"Jesus said to his disciples, "I am the true vine,
and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears
no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more
fruit. 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. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in
them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever
does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such
branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in
me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be
done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and
become my disciples.""
--John 15: 1-8
Abide in me. That's what he said. Here in the 15th chapter of the Fourth Gospel, in what is often called the Jesus' Farewell Discourse, he tells those closest to him to abide in him. It's a beautiful phrase, isn't it? But what does it mean? Maybe it's meant to be some form of mysticism, that Jesus' spirit literally abides in his followers and their spirits abide in him. Surely John's community would have been familiar with Jewish mysticism. But what about for us now? What does it mean for us when Jesus tells us to abide in him?
Jesus says that hose who abide in him bear much fruit. But what kind of fruit exactly? In our modern, quantitative world, bearing fruit generally means showing signs of success. There are the fruits of your job: bigger check, nicer house, better pension plan. There are the fruits of your schools: higher grades, larger scholarship, the path that leads to the job with the bigger check, nicer house, and better pension plan. It seems we have to prove our self-worth, and churches do this too. It's not hard for churches to fall into the trap of thinking that we have to show how good we are at being Christians by increasing in number year after year. If by "bear fruit," Jesus meant to make as many Epsicopalians as possible, well then we did a pretty good job on April 26 when over 40 people were confirmed, received, and reaffirmed in this cathedral. It was a wonderful, joy-filled moment, but I suspect Jesus meant something a little deeper when he talked about abiding in him and bearing fruit. I suspect he meant something that cannot be quantified.
Being a Christian does mean a life of activity. We show our love for Jesus and our commitment to him as our Lord by our actions in and out of this place. We are enabled by the power of Christ in us to do amazing things and bear much fruit. For three years I have had the pleasure of serving alongside you, walking with you through your faith journey, and I can tell you that you have borne much fruit. But I'm not thinking of the quantifiable kind. I'm thinking of a trip to England, where a new, young chaplain joined up with the choir on their tour. Not only had he only been on the job for four days, he hadn't even been ordained yet! Still, the choir gave him the nickname Joe Clergy, and they welcomed him as one of their own in a time when he was nervous and worried about starting a new job. I'm thinking of a little black dog who, upon arriving here, ran around like she owned the place. And yet you welcomed her and loved her, even when she had a few accidents in certain rooms of the cathedral, and you allowed her to offer pastoral care to you in ways that I and the other clergy could never do. I'm thinking of a group of young adults, who have gathered over food and fellowship these last three years. And while their numbers have increased, that's really just an afterthought. What they have really increased in has been their love of God and their love for one another, deepening their faith, asking questions, and growing together. I'm thinking of a small but dedicated group of college students at a little chapel down the street at UK, who have met each week and with whom you have shared their journey through meals and your presence. I'm thinking of Holy Conversations around the sensitive issue of marriage equality and the decision this community made to affirm the love between two of its most cherished members. And I'm thinking of so many more examples, but if I listed them all here, we'd never get out done!
Do you know why you have been able to bear so much fruit? It's because of love. You see, love can't be quantified. It can't be explained empirically. You can't measure it. There's no end-of-the-quarter report that you put together about it. And yet love is the most powerful force in the entire universe, because it is the only force capable of transcending time and space. The epistler tells us why this is so: because love is of God. And it is by this--by love--that we know we abide in God. And when we know we abide in God, we can take bold steps forward, no matter how fearful they may be, because perfect love--the love God has shown to us in Jesus, the kind of love that you have for one another--that kind of love casts our all fear. I've seen you overcome great fears through the power of the love of Christ that abides in you, and I know that whatever fearful moments may lie ahead of you, you will overcome them also through the power of Christ's love.
It sounds pretty simple. But we Christians have a habit of turning the simple into the difficult. We shout that we are filled with God's love as we throw a bible at someone. We preach our own brand of love but reject someone who doesn't meet our standards--kind of like what the religious authorities did to Jesus. Or we speak of how much we love our meek and mild Lord, while we flaunt our extravagance at those who have nothing. Maybe it's because of our own fear that we forget that to love God is to love one another and vice versa. How often we forget. I know I forget. Way more than I should.
But there is a way that we can avoid forgetting. There is a solution for us, one that will draw us back to Christ's love and case aside our own fears. Say, 'I love you.' Say it a lot. Say it like it's going out of style. Say it to someone as you pass the Peace. Say it to someone who might be sitting in YOUR pew. Say it to your family, your friends, your co-workers (yes, even the one that you can't stand). Say it to the stranger on the street. Who knows, they might be Jesus! Say it like you mean it. Say it like you believe the words from the First Letter of John, that those who abide in love abide in God. Say those words as often as possible, and you will bear some pretty amazing fruit. And it won't be the kind you can quantify.
Christ Church Cathedral, I love you. From the bottom of my very soul, I love you! I've told you more than once that you made me a priest. But more than that, you made me a better Christian, and a better person. You showed me extraordinary ways to love one another, and you have carried that love with you out into the world. You are the branches that have stretched far beyond these walls, sowing seeds of love in this city, this diocese, and beyond. Keep it up! And don't forget to say, 'I love you.'
It wouldn't be a Father Joe sermon without some obscure comic book or 1980s toy reference. And so I say to you what He-Man said at the end of the 1980s live action Masters of the Universe movie: good journey. Good journey, brothers and sisters. I am blessed beyond words to have been a part of your journey thus far. But the future will be even brighter, as you continue to abide in the love of Christ.
Together met, together bound, we'll go our different ways. And as God's people in the world, we'll live and speak God's praise.
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