5th Sunday of Easter St Andrew’s Milngavie 2024
Today we celebrated the 5th Sunday of Easter as we continued to sing uplifting Easter hymns accompanied by Alison.
This Week
Tuesday 10am – Prayer Group in the Garden Room.
Thursday 10am – Said Holy Communion followed by coffee in Friendship House
Looking ahead……
Thursday 9th May – Ascension Day – 7pm Sung Eucharist St Bride’s – All welcome. Anyone wishing to sing in the choir, there is a rehearsal on Saturday 4th May 10am at St Bride’s
Saturday 18th May – Church walk – visit to Inchmahome. Meet at the Port of Mentieth with a picnic lunch. Booking of the boat is required so we need to have some idea of numbers, please let me or Tim know if you would like to come.
Sunday 19th May – 4pm Milngavie Choir Concert St Joseph’s
Readings for next Sunday 6th Sunday of Easter Acts 10:44-48 1 John 5:1-6 John 15:9-17
Today’s readings – Acts 8:26-end, 1 John 4:7-end, John 15:1-8
I read in the paper last week that owing to climate change it is predicted that the vineyards of southern Europe will soon need to be replanted to more northern areas such as Scotland which had previously been considered too wet and cold for the vines to thrive.
It’s hard to imagine such a scenario when the weather remains so true cold for the time of year and I for one would be unkeen to take up such a challenge not least because I have the opposite of green fingers. If I have a plant, it invariably withers and dies, if I sow a veg patch it often fails to produce anything worth eating, if I sow seeds …they are likely to perish. I suspect my nurturing skills fall well short of the required standard. But it’s disappointing as gardens and crops are such a joy: the colours, blooms, new growth. They do much to lift the spirits and remind us of the miracle of the natural world. It is not surprising that Jesus often used agricultural terms allegorically in his teaching. He knew the language that would speak to the crowds.
“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.” John 15:5
Here Jesus is reminding us of the importance of God in our lives.
In this beautiful gospel passage Jesus is claiming us, making us a part of him, allowing us access to that which God gives him. He will love us and nurture us and never let us go. In him we shall find ourselves, our confidence and our relevance to God and to the rest of the world.
“Abide in me, as I abide in you” John 15:4
A vine is remarkable plant. As it grows, it develops a very thick, winding stem from which the branches emerge. They can grow such that it can be hard to determine which is the original branch and which are the developed branches.
When Jesus says “I am the vine” we know that he is speaking spiritually. He, Jesus as God, is the Vine. The vine, and the wine which comes from it, are symbols of love, his love in the form of his blood poured out and given as the sacramental wine at communion. Jesus is the visible source of love in his ministry on earth and he invites us to become a part of that vine, a part of that love.
As John reminds us in his letter “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God…… This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:7-9
It is important for us to remember that even though vine branches at first glance may look alike, no two are exactly the same. They may weave and curl in similar ways, they may produce similar fruit, but each is unique. And this is symbolic of Jesus’ call to each of us. He calls to us in our uniqueness to become joined with him in a similar purpose, that of spreading the love of God wherever we are. We produce the same fruit from our individual branch, we are integrally united with the original stem. Whether or not we are fruitful vines depends upon us.
But we do not work alone….. The Holy Spirit which comes from God is a special gift which strengthens and inspires us to holdfast, and to remain faithful and fruitful, both when we are challenged by the world and by our own personal hardships, indeed when we “pruned.”
The reading from Acts today, so beautifully illustrated is evidence of how the spirit can move and transform us when we allow ourselves to embrace it and abide in it. Philip moved by the spirit proclaims the Good News of the gospel to the eunuch who in turn asks to be baptised and so invites the spirit to dwell in him. We then hear he goes on his way rejoicing.
And so, we rejoice also as we celebrate the Eucharist and receive the sacrament, the sharing of the bread and wine, reminding us of God’s love for us and is presence with us now, and also the words of Christ we heard earlier “Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit because apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
It’s now spring. All around us, finally, the trees and plants are bursting with new life. They are beginning their cycle of growth once again. God has planted the Vine called Christ in our midst, and when we are willing, he grafts us into that vine, and provides us all we need to flourish in this life and in the life to come.