Fifth Sunday of Easter
Acts 8:26-40
I John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8
Twenty one years ago, I was introduced to the concept of Ubuntu. I was attending the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Youth Gathering in Atlanta which brought together over 40,000 14-17 year old youth from all over the country to worship together, to serve together, and to learn together from inspiring speakers. The keynote speaker was Archbishop of South Africa, Desmond Tutu. If you are not familiar with the life of Desmond Tutu, know that he was an incredible man of God. He lived in South Africa during Apartheid and peacefully organized for equal rights for Black Africans in that country where the white minority forcefully held the best land, jobs, and government positions while Black Africans were forced into poverty and jailed, beaten, or killed for daring to resist this unjust system.
Desmond Tutu was the architect behind the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which sought healing and restitution for the victims of the violence of this era. Anyone would be granted legal amnesty for crimes committed during this era as long as they faced the victims’ families directly, confessed their crimes, and sought to make things right with financial restitution, service, etc. At these hearings, people admitted to horrible things- police and military officers who abducted teens and killed them, arson, imprisonments without cause, and more. In those moments of pain and vulnerability, the people saw the humanity of each other- their deep regret, their foolishness, their cruelty, their brokenness and hurt. The Truth and Reconciliation commission is credited as a key source of growth and healing for South Africa. They could not move forward as a country before acknowledging their pain, their sins, and ultimately their connection as people.
At the Youth Gathering, Desmond Tutu addressed a crowd of 40,000 teens and taught us the concept of Ubuntu but with a Christian flair. Ubuntu is a Bantu word that means “humanity,” but it is more than that. Ubuntu is a philosophy or a way of being that recognizes the shared humanity of us all that makes it possible to celebrate together, to grieve together, to forgive each other, and ultimately to live together. “Ubuntu means,” Tutu explained, “I am because we are. And we are because Christ is.” I am because we are. We are because Christ is.
Almost 2,000 years earlier, Jesus shared a similar message with his disciples. On the eve of his betrayal which would lead to his imprisonment which would lead to his crucifixion which would lead to his death, Jesus spoke words of comfort and hope to his fearful and hurting friends. They were about to lose their friend, teacher, and savior. They were about to lose their purpose for being and their source of hope. They were about to lose everything. So Jesus gave them words that would sustain them and help them hold onto each other and God when all else seemed lost.
“I AM the Vine,” Jesus said, “You are the branches.” Jesus is the source of our connection to one another and to each other. He is the reason we have hope, forgiveness, and a future. The branches that are purposed to bear fruit are connected to the vine that gives nourishment and life. The branches are connected to one another through the vine. I am because we are. We are because Christ is. Apart from Christ we can do nothing, but for us Christians, he is the source of our fellowship, our purpose, and our life.
I often say that as a pastor, one of the best things about the gig is the view. I get to see all the amazing ways that God is active in our church and our community. Us branches of the True Vine have been deeply connected in the love of Jesus. There are several people in our congregation who regularly update me with prayer concerns and physical needs of people experiencing homelessness. But this is a real connection- not merely a generalized concern for “the homeless,” but for people known by name. That kind of loving concern can only come when we are truly connected to one another by the life of the Vine. I am because we are. We are because Christ is.
I see this branch to branch Jesus connection in phone calls and cards made to people who are ill or grieving. I see this branch to branch Jesus connection in rallies for better working conditions for hotel housekeeping staff. I see this branch to branch Jesus connection in laughter at some goofy joke between friends. I see this branch to branch Jesus connection in the random teens who came to our Pride Prom night last year taking a chance on believing a church that says you are welcome here to be you. I see this branch to branch Jesus connection in the eager study and conversations folks are having about traditionally taboo subjects like abortion, racism, transphobia, poverty causes, and the like.
The reason I see Christians spending time, talent, treasure, heartache, and prayer on these loving connections is Jesus. He is the purpose and he is the source of our strength, courage, and faith. Jesus is the vine from which we grow. It is his example that inspires us to love with abandon. Jesus never wrote off anyone as too sinful or lost to embrace- we remember his love to Zacchaeus the exploitative tax collector or the soldiers who crucified Jesus. Jesus celebrated and valued the faith of all God’s people- we remember his praise of the woman with the issue of blood who dared to touch his prayer shawl or the outcast Samaritan leper who praised Jesus for healing him or the friends who literally tore down the roof to sneak their buddy into the healing presence of Christ. Jesus fed without cost, stood up to religious phonies and corrupt political leaders, and gave his very body and blood for the life of his people.
Jesus our vine is the prototype for Christian living. We branches grow out from the True Vine inspired to serve, give, embrace, fight, and love like Jesus does. He is our nourishment of faith and hope too. We have no chance of actually loving like Jesus did and making a difference in this world without the confidence that the sins of our past have been forgiven and every day is a new start for us to live the life we are truly called to live. We have no chance of actually loving like Jesus did and making a difference in this world without the faith to believe that he is victorious over evil and death itself and that he has granted that victory to his followers. We know that in Christ, peace, justice, and everlasting life has been won on the cross.
We know the outcome of the cosmic battle of Good versus Evil. Jesus gave us the greatest spoiler of all time when he rose from the grave. God’s goodness, mercy, and life win. Sin, injustice, and death lose. So we can be bold branches bearing fruit that will surely give life to the world.
Christ is the vine, we are the branches. Thanks be to God for Christ the True Vine who binds us together as one people and who nourishes us with faith and hope so that we may bear his fruit of life for the sake of the world. I am because we are. We are because Christ is.
Consecrated Chicken Soup 