The Vine: June 16, 2025

“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing”

— John 15:4-5

This is a weekly reflection on the previous week’s sermon text. Each week there will be a devotional related to the scripture for the week, along with questions for reflection/discussion, as well as prayer. Feel free to make this a part of your individual spiritual growth throughout the week or utilize in small group settings (growth groups, Sunday school, etc.)

“ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.”

— John 1:1-18

The Gospel of John does not include the birth narrative of Jesus. Only Matthew and Luke tell the story of the birth of Jesus, yet John still shares the identity and origin of Jesus Christ in a poetic manner in our text for today. He began, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” By “Word” John was referring to Jesus Christ. John wanted to make clear that God became one of us in Christ and that Christ is eternal just as we think of God being eternal.

This passage, known as John’s Prologue, is constructed in a very intentional way to communicate the character and nature of the “Word”. There are five main sections:

The Word and God – Jesus and God are bound together with the Holy Spirit comprising what we call “The Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”.

The Word and Creation – Through the Word all things were created.

The Word and John the Baptist – John was not the Messiah but was sent as a witness to the eternal Word (Christ).

The Word and the World – In verse 10 we read, “He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.”

The Word and the Community – Verse 14: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”

In Christ, God literally became one of us and lived among us (in the Greek he “pitched his tent” among us). The Word is not some distant theological concept, but a real living presence in our lives. Jesus Christ still pitches his tent in our lives. The Word pitches his tent in a living room where a family struggles with planning the final details of a funeral no one was expecting. The Word pitches his tent in a car of a commuter driving to a job that she doesn’t know will exist or not in the coming months. The Word pitches his tent on a family vacation as kids play along the beach.

Thankfully, our God is not a distant, detached God, but a God who still lives among us in all aspects of our lives. We can be thankful that, as John put it, “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”

Prayer:

Gracious God, we give you thanks that you dwell among us and no matter what we face today, we have received from your fullness in Christ grace upon grace. Amen.”