5th Sunday of Easter

 The Vineyard Jn. 15:1-8

Every vineyard that wants to bear fruit and be productive must be pruned. 

Pruning has shown to improve the quality and size of the grape. 

The origin of pruning is said to go back to Palestine. 

Where there was a donkey that ate parts of a grapevine and at the harvest they discovered that those grape clusters were bigger and better than others. 

Therefore  any Vine grower worth his or her salt will prune the branches in order to produce a good harvest. 

God the Father is the Vine Grower 

And Jesus is the Vine. 

And we are the branches. 

What kind of branches are we?

Do we bear fruit?  

And how much fruit?

The minimum or abundant fruit?

Do we need pruning?

What are the dead branches that need to be cut off and thrown into the fire?

Maybe an unhealthy relationship;

Or a negative attitude;

A fear we cling to or a past hurt we cannot let go of. 

A bad habit that we can’t break. 

Our Heavenly Father wants us to bear fruit and remain on the Vine. 

And so every once in awhile He comes to prune His Vineyard. 

And The cross is the shears God uses for pruning. 

And when we see it coming we recoil and don’t want to be pruned. 

We would rather keep our old, dead branches that suck the life out of us and keep us from new life and bearing new fruit than be pruned. 

Be not afraid when the shears of the cross comes to prune us. 

God the Father is only cutting away the dead and useless branches of our lives 

so that we can bear abundant fruit and remain with Him forever.