The true vine and the true fruit
Steve Page’s most recent poem serves as a great introduction to our new sermon series, join us on Sunday to find out more, and read on for a sneak peek….
I started writing a poem about the fruit of the spirit and it ended up being more about wine. So, this a kind of bridge between two series of Sunday morning messages. We’ve just concluded the series looking at the ‘I am’ saying of Jesus captured in the gospel of John, culminating with ‘I am the true vine’ and we’re about to spend some time with the Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5.
Jesus said
‘I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. … I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…”
Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians that the fruit of the Spirit of God is
“… love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
That list captures the character of Jesus – which makes sense as it’s the Spirit of God (Jesus) that we’re talking about here. So here’s a foretaste (see what I did there?) of the next few weeks in Galatians and a reflection on Jesus as the vine.
True Fruit
Fruit goes off.It gets mushy and smelly, losing its colour and beauty - losing its taste,
eventually drying out,losing all resemblance of what it once was,only good for waste.
But fruit nurtured by a master grower,a seasoned gardener,fruit watched, pruned and watered til ripe and at its peak,this fruit is harvested, fermented,blended til building to a fuller physique,brought to full maturity til ready for the tableand for the banquet where no one's poorand no-one is able to maintain a semblance of meek.
The gardener and the wine maker,sitting at the top seats both smile their blessing.And the table branches out
giving room enough for the whole family gathering.
And the feast to end all feasts begins.
Steve Page
HOW TO GET HAPPY WHEN LIFE IS GETTING YOU DOWN
We are encouraged to 'take joy' from happy circumstances, but this suggests that joy is something to be grasped while it's available.
While at Newday, a group of teenagers were invited to take part in the shooting of a video, Joy has a name. Newday gives a safe and fun environment for over 5,000 teenagers to worship and learn more about Jesus, God's Son.
Part of the thread of the 2016 festival was the connection between the fruit of the Spirit and the person of Jesus.
It strikes me that often when we are encouraged to 'take joy' from happy circumstances, this suggests that joy is something to be grasped while it's available.
"I took great joy in seeing my grandchild smiling up at me."
"I took joy in being able to bask in such a beautiful sunset."
But it turns out that part of the fruit of the Spirit of Jesus is Joy: It's not taken by us, it's given by Jesus.
Joy - like fruit - grows and develops by virtue of the life flowing through the tree that bears it; in this case, the tree is Jesus.
Being a follower of Jesus, having his Spirit within us, gives the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Like fruit, these take time to grow and develop, however they are not dependent on our circumstances, but on our connection to Jesus.
Joy has a name
Joy has a name
Whispered in awe,
Shouted in triumph and
Partied abroad.
Joy out-runs
Mourning and tears,
Drowns out hatred and
Drives out fears.
Joy brings peace
And laughter soon after,
Joy gives release and
Heals much faster.
Joy has a name
Above all others
His name is Jesus
Joy of many colours.
If this seems like something out of your grasp, please come and find out more at Redeemer. You can find us on any Sunday morning at 10 am at Ealing Town Hall.
TAKE THIS CHANCE TO UNDERSTAND GOD BETTER
The Holy Spirit is on the first and last page of the Bible, and is talked about by Jesus as if he's even more important than the Son of God! Maybe we should take the time to properly understand him.
Christianity is misunderstood by many people.
People I know who don't know Christianity frequently tell me that they wouldn't like it, because:
- the rules make life boring - there are no rules in Christianity
- Christians are out-of-touch and hate the LGBTQ community - that is certainly true about a vocal minority who claim to be Christians, but isn't true about any Christian I've ever met
- Jesus wasn't a real person - the historical evidence would suggest otherwise
So Christianity is definitely misunderstood by people who aren't Christians.
But it is also misunderstood by Christians.
Christians are really happy to talk about God as a loving Father. Almost every stereotypical view of the Christian God plays on this picture.
Christians are also happy to talk about God as the Son, Jesus. Countless books, magazines, TV programmes, films and websites have been devoted to Jesus of Nazareth.
But Christians tend to avoid the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was called the Holy Ghost a few hundred years ago - and who wants to think about ghosts?
Churches that talk about the Holy Spirit tend to be really weird and uncomfortable places. Lots of shouting, hand-waving and flapping around on the floor like a fish gasping for air.
The problem is that the Holy Spirit seems really important!
The Bible starts talking about the Holy Spirit on the opening page and is still talking about him on the closing page.
Jesus himself says that life would be better off if we only ever met the Holy Spirit (John 16:7).
Maybe we should understand him?
On 25 June, I'm putting on a day all about the Holy Spirit. Why not come along?
We're meeting in Northfields at 10am. We'll be done by 3pm, and the day will include:
- Inspiring Bible-based talks about who the Holy Spirit is, what he does, and practical observations on how to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
- A free lunch!
- Time to discuss what we're learning throughout the day with others on the same journey.
- Dedicated space to receive from the Holy Spirit in a safe, low-pressure environment.
If you're planning on coming it would be great to know so that I can get the right amount of food! Please email hello@redeemerlondon.org with your name and any dietary requirements, and we'll get back with all the details.