by:  Cris Corzine-McCloskey

Here we are, post-election, and things in our Country are still rocky. Awhile back, these rocky conditions would have scared me, but not anymore. I’ve discovered a few rocks is just what we need.

Lately, I’ve been hearing God with surprising clarity, considering all the world’s chaos, and I’m sharing what I hear with you. So my articles of late have been different tellings of the message from John 15. In that passage, Jesus tells us He is the Vine, we are the branches, and the Father is the Gardner. He says as we abide in Him, the Father cares for and prunes us so we will bear fruit. He also said apart from Him, we can do nothing.

Fruit, in the Bible, represents qualities of Jesus that are supposed to feed and help others. These qualities are things like love and kindness towards everyone, even when they don’t like us or treat us well. We are meant to have joy and peace, even during times of affliction. We can’t fake these qualities. We are just branches and need the life of the Vine to produce. But what does the Vine need to help its branches?

As any farmer can tell you, a plant needs fertile soil to grow lush and produce fruit. Unless you are planting a vineyard. Vineyards planted in high-quality soil don’t do nearly as well as vineyards planted in rocky soil. Strange but true.

When a vine is planted in rich soil, its branches get busy growing leaves. Lots of leaves. The branches look beautiful until you go to pick their fruit. That’s when you discover the vine has faker branches: all show and either bitter or no fruit. But don’t be a hater! The branches aren’t trying to be posers, but they weren’t forced to learn reliance on the vine in the good soil. Now, take that same vine and plant it in rocky soil; you won’t get many leaves. You will get fruit. Oodles of sweet, delicious, plump, ready to eat right off the vine, grapes. Combine rocky soil with pruning, and you could open a winery.

There is a saying that our Christianity is a mile wide in America but only about an inch deep. Maybe that’s because our soil has been too good. Face it, we’ve had it pretty lux. Churches aplenty, all resplendent with their stained-glass windows and posh interiors full of fancy congregants living the American dream. But have we had the fruit of love, joy, and peace? Have we looked like the Vine we are intended to represent?

Well, folks, now we have some rocks in our soil. And it’s getting rockier by the moment. Maybe, just maybe, we are getting pruned. But a pruning in the Bible is always a good thing. Good soil + no pruning = faker branch (all show and no love). Rocky soil + pruning = fruit. Loving others the way we love ourselves kind of fruit. The kind of fruit that makes people want to know Jesus. Thus far, the kind of fruit we have produced in this Country mostly makes people want to run from Jesus. He is the only answer for this broken world so that has to change.

Pray with me. Father, use this time of upheaval in our Country to be like rocks in the soil that make us rely on and abide in the Vine. Prune out anything that makes us yield bitter fruit. And let our fruit feed the hungry, broken people that need to know how much you love them. Amen

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One response

  1. In growing grapes the nice, succulent grapes grow in closer to the vine. The further the grapes are from the vine the scrawnier they are. Something to think about! Great article!!

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