Fifth Sunday of Easter 2024
Texts: 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8
In his first letter John wrote, “Whoever does not love, does not know God.” This is the same John who always seemed to be with Jesus wherever he went. John had come to this conclusion by spending time in the presence of God in Christ. “Whoever does not love, does not know God.” The outcome of spending so much time in the presence of God was that it made one grow in the ability to love. This is the unique form of Christian love known as ‘agape’.
To truly know God leads one to love in this way. So, how do we come to know God more and more through our lives?
Jesus suggests a way in some of his final teachings to the disciples. Within the metaphor of the branch and the vines, he tells the disciples, “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….Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing…If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
As we hear Jesus say such things perhaps we come to realize more and more that Christianity is not just the acceptance of a set of beliefs about God and living according to those beliefs, but that Christianity is primarily and more importantly about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, like John had with him. When we spend more time in his presence, he will influence us, and how and what we think, feel, see, and do. We will be able to love others as he loves us.
In the Gospel lesson Jesus uses the word ‘abide’ 8 times in just 4 verses.
What does it mean to ‘abide’? As Jesus uses the word in the metaphor of the vine and the branches, it means at least 3 things—1) to be connected, 2) to be near, and 3) to rely upon for life.
To be connected to Jesus as a branch is to a vine means to have a relationship with him. We talk to Jesus and we wait for him to speak back to us in our hearts and minds. We call out his name as we would any good friend. One meaning of the word ‘abide’ is ‘to patiently wait upon’. We are doing this when we pray to Jesus. We reach out and wait for Jesus to come to us.
To be near means to be close to someone. Sometimes it may feel like Jesus is not near to us because of what we experience in this world. It seems the world wants to push Jesus away from us. Yet it is possible through persistence in prayer, in nurturing our relationship with Jesus, to feel him to be near to us, or always with us. We develop the feeling that we are never alone.
To rely upon someone for life is to receive something vital from them. We received life from our parents. We received a new life from Jesus, the life lived in love as John suggests. That new life began with our baptism and it is sustained by remaining connected and near to Jesus, like going home for birthdays and holidays helps us stay connected to our families.
The life that Jesus gives us is God’s abundant grace. Through belief and trust in Jesus we have received this gift of new life forever. In forgiving humanity through his Son, God reveals how much he loves each one of us. To receive and live this life is to experience being beloved by God. We are precious to Him. We can be content in this broken world knowing we have a better life that comes from God alone. It can never be taken away from us.
So, to ‘abide’ as Jesus describes in the metaphor of the vine and the branches, is 1) to be connected to him, 2) to feel Jesus to be near us, and 3) to receive life from him.
What are the ‘fruits’ of abiding of which Jesus speaks? Jesus doesn’t describe it here in this text, but we can see it in other places in the New Testament, particularly in the Acts of the Apostles.
When the Holy Spirit came to believers on the day of Pentecost to provide the understanding of all that Jesus had taught, the people spoke in tongues, their belief was strengthened, their witness led to more people being saved, the sick were healed, demons were cast out, sinners were forgiven, the hungry were fed, joy was shared, and everyone had a generous heart. These all became the marks of the Church, which is the Body of Christ. We do have all these marks of the Church here at St. Michael’s. All these things come from being connected and near to Jesus and accepting new life through him, abiding with him, him being in us and we in him. It’s really that simple. If we abide with Christ many beautiful things do happen.
When we wonder if future generations will have faith, whenever we wonder about what is true or how to live in our time, whenever we feel lost or lack hope, please remember that Jesus is always calling us to abide in him. There are numerous ways to achieve this by studying the Word of God, daily prayer, and coming together to praise God and receive communion through corporate worship. Without these regular practices, like a branch cut from the vine, we wither and fade away. Our life is spiritually diminished.
Perhaps one of the best expressions of what it means to abide in Jesus is the hymn, “Abide with me.” The author Rev. Henry Francis Lyte, a Scottish Anglican priest who served a small fishing village called Brigham, shows what it feels like to desire to abide with God. Lyte had a great need to always be in the presence of God, to be connected, near, receiving new life that comes from God’s love for him. He wrote these words as he lay dying:
“Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide; when other helpers fail and comforts flee, help of the helpless, O abide with me.”
“I need thy presence every passing hour; what but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power? Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.”
“I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless; ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness. Where is death’s sting, where grave thy victory? I triumph still, if thou abide with me.”
“Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes; shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies; heaven’s morning breaks, and earths vain shadows flee; in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.”
This hymn has become one of the Church’s favorites for obvious reasons. It is usually sung for Evensong, but it really is appropriate for any time of particular challenge in which comfort is needed. You and I are challenged every day to live more unto God and less unto the world, to be more influenced by God than by those things that seek to discourage and mislead the people of God. While studying the Word of God, praying daily, and attending Church every Sunday may be the primary ways we stay connected and near God, sometimes we might just need to sing “Abide with me.” Amen.
