John’s Jesus

Congratulations to all our graduates! We’ve had fun celebrating the “graduation” of the kindergarten class from our Early Childhood Center. This Sunday, May 19, we’ll recognize all grads in worship and see a video with pictures of those from our church who are graduating from high school, college and…..  Celebrating grads is one way we keep them and their families connected to our church community.

In John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine and you are the branches…” Jesus talks about being connected to his father and then extending that connection to us. What’s it like to be connected to God through Jesus?

It means we are never alone. When I get worried about this or that, I am reminded by Jesus that his Spirit is as close as my breath, the vine to the source.

It means that God is source of life. God wants us to be filled with life and strength, to be strong branches that bear fruit for God.

It means that God wants us to use our gifts and talents to bring his life to the world. In other passages in John, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life…the good shepherd…the light.” These images remind us of life, nurturing and strength. God gives us these through the vine, Jesus. We are blessed to be a blessing to others.

This Sunday in worship we’ll look at the “I am” passages in John and consider how Jesus is growing in us in order to extend his life into the world.

Sunday afternoon, May 19, I fly to Kansas City to be part of UMC Next, a gathering of 600 people from around the country who have been invited to Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, Kansas to pray and discern a new future for the United Methodist Church. Please pray for this gathering as we seek to use our gifts to bring God’s life to the world. I’ll be back Wednesday night and look forward to sharing with you about UMC Next.

Blessings, Sharon