Lent - Part 6

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:1-11 ESV). Puppies are so much fun! They are full of energy and playfulness. They are a delight to watch. They remind me of small children at play. I love watching them laugh and play. Their innocent expressions of joy are contagious and always fill my heart with joy. Far too often we as Christians fall into the high-speed rut of our careers, our pursuit of material things and we pay little attention to the wonders of life. Our accomplishments and achievements are but a fading moment. Even after Constantine had made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire, there came to the throne another Emperor called Julian, who wished to put the clock back and to bring back the old gods. His complaint, as Ibsen puts it, was: "Have you looked at these Christians closely? Hollow-eyed, pale-cheeked, flat-breasted all; they brood their lives away, unspurred by ambition: the sun shines for them, but they do not see it: the earth offers them its fullness, but they desire it not; all their desire is to renounce and to suffer that they may come to die." As Julian saw it, Christianity took the vividness out of life. Oliver Wendell Homes once said, "I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers." Robert Louis Stevenson once entered in his diary, as if he was recording an extraordinary phenomenon, "I have been to Church today, and am not depressed." How tragic that description is so typical! God desires joy for us! What better time than now to reexamine our lives and rediscover our real source of joy. Perhaps it will involve a little pruning in our lives. There may be those things that need to be cut away from our lives to allow us more opportunities to experience the vitality of Christ’s life within us. I cannot say it more clearly. Being a Christian is not about losing, it is gain; it is not about sacrifice, but acceptance. Be a child as we approach the glory of Easter!