It’s easy for Christians to fall into a rut: Church is a thing you do, prayer is a box to check, and faith seems far from “the real world.” This fall we let Jesus himself confront our ruts. “Do you believe this?” he asks (Jn. 11:26).
To believe in Jesus is to experience him. It’s more than logic, argument, and doctrine. It is intimate knowledge of God himself. This fall, let Jesus himself speak to you in his seven “I AM” statements in the gospel of John. How is he changing you? What response is he inspiring in you? To believe in him changes everything.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Ponder
Today we ponder the I AM statement: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Why are darkness and night associated with sin and evil? What darkness are you experiencing in your life today?
Word
John 15:1
“I am the true vine…”
Meditation: Vines by Julianna Shults
My house was vacant for two years before I bought it. So I knew one of my biggest tasks would be tackling my neglected backyard. Vines, thick and deeply rooted, had taken over the fence line and were growing under and into the landscaped bushes. It was a jungle.
It took years of hacking and slashing, gallons of RoundUp, help from friends and family, several bottles of cortisone cream for poison ivy, countless trips to get rid of yard waste, and even a couple of landscapers to get it under control. It felt like no matter what I did or how many days I worked in the hot sun, the vines just couldn’t be stopped.
So you will understand that when Jesus says “I am the true vine,” I have a sort of horrified instinctual reaction. No, not vines! But maybe experience shows why Jesus chose the metaphor of a vine for us.
Jesus in a deeply rooted vine that we can trust. Unlike other fickle plants I can kill just by looking at them wrong, vines are annoyingly resilient. We might hesitate to simply abide in Jesus, and wonder if the vine will hold in inhospitable or difficult times. Growing our own way will never give us the life, security and fruit that Jesus has to offer. The gift of faith allows us to abide in the constant, dependable vine Jesus and bear his fruit even in challenging times.
Jesus the vine will never give up. No RoundUp, clippers or anything else will keep him from seeking to be connected with you. He will come back again and again offering forgiveness for your repentance and faith to abide in his love and joy. In the same passage of John, Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus laid down His life so that we could have eternity with Him. He chose us and will continue to seek us until the very end.
Jesus is a vine that we can trust and will never leave. Perhaps the next time I round the corner into my backyard and find the vines are once again back, I won’t seethe in anger. (Just kidding, I probably will.) But I will also remind myself of Jesus, the true vine in which you and I graciously abide. In him we abide and are filled with forgiveness, love, joy and all we need to bear fruit in his name all our days.
Jesus, the true vine, we are grateful for the gift of faith which allows us to abide in you. Remind us that we can trust in you, regardless of our circumstances, for you always make good on your promises to us. Help us to bear fruit for others in your name. Amen.
Prayer
Jesus, you said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Chase away the sins in my life that like to hide in the shadows. Dispel confusion and ignorance. Shine into the dark corners of my world today. Amen.
Benediction
May the blessing of the eternal God be upon us and upon our work;
His light to guide us,
His presence to strengthen us,
His love to unite us;
Now and always. Amen.