Monday Morning Mail, 13th January 2014

Loving God | Loving Each Other | Loving our Community

Good Morning!

Yesterday we were looking at John 15:1-17, and we saw how God calls his people to like fruitful lives and to bear fruit for him. Jesus compares his disciples to the branches of a vine – a plant that is grown entirely for the value of its fruit. He tells us that God has chosen and called us so that we would bear much fruit, and tells us three important factors in us living fruitful lives.

1. Being Pruned by the Father

One of the most important factors in growing vines for fruit is that they need to be heavily pruned. Left to themselves, they produce shoots in all kinds of directions, and waste all their energy on shoots rather than on fruit. If you want a fruitful vine, it needs pruning. "To Prune" in Greek is the same as " to clean" - it's the idea of cleaning off all the unnecessary branches. In the same way, pruning is sometimes getting rid of bad things from our lives, but it isn't always. Sometimes it's letting God get rid of things that aren't bad or good from our lives, and sometimes it's letting him remove what might look to us like a good shoot, because God knows that even good things sometimes get in the way of us bearing fruit in the best way.

I guess if you're a vine, pruning can feel pretty horrible – a good vine-grower will prune back 90-odd percent of what looks like healthy growth. But it's necessary if the vine is going to bear fruit.

2. Remaining in Jesus

Jesus uses the picture of a branch that tries to grow separately from its stem – it won't work, it will wither and die. In the same way, we need to remain more and more connected to Jesus. We do that by obeying him – not like a stern taskmaster, but like a loving friend who knows what is best for us and only commands things which ultimately are for our good and which lead to our greatest joy.

3. Asking for Fruit

In verses 7 & 16, Jesus tells his disciples that if they remain in him, and if they let themselves be pruned by the Father so that their priorities are God's priorities for them, then they can ask for any fruit and the Father will bring it. I'd love for us as a church to be asking God for fruit. I don't think I do it enough; I don't think we do it enough.

In particular, I'd like us to ask God for the following over 2014:

• 5 people to come to know Jesus for themselves at St Jude's

• Regular attendance to grow by 5%

• 5 people to take on more leadership responsibility.

I know numbers aren't everything, and I know that growth in depth of knowledge and love matters just as much, but I'd like us to pray specifically for those three things. Speaking of which, there's a prayer meeting tonight at 8pm!

I often find myself praying this prayer of St Richard of Chichester, which makes a great start to the working week:

We thank you, our Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits which you have given us,
for all the pains and insults which you have borne for us.
Most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother,
may we know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly,
day by day.
Amen

(attached please find a copy of the latest Prayer Letter for St Jude's Youth Work.)