Seasons of the Spirit ~ SeasonsFUSION
Lectionary resources for worship, faith formation, and service
Of Vines and Branches John 15:1-8 and Acts 8:26-40
One of the prompting questions in this week’s background information for SeasonsFUSION is “What faith practices do you have that most remind you of God’s universal love?”
I’m wondering if reflecting on the symbol of the vine is a universal practice. I mean, wine is as old as time and every time you turn around there’s a new corner of the world producing it. Whether we are a wine drinker or not, the vine represents the intertwining of life and love; its reaching out akin to our own reaching out to embrace those close to us and those different from us whom we’d like to get to know.
When I was part of the SeasonsFUSION team I was living in tropical Northern Australia. Not a lot of vineyards up there, although people were attempting to make a go of mango wine. But now I’ve moved to South Australia, a major wine producing region of the world. Vines cover the hills of the McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley and other beautiful areas, like striped quilts that change colours in the seasons.
Here at Pilgrim Uniting Church, we created some resources for the practice of Sabbath, including this reflection on the vine:
Abide in the Vine
by Raymond A. Foss
Live in the vine,
the whole of our lives long
drawing nourishment
from the living water,
the fertile soil,
from the stalk,
the growing branches
bearing fruit
worthy of the vine,
rich, luscious,
life giving fruit
for the world.
peaceful abiding to you,
Jana Norman
Lent, Easter FUSION writing team of Nightcliff Uniting Church
