Fruitful Branches of the Divine Vine John 15:1–8; Acts 8:26–40; 1 John 4:1–11 

Grace, mercy and peace be with you, from God, our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who is our life.

The theme of our message is: Fruitful Branches of the Divine Vine. It’s taken from our Gospel, especially verse 5:I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, bears much fruit.

This is a hopeful time of year in farm country. Crops are being planted with the hopes that it’ll be a good year, with good rainfall, and good prices. 

So far things look good, but, as always, we’ll take it day by day, month by month, and see how it turns out. It’s all we can do, because there’s a lot beyond our control.

Last year the virus played havoc with the markets. The year before the wet weather made it difficult. Maybe this year everything will come together just right.

Some years God gives us an abundant crop; some years not. Some years it’s wet, some years it dry. Some cold, some hot. 

I remember one year in the early 90s in southwest Minnesota, the summer was so cold that the corn never matured. The farmers just plowed it under. 

In the Middle Ages, in Europe, the weather turned colder for centuries; crops were poor and food was scarce. But then came the invention of the heavy plow, which could turn over the heavy, northern European soils, and things got better.

The world was cold and starved in spirit, and then God sent His Son into the world, to make things better, not just for awhile, for eternity. 

The things of this world may work for awhile, but what comes down from Heaven works forever. The inventions and innovations of this world can help and heal the body, but the One who came to us from Heaven can help and heal the soul, which can make your life better now, and forever.

That you might have this better life and better love, God connects you to His Son, though His Spirit. 

As water is needed to make seed take root, and become a live and growing plant that produces grain or fruit, so in Baptism, the Holy Spirit plants the Gospel in your heart, connecting you to Christ, that you might have the far better life that only He can give, and as John 10:10 says, gives in abundance. 

God gives you so much love, such a great quantity and quality of love, that you might have much godly love to give to others. Or as our Gospel says, that you might bear much fruit.

In our Gospel, Jesus is teaching His disciples about the life they would have after He ascended and sent His Spirit to them at Pentecost.

To help them better understand and believe it, he drew them a picture with His words, the parable of the vine. He said: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser… 4 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. 5 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.

As the vine shoots off branches, which bear the fruit, and cannot bear fruit unless connected to the vine, where they get their moisture and nutrients from, so people can only bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit, deeds of godly goodness and love, by being and staying connected to God, the source of spiritual life and love.

Jesus is saying that He’s the Son of God, true God, the One through Whom God’s love and eternal life, come to you. The Divine Vine, we might call Him.

The purpose of a vine is to shoot off branches; the purpose of the branches is to   bear fruit, that the world may be fed; wined and dined, we might say, but in a good sense, like Jesus did.

So we could say that in Christ, we are wined and dined spiritually, our souls taken care of in abundance, that we might bear an abundance of godly fruit in this world, and ultimately, in the world to come. 

The Holy Spirit has connected us to Christ by faith, that we might bear the fruit  that comes from Him, and feeds the soul.

And so our first task is to share the message that Jesus died that the world might live. Because of Him, there’s hope for the world; there’s grace for the world; there’s abundant love for the world; there’s joy for the world, and it doesn’t need to end. 

Jesus didn’t die to give to give the world a little joy, for a little while; He died and rose so the world could rejoice forever, and truly rejoice, in godly things with godly joy.

In verse 11, Jesus says, 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Without the Gospel in your life, your joy will never be complete. So let the whole world repent and believe and rejoice. Let our joy be complete and ever-lasting, never-ending. 

Stay connected to Christ in true faith, and you will always have true love to share in this world and the next, godly and abundant fruit, to give the world with what it needs most, Jesus and the abundant life that comes only from Him. 

In our Gospel, Jesus warns us of the consequences of disconnecting from Him.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… 6 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. 

In Christ is where you find true love, true life, and the right reason to live, which is to bear godly fruit in the world. Your reason to exist is to abide in Christ, staying connected to Him, that you might do the good that can only be done with His help.

When your identity is not in Christ, when your heart is not given over to glorifying Him by the life you live, striving to honor God in all that you do, then you’ve lost your authentic purpose, and you’re living for the wrong reason.

Don’t squander your life for the wrong purpose, stay connected to the Divine Vine, to Christ, and your life will always have a noble purpose; a grand task, a sacred mission, which is to show Christ and all that He is to the world.

Jesus says, 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, God’s Word, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 

We stay connected to the One who gives us all this, by holding to His Word, and receiving His Absolution, His forgiveness, and His body and blood, to restore our souls. 

Connected to the Divine Vine, Jesus our Savior, abiding in Him and His Word, empowered by His Spirit, we have so much to give to this world, so much of what the world really needs, so much of God’s life-giving, life-changing love for the world.

Jesus promises us, 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 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. 

Jesus is the source of true love and life. Always abide in Him; stay deeply connected to Him, and you will bear an abundance of godly fruit to fill this world with, the kind of fruit that this world needs most, the fruit from the Spirit, that feeds the soul.  

And as you bear abundant fruit and godly love, His peace, which passes understanding, will guard your heart and mind, in Christ Jesus, your life, the Divine Vine. Amen