Sunday Sermon
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5th Sunday of Easter printer friendly version
‘Abide in me as I abide in you’ In our two readings from the Bible this morning we have two pictures or images of what it means to be a Christian, what it means to connect our life with the life of Jesus.
Curious about Jesus? In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles—we have Philip, one of the original 12 disciples, going down the road from Jerusalem to Gaza. This was after the death and resurrection of Jesus—and these original disciples were going out to tell people of the good news of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Philip encounters an Ethiopian eunuch—a court official returning home. This Ethiopian is not a Christian, but he’s curious about Jesus and about what the Bible has to say to him. But it is only with the help of Philip that he comes to understand the meaning of the Scripture passages he is reading, and he comes to understand who Jesus is and what it means for his own life. This Ethiopian is so excited about what he learns, he is so desirous of connecting his own life to the life of Christ, that he asks to be baptized then and there. And so it is. Perhaps some of us here are like that Ethiopian eunuch. We are curious about Jesus—who is this man? And what does his life, his teaching, his death and resurrection have to do with us? With our life? Here and now? Perhaps we ourselves have already been christened, or perhaps not. But we are in that stage of faith, which is still just a kernel, a seed, just a beginning.
Travelling along In many ways—our lives as Christians are like a journey—like travelling along as that Ethiopian eunuch. We are not travelling along just randomly. The Ethiopian eunuch has Philip, who accompanies him, who teaches him, who helps him to understand the meaning of Jesus. The Ethiopian’s baptism isn’t the end of his Christian life, but it is just the beginning—a step he has taken because he was curious about Jesus. He wanted to know more and he was seeking a fuller, richer and more loving life, which he learned from Philip, he could find in Jesus. So too, for Evie and Rosie, their baptism today is just the beginning. We pray that they have before them a long, full, rich and loving life. And we pray that they will always be curious about Jesus—that they, like the Ethiopian eunuch—will want to learn more and will be excited to know that Jesus is there for them. And we pray too that they will have those people in their lives—their parents, godparents, family members or friends, who will accompany them on the journey of faith, who will help them to learn about Jesus, and to understand how faith in God and faith in Christ can sustain them and guide in their lives.
‘ I am the vine, you are the branches’ Our second image today comes from something Jesus says about himself: ‘I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit.’ In our baptism we connect our lives to the life of Jesus—and these words of Jesus provide the perfect picture for what that means for our daily lives. We all know what happens when you cut a branch off a tree. It dries up, it withers, and you won’t find any apples or pears or peaches when the harvest time comes. So too, with us. When we are connected to Jesus—through prayer, through worship, through learning about his life and teaching and just through quiet time to feel his presence—then we are fed and nourished. We grow stronger, we flourish, we put out leaves and flowers and bear much fruit. The fruit that we bear will be that fruit of love, joy, peace, justice and mercy, compassion for others and an inner strength to make right choices in our lives. Our prayer today for Evie and Rosie is that they will know in their own lives that sense of connection to Jesus. That they will feel the strength and confidence that comes from knowing that we are rooted and grounded and fed within the love of God. Our Lord Jesus says: I am the vine and you are the branches—abide in me as I abide in you. Amen. A sermon preached by the Revd Vickie Sims, St Andrew’s Coulsdon 6th May 2012 9.45 am |