Jesus uses the powerful metaphor of the vine and branches to convey the importance of remaining connected to Christ, our spiritual center. We are spiritual beings, always seeking a deeper connection to our spiritual center, Christ. Christ is the vine, and we are the branches, apart from the vine we wither, become irritable, angry, discouraged and, simply put, lose our joy; a slow spiritual death. On the other hand, connected to the vine we flourish, our lives become a beacon of light and love.

This is evident in the Palm Sunday/Holy Week events. The events of Palm Sunday/Holy Week underscore how volatile the emotional roller coaster of life can be; and how important it is to stay connected to our spiritual center, the vine – The Christ. Choose any of the people in the Palm Sunday/Holy Week narrative, and you’ll see what I mean. In the chaos of life it is hard to remember to stay connected to the vine, where our spirit is nurtured. Connected to the vine we gain new perspective, and possess strength for the journey. Jesus is always reminding: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”

When it comes to remaining a part of the vine, grounded in Christ’s love, author and pastor Michael Yaconneli offers some insight: 

“What landed Jesus on the cross was the preposterous idea that common, ordinary, broken, screwed-up people could be godly! ... The shocking implication of Jesus’ ministry is that anyone can be spiritual. ... Spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship. Spirituality is not about competency; it is about intimacy. Spirituality is not about perfection; it is about connection. The way of the spiritual life begins where we are now in the mess of our lives. Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws but because we let go of seeking perfection and, instead, seek God, the one who is present in the tangledness of our lives. Spirituality is not about being fixed; it is about God’s being present in the mess of our unfixedness.”(Messy Spirituality, p. 22)

God is present in our “unfixedness,” indeed it is connected to the vine, Christ, that we experience the unconditional love of God through God’s eternal presence. Connected to the vine we bear fruit, despite and in spite of our messiness (and the messiness of our world). Yes, “Spirituality is not about perfection or competency; it’s about intimacy and connection.” ... Grounded in love (the Vine), our spiritual being thrives, and we find ourselves fulfilling the New Commandment from Jesus, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” I look forward to seeing you in church!

Through Christ,

Pastor Doug

Join us for Palm Sunday worship at 9am Praise and 11am Traditional services for the message, "The Victory of His Defeat, based on Matthew 21:1-10 and 27:27-31. All children are invited to wave palms as they the services.