Fall 2023 Sermon Series
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
I was listening to a podcast episode when I heard the most interesting illustration in reference to this verse. Hosanna Wong, a Christian author and speaker, said that her friend, a vineyard worker, said “technically all branches need to be connected to the vine to live, yes, but really they need a trellis to help them grow and flourish and stay connected to the vine. Without a structure, all the branches will live their lives constantly weighed down. The branches will fight an uphill battle they don’t have to fight and eventually they’ll grow apart from themselves and apart from the vine.”
We all have those moments in life when it feels like an uphill battle, right? We feel disconnected, burned out, stressed out and weighed down and it can be so difficult to carry the responsibilities of life. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus’ invitation to us is “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
So how do we bear the weight of life with ease? How do we “abide in his love” as Jesus commands his disciples in John 15:9 or practice the presence of God as it is referred to by ancient Christians? He extends us the invitation to take his yoke and learn from him.
Jesus was a rabbi, a teacher, whose disciples were also his apprentices. According to John Mark Comer, to be an apprentice of Jesus is to organize your life around three goals: be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did.
To be with Jesus means we must slow down to live at the pace and in the presence of Jesus. To become like Jesus means that our inner being is being formed to become a person in love with God. To do what Jesus did means that you do what he would do if he was you. We all have a part, calling, or contribution to fulfill to the church and the world. The whole point of apprenticeship is modeling our whole life after Jesus. (practicingtheway.org, John Mark Comer)
When we look closer at how Jesus lived his life, we see that even with a full schedule he ordered it around certain rhythms, or practices. He took time away from the large crowds to be with God in solitude and to pray. He fasted forty days in the wilderness. Jesus practiced the Sabbath each week and lived a life of simplicity through his few possessions, just to name a few. This ordered way of living is called a rule of life. It is like the trellis that supplies structure for the branch to stay connected to the vine and to grow and flourish. Just like the trellis, a rule of life centered around the spiritual practices helps us to abide in Christ, and when we learn how to abide in Christ, we experience fullness of joy.
Do you desire fullness of joy and intimacy with God? Join us on August 27 as we begin our three-month sermon series on “Practicing the Way of Jesus” and explore being an apprentice of Jesus through the practices of Sabbath, Prayer, and Creating Margin. Also be sure to check out the new song we’re introducing to kick off the series: Abide by The Worship Initiative
I was listening to a podcast episode when I heard the most interesting illustration in reference to this verse. Hosanna Wong, a Christian author and speaker, said that her friend, a vineyard worker, said “technically all branches need to be connected to the vine to live, yes, but really they need a trellis to help them grow and flourish and stay connected to the vine. Without a structure, all the branches will live their lives constantly weighed down. The branches will fight an uphill battle they don’t have to fight and eventually they’ll grow apart from themselves and apart from the vine.”
We all have those moments in life when it feels like an uphill battle, right? We feel disconnected, burned out, stressed out and weighed down and it can be so difficult to carry the responsibilities of life. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus’ invitation to us is “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
So how do we bear the weight of life with ease? How do we “abide in his love” as Jesus commands his disciples in John 15:9 or practice the presence of God as it is referred to by ancient Christians? He extends us the invitation to take his yoke and learn from him.
Jesus was a rabbi, a teacher, whose disciples were also his apprentices. According to John Mark Comer, to be an apprentice of Jesus is to organize your life around three goals: be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did.
To be with Jesus means we must slow down to live at the pace and in the presence of Jesus. To become like Jesus means that our inner being is being formed to become a person in love with God. To do what Jesus did means that you do what he would do if he was you. We all have a part, calling, or contribution to fulfill to the church and the world. The whole point of apprenticeship is modeling our whole life after Jesus. (practicingtheway.org, John Mark Comer)
When we look closer at how Jesus lived his life, we see that even with a full schedule he ordered it around certain rhythms, or practices. He took time away from the large crowds to be with God in solitude and to pray. He fasted forty days in the wilderness. Jesus practiced the Sabbath each week and lived a life of simplicity through his few possessions, just to name a few. This ordered way of living is called a rule of life. It is like the trellis that supplies structure for the branch to stay connected to the vine and to grow and flourish. Just like the trellis, a rule of life centered around the spiritual practices helps us to abide in Christ, and when we learn how to abide in Christ, we experience fullness of joy.
Do you desire fullness of joy and intimacy with God? Join us on August 27 as we begin our three-month sermon series on “Practicing the Way of Jesus” and explore being an apprentice of Jesus through the practices of Sabbath, Prayer, and Creating Margin. Also be sure to check out the new song we’re introducing to kick off the series: Abide by The Worship Initiative