In my office, next to my desk is a large houseplant. You can't miss it. It's the size of a small tree. The roots are contained in a large clay pot that sits about a foot above the floor. The top leaves reach the top of my window opening about a foot below the ceiling.

Most of the leaves are a nice shade of green. They look healthy. There is one group of leaves that recently fell off the tree. They are sitting on my desk. They are a sickly shade of yellow. A couple of the leaves are shriveled and black around the edges.

For some reason the branch that contains these six leaves stopped sending nourishment from the stalk to the leaves. The whole branch eventually fell from the stalk. The leaves are dying and they will continue to shrivel up. I don't know of a way to graft them back in to the stalk.

In John 15:1, Jesus says, "I am the vine and my Father is the vine keeper". He then tells us that we are the branches and he points out the obvious. Branches cannot bear fruit once they are cut off from the vine. Everything on a branch that is cut off from the vine shrivels up and dies.

Jesus wants us to "abide in him". He wants all his branches to stay on the vine. He says, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." He tells us that His Father is glorified when we bear fruit.

He loves us like the Father loves Him. His Father's love is His source of nourishment. It gives Him strength and power. His love for us is our source of strength and nourishment. It gives us strength and power. It gives us access to gifts. It allows us to bear fruit. He wants us to abide in His love. He wants us to remain in his love, connected to the vine forever.

He wants us to love one another. When we love one another we become a source of strength and power for one another. We nourish one another.

Whenever a branch falls off the vine, the leaves on that branch shrivel up and die. There is no life for those who fall off the vine. My hope is that none of you fall off the vine. I don't want your faith to shrivel up and die. I want you to remain connected to the vine.

Let us abide in Christ's love. Let us also love one another. This way we will bear fruit that will last, and our prayers will be answered.

May each and every one of you remain on the vine, and may God bless you now and always.

Sincerely,

Pastor Birk