Text:  John 15: 1-8

It’s so simple.  Even a child can tell you.  You put a piece of bread in your toaster.  Nothing happens.  No heat, no toast. Nothing.

You go to make a call on your house phone.  You put it to your ear, nothing.  The phone is dead.  What’s wrong?  What should you check?  First, check the connection.  Your toaster, your phone needs to stay connected to function, to do any good.

Jesus teaches us that about us, his people.  No, we are not toasters.  We are like branches connected to a vine.  And Jesus is like that vine.  He is like a vine that gives life to its branches.

But the life Jesus gives is so much more than water and nutrients flowing into us.  From Jesus comes a life that changes us.  It’s hard to get your arms around it.  But think about this life.  We were mortal dying sinners without God and without hope. But in baptism we were united with Christ like braches grafted to a vine. His death for our sins and his resurrection to life became ours.  In Christ, we live and not just for this short life-time, but always.  We see death all around us but we know.  In Christ, we live and will not really die.

But that life in Christ brings another change in us.  Not all at once.  More gradually like the branch that grows over time.  John describes it so simply.  We love, because he first loved us.  Not some warm fuzzy feeling.  But a love for God that wants to give glory to him by our lives.  And a love for others.  A love that cares, that helps and serves not because we can get something back, but because Christ’s life is flowing into us.   So this is where Jesus is taking us this morning.  You and I need to stay connected.

STAY CONNECTED TO THE LIFE-GIVING VINE

            It was Maundy Thursday, the night before Jesus’ death.  It’s likely Jesus and his disciples were making their way to the Garden of Gethsemane.  The upper room was behind them.  Judas Iscariot was gone to betray him.  As they made their way they would pass some vineyards like we often do.  Think about those vineyards.  Or better yet think of one single grape vine.

The Gardner has planted that vine.  He’s watered and fertilized it.  He’s expended much time and effort on it.  Now he examines the branches.  What is he doing?  He’s looking for fruit.  The fruit of his efforts.

I am the true vine and my Father is the Gardner.  Our Father in heaven is no different than that gardener examining the branches on the vine. He has planted a life giving vine.  He has given his own dear Son to live, to bleed, to die for each of us.  To cry out from that cross, It is finished. Every sin is paid for. Then he came out of the grave with life and hope for us all.  And sometime during your life the Holy Spirit came to you in the Gospel and grafted you into Jesus, that life-giving vine. Now the Gardener looks for fruit.  The Father looks for the fruit of his grace in our lives.

What fruit?  It’s the good things we do or the evil things we refuse to do out of faith and love for God.  Sometimes those things are remarkable.  The man who quietly supported the family of a man who lost his job.  The Christian who confesses Christ in the face of his ISIS killers.   But more often than not they are everyday acts of kindness and faith towards those around us.  I think of the faithful efforts of mothers and fathers to bring up their children in the Lord.  I think of the faithful employee who can be counted on to give his employers a good day’s work.  I think of the Christian who takes the time to visit the sick and shut-in.  I think of the Christian who uses the opportunity to speak of Jesus and give the reason for his hope. These are the natural fruit of being connected to Christ.

So the Gardener looks for fruit.  But some branches are fruitless.  They are like that branch lying at the foot of some trees.  People who may say oh yes, I believe in God.  Maybe they even make it to some church on occasion.  But there is no fruit.   No life in Christ.  For there is no real connection with the life giving Vine.  Here Jesus words paint a tragic picture:  ⁶ If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

So you can see why a pastor might pick this text for a Confirmation Sunday.  The pastor has led a group of young people to know their God and Savior in this precious Word.  He has prayed that the Spirit strengthen their connection to Jesus and help them remain in him in a world that pulls us away.  But Jesus words line up with more than Confirmation Sunday.  They speak to us right now wherever we are in our lives.  Remain in me and I will remain in you.  Stay connected to the life giving Vine and Jesus promises.  You will bear much fruit.  ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Please don’t misunderstand what our Savior says to us.  Don’t come away from this sermon thinking:  I’ve got to get busy doing more things for the Lord.  This is not an order.  It’s a promise.  Stay closely connected to Jesus and you will bear much fruit.

A couple came to a Bible instruction class.  They were living together outside of marriage.  But the pastor did not jump up and down and demand they move out.  Rather he let the Word work.  He let the fruit grow as Jesus touched their hearts.

One day, they said to the pastor, we can’t live like this anymore.  We’re going to get married and while we wait, we are going to live apart.  That’s fruit.  The fruit of being connected to the life giving vine.

And Jesus points the way.   Remain in me and my Words.  Twice he speaks of his Word.  That’s how we stay connected.  That’s what points the way.  That’s what makes us clean before God.  His Word that invites us to believe in him.  His Word, the Good news of a perfect life, an innocent death for us all.  The good news that Christ is risen.  Our sins are forgiven and heaven is our home.  Be in His Word.  Stay connected to the life giving Vine and you will bear much fruit.    People looking for a job sometimes tell me.  You need to get good networking. Get to know people. Who can help you and who is willing.  It’s very important.   Your connections.  In Jesus, you couldn’t have better connections.  Think about it.  Connected to Him by faith, you can come into throne room of the King of kings and know.  Your prayers will bring blessed results.

Listen. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.  Yes, you heard right.  Jesus said, ask whatever you wish.

Now that doesn’t mean it’s time for me to put in for that big new sail boat.  It doesn’t mean I can now ask the Lord give that nasty neighbor a black eye and four flat tires.  For what are we going to ask for when we are closely connected to Jesus?  Remember what Jesus taught us to pray?  Thy will be done.  We are going to ask for those things that line up with his Word and his will for our lives.  That’s the best answer to our prayers.  When the Father who loved us so much he gave us his Son, the Father, does what he thinks is best.

And praise God for that very thing this past week.  A young wife and mother named Rosie got the results of her biopsy.  A tumor had been removed and we waited and prayed, waited and prayed some more.  The tumor was benign.  Yet what can we know even if the answer was different.  Even then our God can and does make all things work for our good.  Even the things that bring tears to our eyes.

So stay connected to Jesus.  Stay connected and ask away.  Ask away and know this.  Your prayers will bring blessed results.

God wants us to share our faith.  But sometimes we can’t even get a hearing.  What we say is dismissed by an unbelieving world.  But people cannot ignore the lives we lead.  It was said about the early Christians, look how they love one another.  A world watched as Christian men in orange jumpsuits called on the Lord Jesus when following him brought their death.  People cannot ignore the lives we lead.  They cannot ignore that kindness.  They cannot ignore that willingness to forgive.

So think about it.  Every child reflects on his or her parents.  Many a parent has suffered disgrace because of what his child did.  But then there are those times when a parent can’t be much prouder.  I think of a time one of my children returned a large sum of money he found.

Well if we call ourselves Christians, our lives can’t help but say something about Jesus to the people around us.  What do our lives say?  Do they something good or something else about our Savior? I heard a story.  A police officer pulled someone over.  License and registration.  What is it officer?  I saw you at the red light yell at that person in the car next to you.  I thought for a minute maybe this car is stolen, given what the bumper sticker says:  Jesus is Lord.  Ouch!

Stay close to Jesus.  Stay close and your life will look different.  Not perfect.  Not even close.  But different. Your life will make the Lord look good to others.  ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

And it all comes down to something so simple.  Even a child can tell you.  We need to be connected, closely connected to our Savior.  Remain in me and I will remain in you.  Amen.