Vineyard Vines
Have you ever been to a vineyard?
Jesus said to his disciples, ”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. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 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. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” - John 15:1-8
In order to understand what Jesus is talking about here, you really need to visit a vineyard and speak to a vine grower.
When the vines are loaded with grapes, it is an awesome sight, but it takes a lot of work to get them to that point.
The first thing that struck me as I walked through a vineyard with a colleague in Switzerland years ago, was how all the vines are wired together in rows. The thick stump of a plant continues to grow each year, as the vines themselves are cut back at the end of the growing season, to prepare the plant for new growth. And it is the new growth, the new vines, that attach themselves to the guide wires to keep the grapes from hanging on the ground.
Imagine if we did that in our lives. Imagine reaping a harvest from our efforts and then cutting back to the bare minimum, the core of our being, to be ready to start afresh.
COVID has done that to many of us, pared us back, trimmed our branches so we are just a core, the source of our strength. It is now time to send out our shoots and grow back in order to produce a new harvest.
If we look at our lives as a series of cycles, like the pruning, growth and harvest cycle of the vines, perhaps we will appreciate the good and anticipate the bad a bit more.
The cutting back protects us from blight and damage, and it makes the new shoots healthier, richer, and the harvest sweeter.
If you get a chance, visit a vineyard, not just once, but in different seasons. It will inspire you.
More to come...