Devotion - Wednesday, April 27

We are so far separated from an agrarian society, that many of the Bible references are missed. In John's 15th chapter, Jesus speaks of himself as the vine, as the Father as the vinedresser, and of us as the branches. I wonder how much of this imagery we catch or comprehend.

The part which struck me this morning is the reference to those branches which don't produce fruit. They are "taken away." As for the branch that does bear fruit, these "he prunes." If you have had the opportunity to visit a vineyard, you probably noticed that the vines look rather stark. The best vineyards are those in which the pruning takes away all but the few, strongest branches.

The grapevine in my grandmother's back yard was this huge umbrella of branches. As a child I would crawl under the branches and look up at the bunches of grapes. This was my grandmother's vine. It produced grapes, but was seldom tended.

Imagine my shock, when my grandfather took cuttings from that vine and established a production style vineyard. The posts and wires held the vines and the branches. But there was no canopy of branches. Only the select few and those carefully pruned. When time came for harvest. It amazed me how large and delicious the grapes in the vineyard were, compared to those which has grown on my Grandmother's vine.

In yesterday's devotion I used the word, "Repent." Those of us who have always been a part of God's Church, seldom think of our need to repent. We are already in a right relationship with God, right? But if I take these musings on grape vines, and apply them to the concept of repentance, I might find ways in which the two intersect.

We are the branches. Branches remain forever in need of pruning. After each season, the vinedresser looks at the branches and cuts away that which holds back or limits. We might apply this to our lives by realizing that even our best attempts to follow Christ will fall short. We need, in season, to experience some pruning. We need to have removed from us that which restricts or limits us.

The vinedresser does this because of his love and care for the vines. It is not punishment; is the the means by which the branches reach their purpose.

Where are the needs for pruning in your life? And, when God comes to cut away that which is not helpful, can you be ready to receive the aid and let go of that which needs to be removed?

If we had the opportunity to join a vinedresser for a day of pruning, we would have ample opportunity to reflect on this. As it is, we will need to think it through, perhaps asking a trusted friend to aid us in the process.