God's Fruity People
John 15:1-8
May 7, 2006
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
Jerry and Valerie had been life-long Disciples and when they arrived in the Milwaukee area for a short term job assignment, one of the first things they did was visit our congregation. They soon became regular worship participants and before long they were also involved in our weekly Bible Study and volunteered to help out in numerous ways. They were only in the area for about four years, but they made a tremendous impact on all of us. They were quiet, gentle, strong, loving people of deep faith who always seemed to know the right things to say or do.
Jerry was an engineer and one of those behind the scene fix-it guys. Shortly after they arrived little tasks at church that had needed doing for a long time -like fixing the screen door to the house we used for our office- just seemed to get done. We were a small, often financially struggling congregation and we depended on members to do things that most congregations hire people to do. I remember at one congregational meeting when people were excited because it looked like we could finally afford to hire a trash removal service. After listening for a while Jerry said, "Why would you want to do that when I'm glad to take the trash and recycling home each week? As long as we're living here, I'll be very happy to serve in this way. That way we can use the money to help people?"
Valerie was one of those people who just seemed to radiate a deep peace and profound love that sprang from her very core. Time and time again in our Bible Study when someone shared a concern Valerie was the first one to ask, "Would you like us to pray with you?" If someone talked about some tragedy they saw on the news, Valerie would always call us to prayer, not just for the victims, but for the perpetrators as well. I remember one time when Valerie was going to have cataract surgery and I was going to the hospital to have prayer with her before surgery. It was one of those days where I had far too many things to do in the time I had available, so I found myself pulling into the hospital parking lot much later than I'd hoped to arrive. I tried to slow down and take a few deep cleaning breathes as I walked to the door, and I thought I had done a pretty good job. But as I greeted her Valerie looked deep into my eyes and said to me, "You look pretty stressed. I think I need to pray for you." And without waiting for a reply she took my hands and offered a beautiful calming prayer. When she finished she said, "OK now I think you're ready to pray for me."
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, ..." [John 15:5]
Mrs. Highlander was my husband Tom's seventh grade Sunday School teacher. She had been the 7th grade teacher for at least ten years by the time Tom hit 7th grade and continued teaching for many years after he passed through her room. She was a simple woman, who worked side by side with her husband on their farm and found great joy in sharing God's love with 7th grade youth. "When you were in her presence," Tom says, "you knew you were loved. She just made you feel special. Not just me, but every single one of us sometimes unruly 7th graders, she helped us know we were special and truly loved! Thinking about it now, I'd say she was God's love in action for me."
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, ..." [John 15:5]
I first met Yolanda in the spring of 1985. She was on the search committee for the Disciples of Christ congregation in Wisconsin where I eventually served for fifteen years. During the ten years or so that I had the privilege of being her pastor, Yolanda's passion for justice and her deep compassion for the forgotten ones of society led our congregation to develop what she called a "hands-on outreach program." We did many projects with Hebron House the transitional housing shelter for homeless families in Waukesha. We worked with the Next Door Foundation, a multi-faceted program that sought to empower the residents in one of Milwaukee's poorest neighborhoods. We participated in regular Habitat for Humanity work days and helped to staff the Waukesha Food Pantry. Yolanda eventually moved to California, graduated from seminary and began to serve congregations in the San Francisco Bay area, where she continues to help congregations find ways to serve the needs of the forgotten ones of society.
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, ..." [John 15:5]
Kerry was my pastor for nearly ten years. He is one of the most deeply spiritual, kind, loving, compassionate people I have ever met. He is the human instrument God used to get my attention and facilitate my call into ministry. Kerry's honest humility and willingness to share his own doubts and struggles with his faith helped me see that you didn't have to be perfect or have all the answers to serve God with your whole heart. His constant affirmation of my strengths and his ability to see potentials within me that I had no idea I possessed, gave me the
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courage to step beyond my comfort zone and try new things. His profound love of God and his deep love of people stirred something within me that made me want the kind of joy that overflowed from his heart.
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, ..." [John 15:5]
Jerry, Valerie, Mrs. Highlander, Yolanda, Kerry, just a few of God's fruity people. I could share dozens if not hundreds of other examples with you; fruity people Tom and I have known who have blessed our lives. I bet, if I gave you the chance, each of you could tell me stories of those fruity people who have nourished your life and fed your spirits.
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, ..." [John 15:5] Just as branches on a grapevine grow grapes and not apples or oranges or cherries, branches that are connected to the vine that is Christ grow the fruit of a Christ-like life; fruit that has the character of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; fruit that feeds the world's hunger for love, and nourishes the world's longing with compassion. It's Christ promise to us. Just as branches on a grapevine are fed by the rich nutrients and moisture flowing from the soil through the vine in order to produce succulent fruit, as we abide in Christ we are fed by the ever-flowing sap of Christ's love through prayer and worship, fellowship and service and we bear the tender fruit of love. Just as the vinegrower prunes the branches to assure a plentiful harvest, as we participate in communal study and reflection seeking the support of a spiritual community to nurture our growth the Divine Vinegrower prunes away those habits, fears, beliefs, ideas and attitudes that keep from being God's fruity people. Our job is to abide, to stay connected, to trust that all things work together in God's love to bring a fruitful harvest.
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, ..." [John 15:5] Amen.
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John 15:1-8
May 7, 2006
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
Jerry and Valerie had been life-long Disciples and when they arrived in the Milwaukee area for a short term job assignment, one of the first things they did was visit our congregation. They soon became regular worship participants and before long they were also involved in our weekly Bible Study and volunteered to help out in numerous ways. They were only in the area for about four years, but they made a tremendous impact on all of us. They were quiet, gentle, strong, loving people of deep faith who always seemed to know the right things to say or do.
Jerry was an engineer and one of those behind the scene fix-it guys. Shortly after they arrived little tasks at church that had needed doing for a long time -like fixing the screen door to the house we used for our office- just seemed to get done. We were a small, often financially struggling congregation and we depended on members to do things that most congregations hire people to do. I remember at one congregational meeting when people were excited because it looked like we could finally afford to hire a trash removal service. After listening for a while Jerry said, "Why would you want to do that when I'm glad to take the trash and recycling home each week? As long as we're living here, I'll be very happy to serve in this way. That way we can use the money to help people?"
Valerie was one of those people who just seemed to radiate a deep peace and profound love that sprang from her very core. Time and time again in our Bible Study when someone shared a concern Valerie was the first one to ask, "Would you like us to pray with you?" If someone talked about some tragedy they saw on the news, Valerie would always call us to prayer, not just for the victims, but for the perpetrators as well. I remember one time when Valerie was going to have cataract surgery and I was going to the hospital to have prayer with her before surgery. It was one of those days where I had far too many things to do in the time I had available, so I found myself pulling into the hospital parking lot much later than I'd hoped to arrive. I tried to slow down and take a few deep cleaning breathes as I walked to the door, and I thought I had done a pretty good job. But as I greeted her Valerie looked deep into my eyes and said to me, "You look pretty stressed. I think I need to pray for you." And without waiting for a reply she took my hands and offered a beautiful calming prayer. When she finished she said, "OK now I think you're ready to pray for me."
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, ..." [John 15:5]
Mrs. Highlander was my husband Tom's seventh grade Sunday School teacher. She had been the 7th grade teacher for at least ten years by the time Tom hit 7th grade and continued teaching for many years after he passed through her room. She was a simple woman, who worked side by side with her husband on their farm and found great joy in sharing God's love with 7th grade youth. "When you were in her presence," Tom says, "you knew you were loved. She just made you feel special. Not just me, but every single one of us sometimes unruly 7th graders, she helped us know we were special and truly loved! Thinking about it now, I'd say she was God's love in action for me."
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, ..." [John 15:5]
I first met Yolanda in the spring of 1985. She was on the search committee for the Disciples of Christ congregation in Wisconsin where I eventually served for fifteen years. During the ten years or so that I had the privilege of being her pastor, Yolanda's passion for justice and her deep compassion for the forgotten ones of society led our congregation to develop what she called a "hands-on outreach program." We did many projects with Hebron House the transitional housing shelter for homeless families in Waukesha. We worked with the Next Door Foundation, a multi-faceted program that sought to empower the residents in one of Milwaukee's poorest neighborhoods. We participated in regular Habitat for Humanity work days and helped to staff the Waukesha Food Pantry. Yolanda eventually moved to California, graduated from seminary and began to serve congregations in the San Francisco Bay area, where she continues to help congregations find ways to serve the needs of the forgotten ones of society.
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, ..." [John 15:5]
Kerry was my pastor for nearly ten years. He is one of the most deeply spiritual, kind, loving, compassionate people I have ever met. He is the human instrument God used to get my attention and facilitate my call into ministry. Kerry's honest humility and willingness to share his own doubts and struggles with his faith helped me see that you didn't have to be perfect or have all the answers to serve God with your whole heart. His constant affirmation of my strengths and his ability to see potentials within me that I had no idea I possessed, gave me the
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courage to step beyond my comfort zone and try new things. His profound love of God and his deep love of people stirred something within me that made me want the kind of joy that overflowed from his heart.
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, ..." [John 15:5]
Jerry, Valerie, Mrs. Highlander, Yolanda, Kerry, just a few of God's fruity people. I could share dozens if not hundreds of other examples with you; fruity people Tom and I have known who have blessed our lives. I bet, if I gave you the chance, each of you could tell me stories of those fruity people who have nourished your life and fed your spirits.
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, ..." [John 15:5] Just as branches on a grapevine grow grapes and not apples or oranges or cherries, branches that are connected to the vine that is Christ grow the fruit of a Christ-like life; fruit that has the character of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; fruit that feeds the world's hunger for love, and nourishes the world's longing with compassion. It's Christ promise to us. Just as branches on a grapevine are fed by the rich nutrients and moisture flowing from the soil through the vine in order to produce succulent fruit, as we abide in Christ we are fed by the ever-flowing sap of Christ's love through prayer and worship, fellowship and service and we bear the tender fruit of love. Just as the vinegrower prunes the branches to assure a plentiful harvest, as we participate in communal study and reflection seeking the support of a spiritual community to nurture our growth the Divine Vinegrower prunes away those habits, fears, beliefs, ideas and attitudes that keep from being God's fruity people. Our job is to abide, to stay connected, to trust that all things work together in God's love to bring a fruitful harvest.
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, ..." [John 15:5] Amen.
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