John 15:1-8
Lead in: In John Chapter 15, we hear Jesus give the imperative to “remain” in him repeated eight times. To remain or dwell refers to a relationship in which one feels at home, and it signifies the intimate and mutual love that exists between the Father and Jesus. We are invited to share in that intimacy as we remain connected to Jesus the vine.
Prompt: A lifegiving relationship is a relationship between two people in which there is an intimate and mutual love. Reflect on a relationship in your life that is lifegiving, that is one in which there is intimate and mutual love.
Prompt: What would it take for your relationship to God to be an even more lifegiving relationship, that is one of intimate and mutual love?
Lead in: What does it mean to remain in Christ? In the story of the woman caught in adultery, we see how misery is met with mercy. In our human judgmental world, we keep our stones close at hand. But to remain in Christ is to be a non-judgmental presence with no stones in hand.
Prompt: As you remain in Jesus the vine, where do you find it most difficult to remain a non-judgmental presence with no stones in hand?
Lead in: In John 15, when speaking of the vine owner Jesus says, “He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit and everyone that does (bear fruit) he prunes.”
Prompt: What in you needs to be pruned so you can bear even more fruit for the Kingdom?
Lead in: In Acts 9:26, we hear how the newly converted Paul tries to join the disciples but they are afraid of him. One of the things that is easy for us humans is to make a judgment about a person based on the information we have and the conclusions we come to based on that information.
The disciples did this to Paul. It was based on the horrible things they’d heard about him when he was still persecuting Christians.
Prompt: Can you think of a time when someone you heard about turned out to be different than you had expected?
Prompt: Was there ever a time when you were labeled unfairly based on the information people had and the conclusions they came to based on that information?
Lead in: In John 3, we hear, “Let us love not in Word but in deed and in truth.” If we are to live the life that we aspire to, we must live in a way that is consistent with the ideals we hold. None of us does this perfectly.
Prompt: Who do you know that walks their talk without having to say much to convince you of that?
Prompt: Reflect on a time when your actions did not match your words. What did you learn from that?
