Abide

 I have an Ivy plant that I’ve managed to keep alive for the past 20 years! It’s moved with us several times, been knocked over a few times and gone through times of drought when I forgot to water it. It has been through allot but ultimately it is thriving.

One day I glanced at it and saw that one branch in particular wasn’t doing well. I had been faithfully watering, and the rest of the plant looked good…except this one branch. I had just been looking at the plant as a whole and not in detail.

As I looked more closely I realized the root to this one branch had moved its way out of the soil. It no longer had a source of life giving water. As the rest of the plant kept its connection with the soil, this branch although intertwined with the rest, was wilting. It seemed this hadn’t happened quickly, or from one event, but slowly over time.

Abide in me, and I in you. 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. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. –John 15:4-6

Apart from Jesus we can do nothing. He is the vine and we are the branches. Branches depend on the vine for sustenance, strength and nourishment; but many times we move away from the soil of Christ before we even realize we are no longer connected. We may still sit among the other branches, but we have lost our source of strength.

I thought about the church and how we may all stand together on Sunday and do ministry together during the week. We all gather in the same pot of soil (the church) and at times glance around and take in all of our branches together, yet fail to look at the individual branches.

To take a quick look at my plant was to see a thriving, healthy, full plant. But it was only in looking closely that I noticed the wilting branch underneath the others.

The small branch, with its roots, were so close to the soil, but not in the soil. They sat right next to the healthy green branches and became almost camouflaged by the rest of the plant.

Sometimes there are people in our church family who are not thriving. Sometimes there are people in our church family so close to the soil of Christ yet wilting because of some kind of disconnect. This too may not happen over night, but slowly after time.

Sometimes they too become camouflaged by those thriving around them. Do we see them? Are we looking? Do we notice?

When I realized the state of the branch in my plant I made sure to pull aside the soil and again set it deep within the pot. As the days passed the leaves became green again and the branch began to thrive.

Do you see anyone around you that has become disconnected from the soil? People don’t change colors like leaves, but we do cast a certain presence when our hearts are downcast. Sometimes we can be covered over by all the others thriving around us. At times it takes an intentional observation or conversation to find out the “root” of the problem. It’s then that as a brother or sister in Christ we can lovingly help put our friend’s roots back into the soil.

He is the vine, we are the branches. 

May we always be a people that help each other stay connected to Christ. May we live with open eyes, not only to our own faith journey, but to our brothers and sisters walking beside us. As we abide may we help others around us abide as well.

Keep an eye on each other’s branches.

-Pastor Patti