15 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. ³ You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. ⁴ Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

⁵ “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. ⁷ But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! ⁸ When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

⁹ “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. ¹⁰ When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! ¹² This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. ¹³ There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. ¹⁶ You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

John 15:1-17

Dear God, I was talking to a group of men last night in the class I was teaching about all of the agricultural metaphors and parables Jesus (you) used. In this case, at the Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus was talking about how he is not only the vine and we are the branches, but he mentioned you pruning off the no-fruit-producing branches.

I just thought of something. I don’t know if this parallel works or not. A friend who has a vineyard told me last week that because the late freeze killed so many grapes that had already budded, the vine isn’t putting its energy into grape making so the branches for the grapevines are growing like crazy. They are growing together from six feet apart. One might look at it and think the grapevines are health and strong, but the winemaker looks at them and sees fruitless branches. And now they are growing indiscriminately and out of control. They are unwieldy. So he is having to do a lot of cutting back and pruning. The winemaker knows the vines need to be about producing fruit, not just growing on their own. So I think that is a good metaphor for this parable from Jesus at the beginning of this passage. If we are just out there growing on our own without relationship and pruning from you then we will be consuming energy that is meant for fruit. And you are our winemaker. You know what you need from us for your harvest to be a success. You know what you need from the branch that is my life–just one branch on the whole vine.

Father, help me to be fruitful. Help me to exhibit your love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Help me to this with everyone today. And help me to lead the staff who works with me in my vocational work in a way that is fruit-producing for them and for our patients. I know I need to do better in so many areas. Give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen