, “Lord, because your loving-kindness is better than life, yet will I praise you.” (Psalm 63:3)

It is clear that perhaps the clearest earthly emblem of God’s love is motherhood and a mother’s love. In Isaiah, we find these words. “As a Mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” (Isaiah 66:13)

Reflect with me on some more of the lyrics from Kem’s song:

In a mother's love
You see the sun
Enough for two but you are one
In a mother's love
You can feel
When something hurts
You can heal
Yes a mother's love
Is real
You grow
Because she knows
To let you go.

Mothers are the embodiment of God’s love. Indeed, we might and rejoice in that our mother’s love is not unlike God’s love for us. The God-love (and mother’s love) that we speak of is first of all unlimited. (“For God so love the world…” John 3:16). Secondly, God’s love, and a mother’s love is unconditional. It is agape love, for the very nature of God is love. And thirdly, God’s love, and a mother’s love is redemptive. Ultimately, this kind of love is seen in the love of Christ, for he declared that “There is no greater love than for one to lay down his life for a friend.”

One of the things we know about motherhood is that a mother will protect their children from danger (We see this clearly in the story of Solomon’s wisdom). A mother’s love is seen in how mothers take care of their children’s souls, and protect them in times of trouble. A mother’s love comforts us when we’re down and rejoices with us when we do great things.

A mother’s love fills us with happiness and warms our hearts, much like the love of God does. Thanks be to God for a Mother’s Love!

ABIDING IN CHRIST

(This is an abridged version of the sermon preached at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 5/6/12.)

John 15:1-11

In each of the New Testament gospels, the respective writer offers an account of the life and ministry of Jesus. Each of the four gospel writers is different in their approach in telling the story of Jesus Christ. For Matthew, the focus is on Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy - as the one who came to offer redemption and salvation to the world. In the Gospel according to Mark, we see Jesus as the son of man, the suffering servant who offers his life in service to the world. And in Luke’s gospel, the physician offers us the most vivid images of the compassion of Christ, who through his example and teachings shows us the importance of God’s love in and for the world.

But it is in John’s gospel that we get perhaps the clearest sense of who Jesus is. John offers a depiction of the identity of Jesus through what have been termed seven “I AM” statements. In these statements, Jesus shares with us who he is by declaring “I AM.” Jesus says at various places throughout the book of John that, “I am the bread of life...” “I am the light of the world…” “I am the door…” “I am the good shepherd”… “I am the way, the truth and the life”… “I am the resurrection and I am the life…”

And here finally in John 15, Jesus offers yet another glimpse into his identity when he says, “I am the true vine.” The backdrop here is the Last Supper as Jesus has gathered here in the upper room with his disciples. And it is here at this final meal that the Lord offers another perspective on the relationship that he seeks to have with those who would be his disciples. Jesus says, “I am the true vine… you are the branches abide in me as I abide in you…”

What is the Lord really trying to say about himself here? For those among us who might on occasion have a glass of grape juice with breakfast or a glass of wine with dinner, you might be like me and not have given a great deal of thought as to the process of growing grapes in a vineyard. I am from the city, and so to better understand what Jesus was suggesting here about himself when he said that “I am the true vine,” I had to dig a bit, and do a little research on the nature of vines and vineyards.

A few things that we might want to know about vines and vineyards are that:
• First, we find that the vine is the source of sustenance and survival for the branches that will grow from it. Everything that springs forth as life has to start from a source, and the vine is the source of life for the grapes that will eventually come forth from the branches.
• Second, we discover that as they grow from the vine, branches must first grow upward. In order to grow upward the branches are usually tied to an anchor – an arbor – that will hold the branches in place as they grow.
• Third, we discover that branches, as they grow upward, must also grow outward – away from their anchor – if they are to become fruitful - fruit-bearing branches.
• Finally, there is the reality that branches are to at some point be cut. Now this cutting in the vineyard occurs for two purposes. First, there is to be cutting off (and tying up) of those branches that are not bearing fruit. In other words, there is no room in the vineyard for branches that will not bear fruit.

Then cutting takes place for the purpose of pruning. The vine-keeper will, from time-to-time, take a pruning hook and prune the branches. It is the case that in the economy of God, pruning – cutting off some of the good and productive parts of branches - actually helps growth to occur, and helps fruit to be born to its fullest extent.

In talking about pruning, maybe Jesus wanted his disciples in that day to know – and he wants us to know – that it might be necessary for some things to be removed from our lives in order that growth can occur to its fullest extent. What are the areas in your life that need pruning? What are some of things that need to be pruned from your life in order that you might experience growth and bear fruit to its fullest extent? What are some of the things that we as the church need to prune away from our ministry in order that we may bear even more fruit in the days ahead?

What would it look like for us to prune some of our possessions, to prune some of our overextended time commitments, and to prune some of our busyness? What would it look like to prune until there was a new sense of balance and meaning in our lives?

Jesus says, “I am the vine and you are the branches… abide in me as I abide in you.” And so what might learn about our relationship with God with this image that the Lord puts before us here. I want to suggest that we reminded of at least three things here.

First, we are reminded that God is the source of all that we are or will ever be. In Jewish culture, wine was viewed as that which was a symbol of life. And without the vine – the source - there was not the possibility of healthy branches that would bear fruit, and make the production of wine possible. Many people in our world and even some in the church today forget who the source of their life is. Many people try to make in on their own, without any acknowledgement of God who created us, made us, knit us into who we are is the source of our being. God is our source.

Second, we need to be mindful to stay connected to the source. Jesus said “Abide in me, as I abide in you.” To abide is to live in constant connection to the source of life. As we seek to grow in Christ, it is important for us to remember to stay connected to the anchors of our faith. For Christians, these anchors include spiritual practices like prayer, worship, service to others, doing justice, loving kindness, walking humbly, and sharing in fellowship and the teachings in the church.

Third and finally, as we remember who our source is and we stay connected to the source – as we abide in Christ, and he abides in us - the good news is that God will give us the power to bear fruit and make a difference in the world. Abiding in Christ, and living in the reality that Christ abides in us is necessary for fruitfulness in the Christian life. And so as we abide in Christ, we have power to change the world!

Thanks be to God who is our source and strength for the living of these days!