Pruning Tomatoes
Can be heard here.
Gate Pa –
Easter 5, 2015
Readings:
Psalm
Psalm 22:25-31
First
Reading: Acts 8:26-40
Second
Reading: 1
John 4:7-21
Gospel: John
15:1-8
What I want to say:
use
my tomatoes to explore the “I am the vine” saying, focussing on the words –
prune, abide and love
What I want to happen:
people to ask what needs prining so
that they might abide in God’s love and invite others through their lives to
abide in that love as well.
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
really like idea growing tomatoes
each year plant few pants – glad buy them individually
now
little slow get going this year – partly planted
so late
life get s in the way
don’t get attention they need
end up with this crazy jumble vines and
branches
like some kind monster taken over my wee vege
garden
todays gospel reading feels a bit like this
–
lot of interesting branches – bear fruit explore
like tomato plant
–
feels like lot branches
-
lot of words get in way
2. Prune
1st word is prune
Tuesday talked about this reading
reaction
was one of reserve
that word prune can make us feel uncomfortable
especially
when read it as though applied to people
treated like dried branches
talk of being burned in fire
not have a good feel about it really
can feel really narrow and judgemental
if
don’t believe these things
act
in these ways
clearly you are dried branch
pruned
will
end up in fire
who gets to say who is abiding and who is
bearing fruit
us Christians aren’t very good at agreeing on
that kind of stuff.
no one seems to be really
pruning is not a bad thing
my tomato plants could have done with up to
date prunes
ended up being way less unruly
suspect producing more fruit
Greek word prune here more commonly translated
as “cleansed” and in fact is in verse 3
if we apply same translation of pruned get
“You are already pruned through the word which
I have spoken to you.”
come back to that moment
3. Abide
another word is abide
much nicer word
think we can relax into that one
“abide”
really interesting word
key theme from beginning chapter 13 –
introduction to last supper and foot washing
held all way through to end this last great speech
and prayer in chapter 17
“abide” is central vine that all else grows
from
what does abide mean?
merriam-webster online dictionary defines it
as
: to accept or bear (someone or something bad,
unpleasant, etc.)
: to stay or live somewhere
: to remain or continue
what does it mean to abide in God
4. Love
that is what reading from 1st letter of John
is all about
reading begins with
“7Beloved,
let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born
of God and knows God. “
third word in our jumble of words
love
big word
so many complex layers meaning
especially in English – only have one word
unlike Greek multiple words
as I quoted in pew sheet
one problems with word ‘Love” is how use it
eg I love pizza
really
mean is that I really like the taste, complex layers of flavours, and texture
pizza as I eat it
I
like how I feel as I eat it
word might apply to my tomatoes
I
love feeling eating something I have grown in my own garden
and
taste of home grown food
use of the word love in this way is all about
me
and about how I feel
that is the important thing here
which is ok when talking about pizza and my
tomatoes
although
tomatoes might not agree
is problem when use the word in same way when
talking about loving another person
or loving God
what we mean when use love in that way is….
I
really like how I feel when I am with you – complex layers excitement, joy, passion
and happiness etc…..
it
is all about me
sadly how too often used
so when I no longer enjoy how I feel when I am
with you
no longer in love
ditch
you and move on
all very shallow
lacks any layers commitment find in Paul’s
great hymn to love in 1 Corinthians
a
lot more hard crunchy
nor does it bear any resemblance to the love
John is talking about in his letter
5. Love part 2
Love John and Paul are talking about is not
about how I feel at all
the
love they are talking about is focussed on other
committed to the other
Passionate about the other
willing to pay a price for the other
growth of the other
life of the other
going back to last week
love
of good shepherd who willingly pays the price of seeking out, restoring the
lost sheep
which these ways describes God’s love?
trick or rhetorical question
clearly - 2nd
return to tomatoes briefly
I
love tomatoes like pizza
much
more committed to feelings around eating tomatoes
how good that makes me feel
than
I am to the tomatoes themselves
I show them enough love to attain my
goal
don’t show them love for their own
sake
I am not committed to, passionate
about them
John is very clear about what God’s love
entails
Love starts with God (God is love)
love is primary characteristic of God
signs of God’s presence and actions are acts
of love
aim of love is to allow people to live
we live when we abide in God,
6. Trinity
one gifts doctrine of trinity is image gives
of nature of God
we can get well hung up on getting theology
right
miss primary image
that in heart of God
the three persons held together relationship
of generosity, commitment and love
through mingling of Christ’s divinity with our
humanity in incarnation
by ascension of fully human and fully divine
Jesus Christ into the God head
Jesus leads way for humanity to also enter
that relationship
cannot know that fully in this life
catch glimpses
eucharist
is one place we catch glimpse
God
bends down in love and meets us in the humble bread and wine
and
reminds us of the generosity shown by Jesus at every meal he attended with
those declared beyond God’s compassion
too often miss those glimpses
fail see life trinity made present to us
fail notice acts love happening around us
too busy being good enough
too filled with guilt and remorse failings
too afraid of what might happen
in
this life and beyond
takes us back to pruning
7. Pruning part 2
several commentators noted rather than people
it is these aspects of ourselves that are dead
branches
these attitudes
feelings of fear and guilt
belief in judgemental God
prevent us from abiding
being alive
entering into life in Trinity now
It is these that John says we are being
pruned/cleansed of already.
8. Gate Pa
last week remembered Battle Gate Pa
oppurintunity to not only remember needless
horror what happened here
but reflect on some those caught up this story
people like Puhirake, Henare Wiremu Taratoa
and Heni Te Kiri Karamu.
people who reluctantly took up arms
refused allow that to shape their abiding in
love
out that – wrote rules engagement – allowed
battle – have restrictions
restrictions
sadly - British did not allow
acted with compassion generosity and courage
after battle here to offer water dying Colonel Booth
act suspect most us have neither courage nor compassion
to repeat.
suspect
that our dead branches of fear, self preservation maybe loathing,
get in way
they would need to be pruned before we could
act.
9. Ka mutu
Jesus finishes todays reading with
7If you abide in me, and my words abide in
you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you”
or as one commentators suggested
“If you all abide in me and my words abide in
you all, whatever you may resolve, require and it will come into being for you
all.”[1]
this translation ameks to things cleare
this prayer is not about our wishes, but what
it is we require to live
and ti is not about our individual
requirements, but the community
For us to live, truly live, what is it we
require?
what is it that we need pruning
as
community here at St. Georges
as
members of this community.
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