'I am the true vine and you are the branches.' 

Over the past couple of months I have been trying to get some regular exercise and even took the dramatic plunge of going to buy some walking shoes, so now I slip them on go for a walk at lunch time along the Yarra river for half an hour. As I began this pursuit I realised I was not alone. There were plenty of folk to keep company with. It appears to me that half of Melbourne office workers have cottoned onto this being a good idea long before me.

Lately I’ve been noticing something - well to be more honest, hearing something that I have found very interesting. Lots of folk walk and run in groups of two or three and obviously are work companions, and I happen to hear many conversations. I’m not snooping, but I have noticed that most of the conversations I overhear are about the work place and it appears the villains within.

What the boss said –
Who is going to get retrenched
Who is horrible
Who said what to who on the fourth floor

I must say it is usually negative and I’ve also noticed people become very energised when giving their work colleagues a bit of a spray.
 
It made me wonder if it is part of the human condition - the need to have villains among us. Does it somehow make us feel better? Is it the same part of us that gets a bit of a thrill when we see the baddies rounded up on the television at night with the blurring of faces.

I think one of the greatest threats we face here in the Western world is the increasing permission given to what I call the rise of the them and us.

Of course there is the trivial where this is concerned – and of course as human beings we do embrace many differences but there is something far more sinister about the categories that are used, placing the categoriser in a position of elevation or superiority as they hold the full deck of terms and reference points. Yet it is clear from the Gospels that Jesus battled constantly against the divisions and demarcations societies set up for their political or economic benefit..

In my years as a school chaplain I learned of the very complex system of inclusion and exclusion that operates among the young. It seems to be something people pick up on- The In group is well known, as are the people on the outer and one can be thrust from one to the other with a mere flick of the head.

We may think we are exempt from this in the Church but I tend not to think so. Perhaps we have just learned to be more polite.

In the 60’s it was permissible to use categories such as Catholic and Protestant. Black and white. But now the categories are more clearly defined.

We are Christian. They are Muslim
We are heterosexual. They are homosexual.
We are young. They are old.
We are at war for good. They are at war for evil.
We like singing contemporary music. They like singing hymns.
We are evangelical. They are liberal.
We are radical. They are conservative.

It is clear to me this sort of defining of people against the background of others cuts directly against what Jesus demanded of his disciples.

It also leads to significant loss of freedom and a cutting off of the transforming God of love.

The Gospel passage we heard today offers us some insights on how this is broken down. And how appropriate that it is the set passage for the celebration of the Uniting Church anniversary which constantly needs to keep in check it’s tendency to categorise and remember it’s constant call to unite.

This wonderful pastoral imagery of the vineyard and the vines recalled the familiar Old Testament representation of Israel as God’s vine.

At this point in John’s gospel the embryo church was alone for the first time. They had supped with Jesus and Judas Iscariot had been identified as the disciple about to deliver him up. There is already a certain amount of circling for a place within the new community.

Yet from the beginning of the passage it is clear who the main player is.

I am the vine and it is you who are the branches - abide in me for without me you can do nothing.

There is a certain amount of evidence to suppose that the disciples thought of themselves as in some sense constituting the new Israel or people of God. But even with his calls for mutual abiding Jesus does not say “We are the vine.”

It is, I am the true vine and you are the branches.

A deep life giving intimacy is born of the disciples relationship with Jesus and simply put, it is this intimacy which gives us the strength to love one and other.

Now this may seem incredibly obvious to you but I find this such liberating Good News. I am relieved of the responsibility of making judgement of my brother or sister.

The vine, which gives life, surpasses our fumbling attempts at loving and, by God’s Grace, we are drawn up into the life giving spirit of God. If this becomes our centre how unnecessary it becomes to worry about the other.

A person’s life choices may be destructive and they may choose to live their lives cutting themselves off from the life giving Spirit of God and yes there are times when we need to call one and other to account but it is not our place to cut them off.

What is clear is that the vine produces. The branches are expected and will bear fruit. The community of Christ does not exist for the comfort of its members.

What does this fruit look like? Not in the grand gesture but in qualities - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

At funerals I have attended a person is never remembered for having built a building or been admired for attending many meetings or balancing an account sheet. They are remembered for the fruits of the spirit.

So as we celebrate the birth of the Uniting Church over the past week may we celebrate the way in which Christ, the vine, has given birth to fruit you or I would not have ever dreamed of.

On Friday I attended the funeral of Joyce Kippax and heard her story of commitment to the Church particularly in the days leading up to Union. In many ways it was quite difficult for woman and those showing obvious leadership in business and theology to receive due recognition. But we heard such wonderful stories of the extraordinary pioneering work Joyce did within the life of the Church.

One of my minister colleagues and I were talking about it afterwards and both of us realised how much we felt we owed the women who have gone before us and I suppose this is where the vine lends itself to such wonderful imagery because it shoots off on directions as each vine shoot interweaves with another.. Let us not forget we are part of along line of faithful people who have contributed to the shape of the Church.

In an age of uncertainty where the church struggles to find it’s voice in the plethora of options offered in the spiritual supermarket we hear yet again the good news.

You did not choose me, but I chose you that you should go and bear much fruit

Let us as a UC continue to abide with the God of Grace, who like a vine fills us with the sap of God’s spirit continually beckoning us to abide with him.

Continually offering new life in abundance in this age and in the age to come.

I am continually asked as I move around the Synod what do you think the UCA will look like in 20 years time and I have to say my honest answer is I don’t know but I do know this. It’s shape is dependent on us never loosing sight of why we exist and where we draw our life from. People are not coming to church because it is the right thing to do they are choosing to take discipleship seriously. They are seeking the life giving sprit of God.

We are in interesting days.

Yet may I finish where I started. Because all this - this Christian life - does take a great dose of humility.

There was I, last week, power walking up Russel St after thinking about all these things; me with my runners on with my suit, my observations about the world and matters of faith, when I ran into my daughter.

“Mum,” she said as she observed my appearance, “What are you thinking? You look a complete dork!!!!!!”

Ah yes – the God of Grace goes with us but fortunately for us humility is also required.

Now there’s an interesting T-shirt possibility for Synod, “Dorks for Christ”

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A sermon presented by the Rev Sue Gormann at St Aidan's Uniting Church North Balwyn, on 27th June, 2004.

IT MAY BE REPRODUCED WITH ACKNOWLEDGMENT.