Staying Connected

As summer comes to an end it's harvest time. If we think we’ve had a miserable summer with so much wet weather, we should spare a thought for our farmers, trying to cope with harvesting damp crops and rising fuel costs. In our harvest festivals we will be giving thanks for all they have done for us, and thanking God for the food we eat, and this fruitful land we live in.
In John 15, Jesus reflects on the need for us all to be fruitful, as individuals and as a Church. We are reminded that Jesus is the true vine, and the Father is the gardener. We can only be fruitful in life if we stay connected with him – rooting our spiritual lives in the disciplines of prayer, study and worship, if we do we are promised that will bear fruit.
Any gardener will tell you that sometimes hard decisions need to be taken. Sometimes good and healthy plants need to be cut back to make room for new growth. Jesus makes the same point: that even branches that bear fruit will be pruned to be even more fruitful.
As a Church we need to be ready for this, pruning for growth may involve cutting off things that may be dearly loved, and making space for green shoots of new life. In our worshipping life we feel God is calling us to be more welcoming and inviting to those around us, for older folks and young families. We may need to change our current pattern, cut out some things we do now to make way for more family-friendly services.
I'm sure pruning is an uncomfortable experience for a plant, but we know it's for it's own good in the long run. I hope we can learn from this passage and be open to God’s pruning for us and our Church too, and then look hopefully for signs of new growth. It won't be easy, but we trust it will be for our own good.
And in all this, the Bible reminds us, that we need to underpin all this with constant prayer and worship—staying connected to Jesus the true vine.