Sermon – You don’t have to wait ‘till the Eventide to Abide!

The Vine and the Branches, P. Solomon Raj, 2009

Sermon preached during the Eucharist at St Stephen Walbrook at 12.45pm on Thursday 6th May 2021 based on the text of John 15.1-8 and referencing Acts 8.26-end

Good News in 100 words
Jesus promised that those who believe will abide with him in eternal life. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus calls on us to abide in the present; illustrating discipleship as being like branches of the true vine; bearing the fruits of God’s grace. He says that fruitfulness comes from abiding – not ‘growth’. Abiding is hard to define and even harder to measure, but when it comes to the crunch, we know how important it is. Abiding is the measure of a loving relationship. The Good News is we don’t need to wait until the ‘eventide’ to abide. We can abide today!

Transcript

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”

 

Abide. 

 

It’s not a word we say very often. 

 

The last time I remember doing so was singing that great hymn ‘Abide with me’.
“Abide with me, fast falls the eventide”.

 

There’s certainly a sense of farewell - of departure - around the words of this gospel reading, the last of Jesus’ seven “I am” sayings; a passage which forms part of an extended speech on the night before his crucifixion. One last time, Jesus points his closest followers towards what life as his disciples will mean after his death and resurrection. 

 

Earlier, Jesus has offered the comforting assurance that, at the last, he is going to prepare a place for each of us, in his Father’s house, where we can abide with Him in eternal life. 

 

But now also, in the present, Jesus calls us to abide. Not reluctantly, as if upholding the terms of some negotiated settlement - ‘abiding’ by the rules - but as something to embrace eagerly – hungrily - abiding as the fruitful branches of the true vine - the essence of Christian life itself. 

 

As well as enjoying the fruits of the vine, I have some experience tending one! We rented a house where we discovered a single grapevine which, over the course of about ten years, we managed to train to cover the space between the garage and the house. I was always amazed at how strong and supple this seemingly fragile plant was - and what endurance; it survived swinging toddlers, tipsy party revellers and more than one gale-force wind. I used to take photos looking down from an upstairs window to chart the rapid growth of the vine. 

 

In Jesus’ parable, it’s not the growth of the vine that is important; in fact growth is hardly mentioned at all. What’s most important is the fruitfulness of the vine - a fruitfulness which, Jesus explains, can only come from abiding in him and he in us. Abiding is a word used throughout John’s Gospel to describe the essence of discipleship. 

 

“Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”

 

The church, a living witness to the Word made flesh; often struggles to rise to the challenge of those words – finding it hard to find a balance between doing and being - between growth and abiding.  It can be tempting to focus on doing all we can to grow the kingdom here on earth - to get that little bit closer to our abode with God - forgetting that Jesus has called us to abide in him and he in us in the here and now. We don’t know how to measure abiding. We can’t shoehorn the divine mystery into a key performance indicator. But - by abiding with others - we can glimpse its presence. 

 

"Organic reach" is now part of the language of the digital world - the latest culture in which we, the church, are called to abide - now more than ever – and an endeavour in which this church was an early pioneer. Organic reach can tell us about who is accessing the London Internet Church, which was established here and celebrates its fifteenth year of ministry in 2022. Organic reach tells us how many times a page or a post has been seen and shared. We know, for instance, that a significant number of people who watch our daily Night Prayer videos are doing so from countries where Christians live under threat of persecution and find it hard to attend communal worship. 

 

The tools we have to analyse websites like the London Internet Church can tell us how far and wide its message has travelled - but they can’t tell us how fruitful this growth has been. It’s not until we hear from people at first hand - abide with them - that we get a glimpse of its true impact. Yesterday at Morning Prayer we were joined by telephone by someone who told us that their life has been enriched by the ministry of the London Internet Church; during Lent we were joined at our Study Group on Zoom by another person who told a similar story. 

 

A glimpse of the fruitfulness from abiding in the true vine - a fruitfulness that glorifies God.

 

As we gather here in the City, however strong our connection to the world of business, perhaps we can all appreciate something of the perils of uncontrolled growth rather than a careful and more considered ‘scaling up’ of operations. The risks of chasing ever higher targets for the top line - market reach, turnover, unit sales - accepting every new commission or order that presents itself without being able to deliver on our promises, failing to maintain a high-quality service or product. 

 

Unrelenting growth is stressful, exhausting. It can lead to burnout - becoming as dry as the fruitless twigs of the vine cast into the fire. 

 

Even if growth appears to offer some rewards - cash, kudos - what does this matter if, when we look around after a long day at work - we see that we have grown apart from those we care about. Our families, our friends. 

 

How often do we hear, in the heat of the moment, somewhere amidst the tears, a cry of “Where were you when....” “Where were you....” 

 

Whilst we might rarely use the word - and although it might be hard to measure - much harder to measure than growth - when it comes to the crunch, we really value abiding. We know that abiding - not relentless growth - is what bears real fruit. “Abiding” is the most important measure of a loving relationship. 

 

Jesus assured us - his disciples - of the promise of abiding with him in eternal life. But today he also says to us:

‘Don’t just wait until the last - don’t wait until the Eventide - to abide. Abide today! Because doing so brings unrivalled fruitfulness and if we all bear fruit what a glorious feast we can share.’ 

A long-standing member of this congregation has spent the past twenty years doing an amazing job supporting families who have been bereaved; whose loved ones have been killed in accidents or natural disasters. Most recently this has involved traveling at short notice to the site of plane crashes; meeting with families who have frantically flown out seeking news of their loved ones, who might be passengers or air crew. Our friend’s role is not one of counselling but support - accompanying families - being there wherever they are needed - perhaps offering help with the small stuff - getting a phone card or a change of clothes. Abiding is about doing but it is also - and perhaps more so - about being. 

 

Maybe it’s only through practicing abiding - practicing discipleship - that we can really understand it, which is why Jesus says don’t wait until the last - don’t wait until the Eventide - to abide. Abide today! Get practicing!

Abiding isn't just about standing still. As we heard in our reading from Acts, bearing the fruits of the vine - participating in God’s mission - whisked Philip from Jerusalem to Gaza, to Azotus and Caesarea as an agent of transformation. 

 

Abiding in the true vine involves transformation - of ourselves and others. It isn’t about keeping things “the same as they have always been” however much that might appeal to those of us who are naturally reticent when it comes to change; particularly those in the church. One hears about the heated debates that take place in some churches when the vicar introduces something new - a new style of service sheet - or a new service! Imagine what people said the first time someone brought a gospel into church! 

I was talking recently with someone about the changes they’ve noticed during the pandemic - a time when many have been required to abide with each other - physically - for longer than perhaps ever before.

 

The most shocking thing for them was not that people had made big life transforming changes - but who had done so. 

 

Mr Pipe and Slippers. Mrs Dependable. Miss Continuity. The surprise was that these safe pairs of hands - who so rarely veer off-piste - have surfaced from the lockdown sporting a severe self-pruning; the surprise was that it is those people have taken jobs with a lower salary, decided to spend more time with their families or pursue a long held dream - not the people who are always on the move, always on the go, always - on the surface at least - embracing change.

 

But perhaps that isn’t so surprising.  Jesus tells us that it is precisely those branches who abide who are truly open to the transforming power of the Spirit – these branches will accept the pruning necessary to ensure they remain fruitful, not just for themselves but for those around them and for the glory of God. Those who do not abide, wither away and die.

 

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

 

Being Christian - being disciples - participating in God’s life and mission - shewing forth in our lives the fruits of his grace - means learning to abide as branches of the true vine - the source of our strength; without whom we can do nothing - but with whom we enjoy a fruitful life of endless possibility. 

 

Jesus has promised those who believe will abide with him in eternal life. When we can once again be with those we love and say all the things we didn’t get a chance to say before. When we will be reconciled. Complete.

 

But the Good News is we don’t have to wait until then - we don’t have to wait until the Eventide to abide! Abide today! Abide now, as we gather here at the altar. Abide later, as you go back home or to the office. Because doing so brings unrivalled fruitfulness. Abiding alongside others as branches of the true vine transforms us. That’s how we glorify God.

 

In the name of Jesus, the true vine. 

Amen.