May 21, 2000
Fifth Sunday of Easter

LECTIONARY READINGS
from the Revised Common Lectionary

Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:25-31
1 John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8

[ Read the texts at the Vanderbilt Divinity On-Line Library ]
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Possessed By Love

When you hear the term "church member", what qualities come to mind?

Do you think of someone who is loving, accepting and forgiving?  You may have to reflect on this for a moment, but -- when you think of certain groups of people -- there are certain qualities and characteristics that come to mind.

For instance, what comes to mind when you think of:

Teenagers?
Grandparents?
Iranians?
Soldiers?

Along with the ideas that enter our minds, certain feelings may accompany the thoughts.  You think of teenagers and the notion of exuberance is accompanied by a sudden feeling of needing some energy.  You think of Iranians and perhaps you experience a sense of suspicion.

Now -- when you think of the word Jesus -- what enters your mind and what feeling do you experience?

Most of us have learned to think of Jesus as inviting, welcoming, accepting and loving.  From early on we've heard the words of Jesus,  "...come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden..."  "God is love," we learned and Jesus is the love of God for us.  To think of Jesus is to have a sense of being nourished and cared for.

Bear with me now -- we are actually headed somewhere with this discussion.  Let me ask once again.  What do you think of when you think of the term, "church member?" What ideas and feelings come to you?

Are they the same ideas and feelings you get when you think of Jesus?

This is the critical question of the day that goes to the heart of our scripture readings from the gospel of John and First John.

I have a strong hunch that there is a serious disconnect between what comes to mind when most people think of "church member" and then think of "Jesus."

***

The essential point of the lessons is this: Jesus told his followers that they needed to have an intimate connection with him in order to have fruitful lives.  It is the life of Christ in the followers of Christ that brings joy to the heart of God.  Fruitlessness is a sign that we are disconnected from Christ.

// A brief aside:  During a children's sermon a few years ago, I asked the boys and girls what they had been learning in Sunday School.  A young girl promptly answered, "I don't want to be a Fruit Loops Christian!"  I was confused, along with the entire congregation, as to just what a "Fruit Loops Christian" was.  The Sunday School teacher cleared the matter up when she said, "We have been studying John 15 and talking about fruitless Christians!" //

We certainly don't want to be Fruit Loops Christians around here!  The scripture readings can point us to an answer for the dissonance between the qualities of Christ and the characteristics of his followers. We will explore fruitfulness as we look at;
[1] Intimacy with Christ,  [2] What is the fruit Jesus talked about? and   [3] The meaning of fruitfulness.

[1] Intimacy with Christ

The image Jesus uses to illustrate the relationship between his followers and himself is striking.  We are connected to Christ just as a branch is connected to the vine. Without that connection, there is literally no life in the branch.

There are three important issues for the branches. If there is no connection or if the connection to the vine fails, the branch will wither up and die and is cut away.  Secondly, if the branch does not bear fruit, it is simply using up the vine's energy to produce leaves and so is removed. The third factor in the vineyard's health is the pruning of those branches which are productive so that they become even more productive.

In other words, at the heart of authentic Christianity is the intimate relationship between Jesus Christ and the Christian.  "Live in me," Jesus says, "Just as I live in you."  As with any intimate relationship, the relationship between Christ and the Christian is a growing one.  There is communication, friendship, challenge and sharing of hopes and dreams. "Without me," Jesus warned, "You can do nothing."  He was talking about bearing fruit -- fruitful living.  "In the deepest spiritual sense," Jesus would say, "Your life is unproductive and unfulfilled unless you live in me and I live in you." 

When people we know act in an uncharacteristic manner -- especially when they are cranky or irritable, we will sometimes say, "What's gotten into you?"  We feel them to be "possessed" by a foul mood or anger or some other unpleasant thing. It is not to be so with Christians.  God intends that with us, people should see a wonderfully accepting and loving spirit and when they want to know what has gotten into us, the answer is, "Christ has gotten into me!" That is to say, we are to be possessed by Christ. Jesus said it this way in the Sermon on the Mount, " ...let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." [Mt. 5:16]

There is one more dimension to our gospel text that is central in understanding the relationship between Christ and his church.  As the branch is absolutely dependent upon the vine for life, so the vine is dependent upon the branch for production of fruit. The interrelationship of vine and branch is at the heart of God's plan to reach a broken world.  Amazing as it might seem, God has decided that the good news about divine love and forgiveness will be carried to the world by people like you and me.

Intimacy with Christ ultimately means that the life of Christ is reproduced in the followers of Christ and the mission of Christ is carried on by the church of Christ.

[2] What is the fruit Jesus was talking about?

Clearly, God wants productivity from the vineyard -- that is from the church. Productivity is a big issue in our world.  Each year the figures on Gross Domestic Product in the US has a huge impact on the economy.  The Gross Domestic Product impacts costs and inflation.¹

While the Lord wants us to live productive lives, and certainly sharing a portion of what we are able to earn is important to the work of the church -- but what is it that Christ wants us to produce?  What is the fruit Jesus speaks of when he says, "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

There is an answer to the question in our reading from 1st John.  "No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us..."

This is supported in the Gospel of John when Jesus spoke with his disciples for the last time in his earthly life. "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. [John 13:35]  If you read the context, you will notice that this love for one another is not an elective.  It is commanded!  It is the heart of the issue of bearing fruit.  Three times Jesus comes back to this issue during that night in the Upper Room.

This issue is so important that the First letter of John says anyone who does not love their brother or sister can not love God.  "If you say you love God," he writes, "And hate your brother or sister, you are a liar!"

Pretty tough talk, wouldn't you say?  Why is this such an important issue?  Why doesn't God give us a choice or at least allow for a B or B+ on the love test?

The answer is that the love of Christ living in and acting through the people of Christ is the only evidence of the reality of Christ the world has.  Do you see?  The reputation of the Lord Jesus Christ is on the line in the life of the Christian community.

The apostle Paul tells us that no matter how gifted or generous we might be, if we do not have love, we have nothing at all. The harvest Jesus is looking for is the harvest of his love being reproduced in the community of faith.

[3] The meaning of fruitfulness

When all is said and done, it is love that is the measure of our productivity.  Love that invades the world, points to the love and grace of God and models the love of God for al the world to see.  We are to be possessed by love!

The last two verses of our gospel test spell out a Divine plan for the church -- the people of God.

+ The Christian "lives in" Christ and the words of Christ "live in the Christian.

+ The Christian community prays for its desires (which are shaped by the words and love of Christ) and the work of God is done.  (There is a productive harvest of love which flows out to a broken world.)

+ The followers of Christ, by their lifestyle and outreach bring about praise to God.  That is, people see the life and ministry of the people of God and this witness causes people to see what a gracious and wonderful God we serve.

In other words, when the church is productive in the sense Jesus intended, the result is outreach and growth of the reign of God in people's lives.  The church will grow and the faith will prosper.

***

All of this begs the question.

Are we bearing "much" fruit?

Or are we "Fruit Loops" Christians.

It is important to say that there is always a degree of dissonance between the church in writing and the church in action.  That's the nature of being human.  We will never come to a time in our lives when we don't need the grace and forgiveness of God in our lives.

Nevertheless, it is imperative that we set the vision of Jesus Christ for our lives and our church at the center of our ministry.  It is the intent of Christ that we be possessed by love.

May the Spirit of God give us courage to bring ourselves back to this vision in our life together as a church -- grace to seek mercy for the ways we have let the vision down -- and strength to follow the vision more nearly.

¹  There is a nifty little inflation calculator which may be of help in your stewardship work.  It will tell you, for instance, that a $50,000 budget in 1980 translates to a $101,000 budget in 1999.  (The figures go to 1999)  That office furniture which cost $2500 in 1975 would now cost $7750.  Try the Inflation Calculator

Connections in the Text

In a very broad kind of way, the texts all have to do with understanding the good news of Jesus Christ.  When the Ethiopian understands, he responds in baptism, when the disciples understand, they respond by dwelling in Jesus Christ, when the readers of 1st. John understand, they respond with authentic love for each other.  

There is a theme of obedience here.  To hear and understand the word of God leads to obedience in the genuine believe.  There is no such thing in the texts as a "nominal" Christian.

There is the possibility of picking up on Jesus saying to the disciples that they bring glory to God when they "bear much fruit" and linking that with the ministry of Phillip who is taking the gospel to people of other nations.  The psalmist says that "all the families of the nations shall worship before him."  The epistle's very strong injunction to love one another is a barrier smashing command.  Authentic love will overcome barriers and bring a sense of common life and love to the Body of Christ.

John 15:1- 8

This is one of the more familiar texts in the gospel of John.  We are connected to Christ as a branch is connected to the vine.  The image of the vineyard is common in the Hebrew scriptures.

[ See the message on Isaiah 5:1-7 for more on the vineyard theme]

It might be interesting to compare the problem God has with the vineyard in Isa. 5 with the commission Jesus gives to his disciples to go out and bear fruit as those who bear the fruit of the kingdom.  We may not expect that God has had a change of heart with respect to having a producing vineyard. (Dead branches are pruned away)

Jesus statement that he is the true vine suggests that there are lots of false vines one might get connected to.  Jesus is not any vine, but the vine of God and the divine purpose will be accomplished through the vine and the branches as the life of the vine works in and through the branches to produce the fruit of the vine.  The conclusion is that Jesus Christ does his work though his followers.  (Colossians calls this, "Christ in you, the hope of glory."  1:27)

Can we really ask for whatever we wish? Will Christ give us a brand new Porche is we wish it? It might seem so unless we disallow the extrication of the promise from the condition.  If we abide in Christ and the word of Christ abides in us, we may expect that our desires will line up with the heart of Christ and then the prayers of the people of Christ will lead to kingdom work and harvest.

 Acts 8: 26- 40

There are two absolutely wonderful questions in this passage:

Philip to the Ethiopian:  "Do you understand what you re reading?"
The Ethiopian to Philip:  "How can I unless someone guides me?"

Great lead in to bible study.

The text in Acts represents the beginnings of the gospel push into gentile territory.  This initiative is accompanied by an exceptional intervention of the presence of God in the ministry of Philip. It has been commented that the book of Acts could well have been called, "The Acts of the Holy Spirit."

The Ethiopian eunuch's reaction to hearing and responding to the good news of Jesus Christ is informative for every person who hears, understand and responds to the word of God... "He went on his way rejoicing."  The sudden exit of Philip is best translated, "The Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away..."  The text does not require a "beam me up Scotty" interpretation, but rather Phillip's exit from the Eunuch's life was as sudden as his arrival.  There is a theme of the sovereignty of God and the work of the Holy Spirit in the advancement of the gospel.

As Philip passed through the region, he proclaimed the good news wherever he went.  Good model for all of us.  If we heed the injunction of Christ to stay connected to him -- we will likely have a similar desire to share the good news.

1 John 4: 7- 21

Nowhere in the bible is the command to love one another more earnestly pressed upon the Christian community than in this letter. The definition of this love we are to have is very clearly set down:  [1] God love us even though we did not love God,
[2] God's love was so strong, the Son of God was offered as a sacrifice for our sin,  [3] Since God loved us so much, we are to love each other in the same way.  [4] If we do not love each other as God has loved us, we evidence the fact that we do not love God at all.

On the positive side of the equation:  [1] If we love one another, the love of God is perfected in us.  (That is, the divine love in us will become what God meant it to be), [2] When we love one another genuinely as God has loved us, then we may be sure of God's presence in our lives and we know that we partake of the Spirit of God.
[3] When we love one another genuinely, we gain confidence for the time we stand before God and we are assured that our presence in this world is as the presence of Christ. (i.e. We may be sure we are fruitful.

The reality / authenticity of our faith is not measure so much by what we believe, but by how we actualize the things we say we believe.  (Paul's, "If I have not love, I am nothing."

This text is a, "Thanks I needed that," reality check!

Worship Helps

A Call To Worship (Based on Psalm 23)

Leader:   Come out with joy and worship the Lord with
              gladness all you people. Come into God's 
              presence with singing!
People:  For the Lord is a gracious God,
               whose mercy is everlasting;
               and whose faithfulness endures to
               all generations.

A Prayer of Confession
Eternal God, our lives are never far from you.  There is nowhere we can flee from your spirit.  And yet your face is hidden from us because of our sin and we forget your mercy in the blindness of our hearts.  O cleanse us from every wrong and free us from vain and harmful thoughts.  With humble hearts we draw near to you today, confessing our sin and gratefully seeking the forgiveness you offer to us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Remember these words from the Psalmist: The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  God does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. s far as the east is from the west, so far the Lord removes our transgressions from us. Believe the good news brothers and sisters, in Jesus Christ we are forgiven.  Amen.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

O Lord God, we lift our hearts to you in praise today as we stand amazed in the presence of your love.  No song we can ever sing, no offering we will ever bring and no prayer that shall ever escape our lips can describe the wonder of your lovingkindness toward us.  There is no possible way to explain the lengths to which you have gone to bring us to yourself.

O Lord, receive the offering of our praise and may it make your heart glad, for we have not else we can do to say that we love you.  Your love first opened up the hardness of our spirits and then warmed us in the light of your Son Jesus Christ. And now, because you have first loved us, we can return love to you.

And now O our God, you have honored us by making us vessels of your redeeming love.  On our own we are nowhere near being worthy of such a commission, but with the empowering work of your Holy Spirit we can bring honor to the name of Christ and glory to you.

All glory, honor and praise are due your Holy Name and we your people lift all these things to you in heartfelt worship.   Amen.

A Prayer of Dedication

It is truly remarkable, Lord, that the gifts we bring to you should become a means of transforming our broken world.  Give us, we pray, the wisdom to minister these gifts for the glory of Jesus Christ.  Amen.