I read the story about a guy who one day was sitting at a stop light. The lady in front of him was going through some papers on the seat of her car with her radio blasting and the windows up and when the light changed to green she still had her head in her papers.

The man calmly waited, then honked his horn.  When he got no response, he honked again.  Still no response.

Well eventually the light changed back to red. And she still hadn’t moved. At this point the guy was furious and he began screaming unmentionables and beating on his steering wheel and generally going nuts because the woman hadn't moved.

His little tantrum was interrupted by a policeman tapping on his window.

Against his protests of, "You can't arrest me for hollering in my own car," the officer ordered the man into the back seat of his patrol car.

After about twenty minutes the officer advised the man that he was free to go.

The man said, "I knew you couldn't arrest me for what I was yelling in my own car. You haven't heard the last of this."

The officer replied, "I didn't detain you for shouting in your car. I was directly behind you at the light. I saw you screaming and beating your steering wheel, and I said to myself, 'What a jerk! But there is nothing I can do to him for throwing a fit in his own car.'"

"Then I noticed the 'Cross' hanging from your rear view mirror, the bright yellow ‘What Would Jesus Do?' license plate holder, the 'My Lord is King' bumper sticker, and the 'Fish' symbol, and I thought . . . . that must be a stolen car. Surely a Christian wouldn't act like that."

Or do we???                                       

What does it mean for us to be Christians? Does it mean, perhaps, the comfort of knowing that we are on God’s side? Does it mean being part of a wider community of people who are mutually dependent and supportive?

Does it mean being part of a world-wide community of people who share a love for and who worship the one God? Does it mean having roots and connections that we wouldn’t otherwise have?

Well, being a Christian might mean all of those things to different people, but none of them is at the heart of what Jesus says it means to be Christian. In John 15, Jesus begins to teach his disciples what it means to be one of his followers.

He begins with one of the “I Am” sayings. Jesus says: “I am the true vine.” 

Now, I don’t think he meant that he was literally a “vine.” Jesus frequently did not speak literally. He spoke in allegories and images. He painted word pictures.

Instead of literally coming out and saying what he meant, he often would tell a story and let people draw their own conclusion. Indeed, these hidden messages of Jesus frequently frustrated his disciples. They wished that he would speak plainly and not be quite so subtle.

Obviously, if we are to understand what Jesus was getting at in our text this morning, we must look beyond the surface and do some exploring. We have to go beyond the actual words and discover Jesus’ meaning.

When Jesus spoke about vineyards, the people of Judea knew what he was talking about. It was an industry that had been carefully cultivated throughout the country for centuries.

It was crucial because it was a cash crop as opposed to grain, which was raised purely for consumption – just as in early America the essential crop was corn, but the cash crop was tobacco. It was, therefore, vital to the economy of the land.

Quite frankly I must admit that I know very little about the particulars of the wine industry. In preparation for this sermon I did some reading in this area and it was actually quite fascinating.

The vines are a very rugged crop in a way and in another sense the grapes are a very delicate fruit and require being treated with kid gloves. A young vine is not permitted to bear fruit for the first three years. It is therefore drastically pruned in December and January to preserve its energy.

The particular branches that do not bear fruit are cut out to further conserve the energy of the plant. If this constant cutting back was not done, the result would be a crop that was not up to its full potential.

So when Jesus spoke about vineyards, certainly the people could identify with that metaphor, even as a person in Iowa would know about corn, or in Mississippi about cotton. It didn’t make any difference whether or not you were in that business. You had grown up around it enough that you would still be familiar with it.

In Jesus analogy, he likened himself to a vine, while the fruit bearing branches are the disciples. God, the farmer, is depicted as the one who cultivates the vineyard. He waters and tends the soil, so that the vine is properly nourished. He takes pride in his crop.

But this means that he also prunes the vines and removes the dead wood. The grapes hang on to the branches.

What Jesus is saying is clear. The disciples should receive their strength from Jesus. He is the true vine. And if they stick with him, they will bear good fruit.

So that begs the question: As Jesus’ disciples today, are we bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God?  

How can you tell a pear tree? By the fruit that it bears. How can you tell an apple tree? By the fruit that it bears. How can you tell a Christian? By the fruit that he bears. 

It is just as simple as that. The fruits of the vine are not church attendance, or Biblical knowledge, or your individual stewardship.

Even though all of those things are important, the true fruit of the vine is a loving and compassionate life. Folks, it all comes down to this--how do you treat other people? That is as simple and as direct as I can put it.

So if Jesus is our vine and we are his branches, then how we treat the people who live next to us becomes a religious issue. How we raise our children, how we relate to our spouse and parents are all critical issues for us who live from the vine.

When Jesus is our vine: Revenge changes to support, hate turns to love, greed moves to sharing, don’t care transforms into concern, and me first becomes “after you.”

Not only that -- to be a branch of the vine and have God central means: we can relax, we have the source of life; we can forgive, we have been forgiven; we can share, he provides all we need; we can care, he shows the way.

Bearing fruit is what Christian discipleship is all about. We may be saints in terms of ethical and moral purity. We may have the Ten Commandments memorized backwards and forwards, and we may be able to recite the Sermon on the Mount and scarcely miss a syllable.

We may pray prayers that make the angels weep and the archangels shout “hallelujah;” but if we are not bearing fruit we have missed the meaning of discipleship.

The priest and the Levite who passed by on the other side in the story of the Good Samaritan were men devoted to the word, devoted to the law, and devoted to moral and spiritual purity. But they were not bearing fruit.

Lazarus sat outside the gate of a rich man who was a successful businessman and probably a pillar of his community, but his wealth had blinded him to the beggar lying at his gates. And it was this lack of “fruit” that condemned him.

The issue is not how much knowledge you have or even necessarily how sincere you are. The issue is--how do you treat people? If you are in Christ, people will be able to see the fruits of your life in terms of your compassion and love and attitude.

But even the best vine in the best vineyard doesn’t produce succulent grapes without occasional pruning. What needs to be pruned in our lives? What fruitless pursuits take up time and energy only to leave us feeling drained and depleted?

Some of us spend too much time worrying. Time and time again Jesus told his disciples to “fear not.” Whether in a storm-tossed boat or sitting atop a mountain pondering an all too uncertain future, Jesus said, “fear not.”

To those of us filled with anxiety this morning over a loved one with health problems, a marriage that is falling apart, a child who’s headed in the wrong direction, our cities that are filled with injustice, and the nations engrossed in violence Jesus says, “fear not.”

Of course it is much easier to say “fear not” than to actually not fear.  Fear is a natural emotion. But I think Jesus wants us to remember, that even when we do fear, that God is still in control, because ultimately, it is not in our hands. And because of this God calls us to bring love to an imperfect world.

That is our part of the equation. But don’t forget that God also promises that eventually all will be restored and renewed in the life to come.

In addition to worry, what else needs to be pruned? Some of us waste too much time in trivial pursuits. Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t have fun. Jesus took time out for parties and meals with friends.

Part of the wonder of life lies in laughter and celebration. But life is also too serious to be wasted away on things that have no significance.

If we’re so busy socializing that we don’t have time for our families, or have so much time on our hands that we can’t get our butts off the couch and away from the TV, that’s a red flag. When we are attuned to God’s Spirit, a little pruning here and there can make our lives more spiritually fruitful and tangibly joyful because we’re investing ourselves in the things that really matter.

And exactly how is this possible, all of this pruning and fruit bearing?

According to Jesus, it’s all about abiding in him and in the love of God. Abide is not a term we use every day. Some biblical translations use the word “dwell,” “stay,” or “remain,” in lieu of abide.

When we abide with Christ, we follow his blueprint for our life, and we invest part of our lives in intentionally abiding with God through spiritual practices like prayer and through practical actions such as feeding the hungry.

Just as the fruit receives its nourishment from the vine, so we too turn to Christ for our daily nourishment and growth.

How tragic it is that so many today see greater value in financial security, or peer respect, or their own creative ingenuity, or a host of other things.

These things may feed us for a day or even for a season, but there comes a time when they will not bring the deep nourishment that we seek. For that we need God.

A young monk was having trouble doing his daily devotions. He told a visiting holy man that he would forget what he had read in the Bible almost as soon as he had closed the book at the end of his daily prayer discipline.

The old monk told him to continue with his spiritual discipline of daily Bible reading, but to take on an additional task. The young monk had two buckets in his simple hut. One bucket he was to leave alone. The other bucket he was to fill with water each day and empty.

The old monk promised to return in a few weeks. The young monk was not sure about these strange directions, but he followed them.

Sometime later, the old monk came for a visit and asked about the buckets. The young monk said the one that was left alone was dusty and had a few cobwebs in it. The other bucket was clean from daily filling with water.

The old monk said, “so it is with reading of the Bible every day, we do not always understand or even remember all that we read, but it cleans our souls.”

That gives me strength.  I read the Bible almost every morning now.  I don’t always understand everything I read.  I don’t always feel inspired.  But I have found that I do feel more ready to face the day.  For when I abide in God’s word … I find a greater awareness of God abiding in me.

And that’s the other side of it – the idea of God abiding with us, everywhere we go, every minute of every day, God abides with us, God stays with us.

In times of ultimate jubilation and utter dejection, God abides with us. From the moment we open our eyes in the morning until our head hits the pillow at night, as we sleep and snore and dream, God is there abiding, watching, loving. God is with us as we play, as we pray, and as we prune, that our lives might branch out and be abundantly fruitful every day.

Thomas Merton, in one of his taped lectures to the novices at Gethsemane monastery near Bardstown, Kentucky talked about abiding in Christ this way.

“It’s like you’re trying to catch a plane. You’re late. You hop in your car and speed to the airport. Every delay gives you ulcers. You reach the parking lot, grab your stuff and race down the corridor to get to the right gate.

“You rush onto the plane, flop down in your seat, and heave a sigh of relief. You made it. In one sense you’ve reached your destination. Then the plane takes off, and you’re on your way to other places, going higher, faster than ever before, but now you are not frantic or worried. That’s what it means to abide in Christ.”

And isn’t that just like our lives?  We run around like a chicken with our head cut off – going here and going there but never really getting anywhere.  And it is only when we truly connect with Christ – when we really let go and trust him – when we let him in and let him lead us – when we abide in Christ -  that we can let go and actually enjoy the ride.  And when we remain in Christ – whatever may come our way … is doable – because we are no longer alone.  And then our fruit is full, ripe and delicious!

It’s all about where you’re plugged in – for me I’ll take Christ … Now I’ll be the first to admit I don’t do it very well; I don’t listen or follow as well as I could.  But when I do – it’s golden!

That’s my prayer for each of you … that you can abide in the Lord for he certainly abides in you!    AMEN.