Divided We Stand?

It's late in the evening.  You're belly is full from the meal you have just eaten, but your mind is troubled.  You and a group of friends are walking through a vineyard.  The air is warm and you would normally have enjoyed such a night.  As you walk along you hear his voice.  He gestures to some of the vines and says,

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me..."

Those are the words of Jesus, taken from John's account; chapter 15:1-6.  The image is what I see in my mind as the disciples follow him from the upper room to Gethsemane.  Judas has just left in an odd turn that Jesus described as betrayal.  Peter has just said something in his usual knee-jerk reaction sort of way to which Jesus said Peter would deny him.  Three times!  Jesus is talking about leaving, and a comforter to come.  That the disciples would face trials and persecution.  Heavy stuff.

Now he is talking about vines and branches.  And how Jesus is the vine, and they are the branches.  They of course also being, us.

You and me.

You're a branch.  I'm a branch.  That guy on the soap box, he's a branch.  The shy one in the corner, she's a branch.  The guy with the tattoos all over, yeah, he's a branch too.  So is the guy in the suit, the lady in the uniform, the kid on the skateboard...

Get the picture?

We are all different.  Each branch is separate from each other.  My branch isn't connected to your branch.  Not by ourselves anyway.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Paul later uses the description of a body.  One body many parts.  He's talking more about spiritual gifts there, but the idea is similar.

Difference doesn't mean disunion.  Look at the people Jesus drew to himself.  Fishermen, tax collectors, activists, men, women, children.  Vastly different.  One thing in common.  They all needed to be forgiven of sins.

Just like me.  Just like you.

But in the common ground they had Jesus.

So while there are many "denominations" within the Church, and many differences within the denominations, Jesus is the branch.  We may differ on somethings, or out right disagree, and I'm here to tell you that is okay.

Again, many years later, Paul is arrested for spreading the good news of Jesus.  He writes a letter to the part of the church in Philippi.  (See, the church is all of us together, not just a building.)  Here he mentions something these folk seemed to know something about.  In verses 15-18 of chapter 1;

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Christ is preached.  That is awfully magnanimous of Paul.  He doesn't care that others are preaching for reasons other than good will.  Christ is preached.  He's in jail.  But Christ is preached.  Now if that isn't a division, I don't know what is.  But the underlying fact remains, Jesus is The Vine.

Please do not misunderstand.  There is a difference between disagreement and difference and malicious division.  That type of division would be against Jesus.  Jesus cannot be divided.  Therefore the Church cannot be divided.  If we all individually remain in him, he will remain in us.  If we come together, remaining in him, with others who remain in him, we are the Church.

And it does not matter where or how you meet!  Huge campus, country church, Gothic Cathedral, or grocery store parking lot.  The types songs that are sung, do not matter.  Remember, hymns were "modern" at some point.  Jesus taught from inside the temple, to synagogues to hillsides and homes.

We are all different.  Individually, and in the places we gather to worship and fellowship.  And that is okay!  Some vines are longer than others.  Some have more leaves or fruit.  Some are new, some are very old.  But one thing keeps them all connected.

Jesus is the vine.

Tomorrow:  United We Are Christ

grace, peace + hope

-Bear