Easter 5
Devotional
Pause Before The Pulpit
Personal Reflections For Pastors On The Lectionary Readings
John 15:1-8
I have come to appreciate the concept of abiding, which Jesus teaches in this text. I appreciate it, first and foremost, in my relationship with him; but it is a concept that can be applied to our earthly relationships with loved ones and friends as well. Both relationships (whether with God, or with loved ones and friends) help us better understand what abiding looks and feels like.
For example, notice what begins the abiding relationship: You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. The Word of God that is received by faith cleanses us from all unrighteousness, and grafts us into the vine and an abiding relationship with him. This relationship is only possible due to the grace and mercy of God that he first extended to us. It's similar to parents who desire to adopt a child. It is the desire of the parents, expressed in words to an adoption agency and later to the adopted child, which makes it possible for that child to be adopted and grafted into an abiding relationship with them.
Now it is important for pastors to be reminded of this, for if we want to bear fruit for Christ we must abide in him. Have you been cleansed by the word that Jesus has spoken to you? Have you been grafted into his family? If so, then you will bear fruit for him. If not, then you will be fruitless and eventually cut off from the vine. That is a chilling thought, for no believer in Christ wants to be cut off from the vine.
Jesus went on to say that every branch that bears fruit he prunes. If it is bearing fruit, why prune it? Why not leave good enough alone? Because Jesus wants to make it bear more fruit. The only way to be truly fruitful is to experience the cutting and trimming of God's pruning shears. Another word for this might be "discipline." The author of Hebrews wrote: discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11). Are you experiencing the pruning of God? Try to see it for what it is, God's way of preparing you to produce more fruit. Yes, it can hurt at times, but in the end it's worth it.
It's also good for us to be reminded that apart from me (Jesus) you can do nothing. It doesn't matter how gifted and talented we are, or how well trained and dedicated we are, or how big of a church staff and budget we have, the same truth remains -- apart from God we can do nothing (nothing that counts for eternity, that is). If we want to bear fruit, we will want ourselves and our congregation to abide in him and allow him to abide in us.
The abiding, like any good relationship, takes time. If we want our marriage to flourish, we will take time to abide with our spouse in quality conversation, playfulness, nurture, and intimacy. If we want a strong, healthy relationship with our children we will take time to abide with them by playing with them, reading the Bible and praying with them, and taking time to listen to them. So it is in our relationship with God. Make time for him every day.
This abiding in Christ always involves the word. It is not enough to just be quiet before the Lord. It is not enough to attend worship one hour a week. It is not enough to have prayed to him. Abiding in Christ involves the reading of, meditating upon, praying about, and the application of God's Word. As we do this, Jesus said, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. Really? We can ask for whatever we wish and it will be done for us? That's right, but keep in mind that the wishes of someone who is abiding in Christ, compared to those of someone who is not, may be very different. The difference in having those prayers answered is also directly related to the abiding relationship. When we abide in him, and he in us, we will have a much better understanding of what to ask for, and a greater confidence that he agrees with our request and will do what we have asked of him.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for grafting me into your vine. Thank you for pruning me, even when it is painful. Lord, teach me how to abide in you and to allow you to abide in me. Grow me and make me fruitful. I ask these things with confidence, for I know they are your will for me and you will do this for me. Thank you. Amen.
1 John 4:7-21
This text continues the theme of love from last week's Epistle Lesson and expands on the theme of abiding from this week's Gospel Lesson. These seem to be some of John's favorite themes in his writings. Since we have touched on both of them, I don't want to belabor the points in this reading, but rather look at some truths that we may not have looked at yet.
The first is from verse 12: No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. One of many things that amaze me about God is why he chooses to reveal himself to the world through the church. Christ, of course, was perfect at revealing the Father to the world, but in spite of the fact that he was perfect, most people did not believe he was God. After Jesus ascended into heaven, the responsibility of revealing God and his qualities to the world has fallen on the church. Granted, revelation is a work of the Holy Spirit, but if the word is not proclaimed in truth and its entirety, or if any part of it is pulled out of context, the world ends up with an incomplete and inaccurate view of God. This is no fault of the Holy Spirit, but completely the fault of the church.
If the church is lazy, hypocritical, self-righteous, proud, greedy for money, or just fails as a whole to live out Christ's qualities for the world to see, the world gets a poor impression about Christianity and wants no part of it. Granted, the ability to live out the fruits of the Spirit is something that the Holy Spirit enables us to do, but when we don't do it, that is not his fault. Once again, it is the fault of individuals in the church.
John's point is this: No one has ever seen God, for no one needs to. They ought to be able to "see" God through the attitudes, words, and behaviors of the church. All that anyone needs to know about God can be found in his word. Much of what anyone needs to experience from God can be experienced in and through the church. But for the most part, it's not happening. The church, as a whole, is failing to reflect God's righteous qualities due to compromise. The church is a weakening institution because many are not taking a stand for absolute truth. Therefore, the church is tossed to and fro, for it has nothing solid to stand on. In addition, we have failed to take seriously the fact that the world is watching us and trying to learn something about God. What are people learning about God through your words, attitudes, and actions? What is your community learning about Christ through watching your congregation? This is a frightening thought and is one reason this text is to be taken so seriously by us and our people.
Speaking of frightening, that is another issue that John lightly touched on in this text. In verse 18, he wrote: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.
A pastor's fears are generally twofold: a fear of God and a fear of people.
When it comes to fear of God, it is usually related to sin. Guilt makes us afraid -- afraid of God's punishment and discipline, afraid of being found out, afraid that we are failing him, and so on. Expectations also create fear, whether they are God's expectations or that of ourselves or others. We are afraid that our sermons aren't good enough, or that we haven't visited enough people. Such fears can paralyze us and lead to depression.
We also fear the people. We are afraid that they won't like us, afraid that they will criticize us for something, and afraid that they might leave the church -- affecting numbers in terms of worshipers and the budget.
The antidote for fear though, according to John, is perfect love. Where do we find this perfect love that casts out fear? We find it in our relationship with Christ. He doesn't want us to live in fear, but instead to hear and believe the words of assurance that God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
I ask that you live your qualities through me so that others might "see" you and get to know you through me. I confess, and ask forgiveness for, all that stands in the way of that happening. Lord, please replace my fears with your peace. Thank you. Amen.
I have come to appreciate the concept of abiding, which Jesus teaches in this text. I appreciate it, first and foremost, in my relationship with him; but it is a concept that can be applied to our earthly relationships with loved ones and friends as well. Both relationships (whether with God, or with loved ones and friends) help us better understand what abiding looks and feels like.
For example, notice what begins the abiding relationship: You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. The Word of God that is received by faith cleanses us from all unrighteousness, and grafts us into the vine and an abiding relationship with him. This relationship is only possible due to the grace and mercy of God that he first extended to us. It's similar to parents who desire to adopt a child. It is the desire of the parents, expressed in words to an adoption agency and later to the adopted child, which makes it possible for that child to be adopted and grafted into an abiding relationship with them.
Now it is important for pastors to be reminded of this, for if we want to bear fruit for Christ we must abide in him. Have you been cleansed by the word that Jesus has spoken to you? Have you been grafted into his family? If so, then you will bear fruit for him. If not, then you will be fruitless and eventually cut off from the vine. That is a chilling thought, for no believer in Christ wants to be cut off from the vine.
Jesus went on to say that every branch that bears fruit he prunes. If it is bearing fruit, why prune it? Why not leave good enough alone? Because Jesus wants to make it bear more fruit. The only way to be truly fruitful is to experience the cutting and trimming of God's pruning shears. Another word for this might be "discipline." The author of Hebrews wrote: discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11). Are you experiencing the pruning of God? Try to see it for what it is, God's way of preparing you to produce more fruit. Yes, it can hurt at times, but in the end it's worth it.
It's also good for us to be reminded that apart from me (Jesus) you can do nothing. It doesn't matter how gifted and talented we are, or how well trained and dedicated we are, or how big of a church staff and budget we have, the same truth remains -- apart from God we can do nothing (nothing that counts for eternity, that is). If we want to bear fruit, we will want ourselves and our congregation to abide in him and allow him to abide in us.
The abiding, like any good relationship, takes time. If we want our marriage to flourish, we will take time to abide with our spouse in quality conversation, playfulness, nurture, and intimacy. If we want a strong, healthy relationship with our children we will take time to abide with them by playing with them, reading the Bible and praying with them, and taking time to listen to them. So it is in our relationship with God. Make time for him every day.
This abiding in Christ always involves the word. It is not enough to just be quiet before the Lord. It is not enough to attend worship one hour a week. It is not enough to have prayed to him. Abiding in Christ involves the reading of, meditating upon, praying about, and the application of God's Word. As we do this, Jesus said, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. Really? We can ask for whatever we wish and it will be done for us? That's right, but keep in mind that the wishes of someone who is abiding in Christ, compared to those of someone who is not, may be very different. The difference in having those prayers answered is also directly related to the abiding relationship. When we abide in him, and he in us, we will have a much better understanding of what to ask for, and a greater confidence that he agrees with our request and will do what we have asked of him.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for grafting me into your vine. Thank you for pruning me, even when it is painful. Lord, teach me how to abide in you and to allow you to abide in me. Grow me and make me fruitful. I ask these things with confidence, for I know they are your will for me and you will do this for me. Thank you. Amen.
1 John 4:7-21
This text continues the theme of love from last week's Epistle Lesson and expands on the theme of abiding from this week's Gospel Lesson. These seem to be some of John's favorite themes in his writings. Since we have touched on both of them, I don't want to belabor the points in this reading, but rather look at some truths that we may not have looked at yet.
The first is from verse 12: No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. One of many things that amaze me about God is why he chooses to reveal himself to the world through the church. Christ, of course, was perfect at revealing the Father to the world, but in spite of the fact that he was perfect, most people did not believe he was God. After Jesus ascended into heaven, the responsibility of revealing God and his qualities to the world has fallen on the church. Granted, revelation is a work of the Holy Spirit, but if the word is not proclaimed in truth and its entirety, or if any part of it is pulled out of context, the world ends up with an incomplete and inaccurate view of God. This is no fault of the Holy Spirit, but completely the fault of the church.
If the church is lazy, hypocritical, self-righteous, proud, greedy for money, or just fails as a whole to live out Christ's qualities for the world to see, the world gets a poor impression about Christianity and wants no part of it. Granted, the ability to live out the fruits of the Spirit is something that the Holy Spirit enables us to do, but when we don't do it, that is not his fault. Once again, it is the fault of individuals in the church.
John's point is this: No one has ever seen God, for no one needs to. They ought to be able to "see" God through the attitudes, words, and behaviors of the church. All that anyone needs to know about God can be found in his word. Much of what anyone needs to experience from God can be experienced in and through the church. But for the most part, it's not happening. The church, as a whole, is failing to reflect God's righteous qualities due to compromise. The church is a weakening institution because many are not taking a stand for absolute truth. Therefore, the church is tossed to and fro, for it has nothing solid to stand on. In addition, we have failed to take seriously the fact that the world is watching us and trying to learn something about God. What are people learning about God through your words, attitudes, and actions? What is your community learning about Christ through watching your congregation? This is a frightening thought and is one reason this text is to be taken so seriously by us and our people.
Speaking of frightening, that is another issue that John lightly touched on in this text. In verse 18, he wrote: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.
A pastor's fears are generally twofold: a fear of God and a fear of people.
When it comes to fear of God, it is usually related to sin. Guilt makes us afraid -- afraid of God's punishment and discipline, afraid of being found out, afraid that we are failing him, and so on. Expectations also create fear, whether they are God's expectations or that of ourselves or others. We are afraid that our sermons aren't good enough, or that we haven't visited enough people. Such fears can paralyze us and lead to depression.
We also fear the people. We are afraid that they won't like us, afraid that they will criticize us for something, and afraid that they might leave the church -- affecting numbers in terms of worshipers and the budget.
The antidote for fear though, according to John, is perfect love. Where do we find this perfect love that casts out fear? We find it in our relationship with Christ. He doesn't want us to live in fear, but instead to hear and believe the words of assurance that God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
I ask that you live your qualities through me so that others might "see" you and get to know you through me. I confess, and ask forgiveness for, all that stands in the way of that happening. Lord, please replace my fears with your peace. Thank you. Amen.
