A few Sundays ago Don talked about being grafted into the vine. As he spoke I recalled a time when my father had grafted my favourite plum variety from my childhood home onto our plum tree. I watched as he carefully cut both trees with his pocket knife, joining a branch from my favourite tree to our existing tree and taping them together tightly. Two years later my exisiting tree began producing two varieties of plums! Grafting is an incredible process where tissues of plants are joined to continue their growth together.
Recently I read the following passage in John15:1-5
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener … Remain (abide) in me, as I also 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 you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
‘Remain’ or ‘abide’ means to continue, stay, dwell, reside, to await, lodge, endure and encamp.
I am being challenged to remain connected to the ‘vine’, with ongoing daily dependence on Jesus, by welcoming him into my everyday life, resting in him, trusting him, believing his word and relying on him. I understand without the vine (Jesus), the branch (me) is useless, lifeless and powerless. I need the sap that flows from the vine to the branch for growth. I am completely dependent on Jesus – apart from him I can do nothing.
Claire Russell,
Claire is the Tribe (primary age) Team Leader
