11-14-20

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 14, 2020
Scripture: John 15:5
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.

Thought for the Day: I was watching a PBS Special on the musical, Fiddler on the Roof, and it reminded me of the Match Maker and the arranged marriages. Tevye and Golde talk about how they met on their wedding day, which seems so strange to my thinking. I’m sure many arranged marriages have found love, but isn’t there something essential in the act of choosing? A healthy relationship begins with both parties freely making that decision. Though in the image of the vine and the branches, it doesn’t make it sound as if there is much freedom. A branch doesn’t say, “I think I’ll attach myself to that vine.” Yet maybe there is something revealing in the metaphor. We are connected to God always, but if there is to be fruit it requires us to acknowledge where we truly abide. God already made the decision at the moment of creation when humanity was declared to be very good. In Jesus, God restates the divine commitment to humanity, but faith is our free choice to live into that deep and abiding connection.

Prayer: Allow for the relationship between us, O Life-Giving Vine, to produce fruit for all who hunger for the gifts that come from you. Amen.

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