Easter week 5

Psalm: Psalm 22:25-31

Acts: Acts 8:26-40
Gospel: John 15:1-8
Epistle: 1 John 4:7-21


Well, I made it all the way to May without being late on my blog, but this week got the better of me. First, I had two papers due on Monday, on top of working 14 hours last weekend. Then when I got home on Monday to write, I broke my laptop. Oops. A new screen is set to arrive tomorrow and my laptop will hopefully be up and running. If anyone wonders, I did finish my papers, even if one was a day late.


This week’s readings contain many of the same themes as last week since our New Testament readings continue to be from the Johannine corpus. However, I wanted to make one observation from the Gospel of John. This passage is the well-known saying of Jesus that he is the vine and we are the branches. Those branches that bear no fruit the Father cuts off and throws them into the fire. The other branches are those which bear fruit; these are also cut, so that they will bear even more fruit.  Something that stuck out to me when reading it is that either way, the branches are cut.


I don’t know if this is taking the metaphor too far, but it seems like the pruning of the fruit-bearing represents challenges in this life. We all have difficulties, challenges, or “thorns in our side” which can work to increase our fruit. It doesn’t sound too pleasant to me to receive pruning, but this sounds like it is just a part of life.


I hope you take the time this week to read the passages from John the Gospel and the Epistle. If there was ever any doubt that we must love our fellow humans, John wipes it away. We are not, nor can we pretend tobe an “island,” like that Simon and Garfunkel song. We truly are our brother’s keepers. My prayer is the Lord will give us his strength and love for the task he has given us.


Grace and Peace.