Introduction
“The person who loves their dream for community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
I recently read that trying to find grace in a fundamentalist Church is like trying to buy bread in a hardware store. This rings true especially, if like me, you grew up in a “hardware store” type Church culture. But lemme tell y’all, it’s a hard habit to break and a hard imagination to change. This Sunday we will kick off a new calendar year. While the Church calendar turned over 6 weeks ago, a lot of us really start to get into our new (or renewed) rhythms now. I’m not too proud to beg you to start this year with coming to Vine & Branch and get into a good rhythm of being part of our little community a priority. But I’m asking this for reasons you might not think; bread, hammers and all of that.
Let’s dig in this Sunday and see if we can figure it out together.
Grace and peace, y’all,
John Ray and the teaching team
Text:
A Confession from John 15 (the message)
Reader: Jesus declared he is the Real Vine and his Father is the Farmer, that every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. That if we live in him -make our home in him just as He does in us, the harvest is sure to be abundant.
Everyone: Jesus we make our home in you and you make yours in us. Make this Church good soil for the Vine to take root and the branches to bear fruit.
Reader: Jesus told us the tree will be judged by the fruit.
Everyone: Give us hands to tend the soil, hearts to endure the pruning and ears to hear the song that gives us hope.
Lord’s Prayer
Christ, who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who’ve sinned against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory forever. Amen.
