When I was young, my grandparents had several grape vines, scuppernongs and muscadines which we would sometimes use to make jelly. But these vines were no longer producing by the time I was an adult. One time when I was at my grandparents with my toddler aged daughter, I said something about how it was too bad she couldn't eat those grapes or help make jelly. My grandfather responded by telling me that the vines probably just needed a good pruning. He had not kept up with that as he had gotten older. He couldn't prune them any longer but he said he could show me how.
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit." (John 15:1-2)
It was the time of year for pruning so my grandfather found the shears and we went outside. I never would have done enough pruning had he not been there. He kept insisting that I needed to cut away more vine. It seemed a harsh and severe task to me, but I did as he directed. Later that year we had a huge crop of grapes, and with my grandmother's tutelage, my daughter and I made grape jelly.
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit." More often than not, I want God to be there for me, to work in my life, but not to cause me any problems, not to make things difficult for me, not to change anything very much. Pruning sounds harsh and severe, not what I want done.
May God help me be a little more trusting of vine-grower's skill.
(Click here to learn more about the Daily Lectionary.)
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