Abiding in Christ: The Call to Love and Inclusivity

### Summary

Today, we reflect on the profound metaphor of the vine and branches from John 15, where Jesus declares, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower." This imagery speaks to our deep connection with Christ and the necessity of pruning in our spiritual lives to bear more fruit. Just as a vine must be carefully tended and pruned to flourish, so must we be pruned of anything that hinders our growth in Christ. This pruning is not about cutting people off but about removing the parts of ourselves and our communities that do not honor God.

The sermon also delves into the personal journey of answering God's call, despite societal and denominational barriers. It highlights the importance of inclusivity and the transformative power of love. The love that God has for Jesus is the same love that Jesus has for us, a love that is meant to be shared and reflected in our relationships with one another. This love is not just a feeling but a call to action, to live out our faith in ways that bring healing, justice, and unity.

We are reminded that our connection to the vine, Jesus, is what enables us to live abundantly and to serve others effectively. This connection calls us to a life of love, mercy, and humility, setting aside divisions and focusing on our shared mission to make disciples of all nations. The table of communion is open to all, symbolizing the inclusive love of Christ that transcends all barriers and invites everyone into a transformative relationship with Him.

### Key Takeaways

1. **The Necessity of Pruning**: Just as a vine must be pruned to bear more fruit, we too must undergo spiritual pruning. This involves removing aspects of our lives that do not honor God, allowing us to grow and flourish in our faith. This pruning is a communal and personal process that helps us align more closely with God's will. [32:30]

2. **Inclusivity in Christ**: The love that God has for Jesus is the same love that Jesus has for us. This profound truth calls us to be inclusive and affirming, breaking down barriers that divide us. Our mission is to reflect this Trinitarian love in our relationships and communities, fostering unity and healing. [35:38]

3. **Living Out Love**: Love is not just a sentiment but a call to action. It involves kindness, compassion, and forgiveness, as Christ commands. This love has the power to transform lives and communities, setting people free from oppression and bringing about justice and healing. [46:54]

4. **The Power of Connection**: Our connection to Jesus, the true vine, is essential for our spiritual vitality. Without this connection, we cannot bear fruit or experience the abundant life that Jesus promises. This connection also binds us to one another, creating a community that reflects God's love to the world. [35:01]

5. **The Open Table**: The table of communion is a powerful symbol of Christ's inclusive love. It is open to all, regardless of background, status, or identity. This openness reflects the heart of the gospel, inviting everyone into a transformative relationship with Jesus and with each other. [58:32]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[27:45] - Personal Calling and Barriers
[30:06] - Prayer and Introduction
[31:13] - The Metaphor of the Vine
[32:30] - The Necessity of Pruning
[35:01] - The Power of Connection
[35:38] - Inclusivity in Christ
[39:13] - Living Out Love
[46:54] - The Call to Action
[52:25] - Communal Pruning
[55:06] - Radical Love and Mission
[58:32] - The Open Table
[59:48] - Closing Prayer and Benediction

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. John 15:1-5 (NRSV)
> "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 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."

#### Observation Questions
1. What does Jesus mean when He says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower"? ([32:30])
2. According to the sermon, what is the purpose of spiritual pruning in our lives? ([32:30])
3. How does the sermon describe the love that God has for Jesus and how it relates to us? ([35:38])
4. What are some examples given in the sermon of how love is a call to action? ([46:54])

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the metaphor of the vine and branches help us understand our relationship with Jesus and each other? ([32:30])
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that inclusivity is a reflection of God's love? ([35:38])
3. How can the concept of pruning be applied to both personal and communal aspects of our faith? ([53:44])
4. What does it mean to live out love in practical terms, according to the sermon? ([46:54])

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own life. What aspects might need pruning to better honor God and bear more fruit? ([32:30])
2. How can you actively practice inclusivity in your community, reflecting the love that God has for Jesus and for us? ([35:38])
3. Think of a specific way you can live out love this week. Is there someone you can show kindness, compassion, or forgiveness to? ([46:54])
4. How can you strengthen your connection to Jesus, the true vine, in your daily life? What practices or habits can help you abide in Him more fully? ([35:01])
5. The sermon mentions the open table of communion as a symbol of Christ's inclusive love. How can you embody this inclusivity in your interactions with others? ([58:32])
6. Are there any divisions or barriers in your life or community that you feel called to address? How can you work towards healing and unity? ([51:04])
7. Reflect on the idea that love is a call to action. What specific actions can you take to bring about justice and healing in your community? ([46:54])

Morning.

I want to take just one quick moment of protocol to make one acknowledgment. I was called to be a Methodist pastor when I was about 10 or 11 years old. I was sitting in my home church, a church founded by my great grandparents and others in the community. A church which has now, break my heart in two, has disaffiliated.

I was sitting in that church one Sunday morning beside my dad, my older brother, my younger sister, and my mom up on the organ table. And I looked up at the pastor in the front and I knew that I was supposed to do what he was doing. The man in the green robe, or the green stole around his neck in the black robe. That I was to serve Jesus in his church with my life.

So that morning I said a child's prayer. And I said something like, "I love you Jesus. And I promise to work in your church as a pastor." A few years later, I remember kneeling at my confirmation class and I prayed a similar prayer. I was just a kid and I didn't understand that was a call to ministering. But I knew that I was going to give my life to Jesus in the United Methodist Church.

So when I told people I was going to be a Methodist minister, I was told, not by my family, but others in the church. People in the community, some of my teachers in the church. Others at school. And certainly people in other denominations. I was told that I could not be a Methodist minister because I was a girl. It was the early 70s. And even though the Methodists had been ordaining women for some time, we had never seen one.

That denial of my call from God. That denial of my sacred worth from God. For no reason. Caused great damage to my soul. And it took me until the age of 38 to answer God's call. When I came home one afternoon from my engineering job. And I knelt in my living room, giving my life and my vocation to God completely. And then I entered Duke Divinity that fall.

So today, I want to acknowledge Bishop Carter. For his invitation today to preach this service has been very healing to that deep wound in my soul. It has been a healing balm of Gilead. So thank you, Bishop. I deeply appreciate your affirmation and how you open doors for all people. To stand before you today is a true honor.

Let us pray.

Oh God of grace and mercy. The great vine grower. Thank you for bringing us here today. As your annual conference to worship you as one people. As we worship this weekend and go about your business. Connect us to the vine. To your son Jesus Christ. Open our hearts to receive your gospel and your great law. So come, Holy Spirit, come. Speak to your people once again. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Years ago, my grandmother handed me the root of a vinca vine. And she handed it to me with great caution. And she said, "Now be careful where you plant this because it will take off and it will cover everything." So I took it out to our front yard. Dug a little hole and threw it down under a shade tree. And by the end of the summer, the whole side of the yard was covered. Covered in this vine and its little purple flowers.

And as beautiful as it was, we still had to tend to it and cut it back because it had spread everywhere. The first year on our small farm, we did not prune the little shoots that come up off the apple trees that go straight up in the apple orchard. And the crop was a little bare that year. It takes time to prune an orchard. It's really an art form. So that the trees can grow and blossom at full production bearing delicious apples.

But you know you have to know which branches to leave alone and which ones to prune. It's the same in our community garden at First United Methodist Church Asheboro. We are in our ninth year of our community garden. As many of you have community gardens at your churches. It produces so much throughout the summer that we pretty much feed the whole city of Asheboro.

Our first year I remember explaining to the children that it was okay to thin out the okra seedlings after they started to sprout up. Because if we didn't thin the okra then it would not have enough room to grow and would not bear any fruit. So we had to prune.

Jesus speaks of this pruning and this growing in this text from John 15. He says, "I am the true vine and my father is the vine grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. And every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit."

From the Old Testament, we know that the grape vine is used as a metaphor for the people of Israel. And the vine grower is a reference to God who tends the vine and does so very carefully. For them to grow with one another and to flourish. To be pruned when needed.

John Wesley preached from the prophet Isaiah chapter 5 on the vineyard many times. And he used this imagery for the people called Methodist. Instructing us to respond to God's grace with bearing fruit into the world. In his sermon on God's vineyard, he warned the Methodist to be careful of rejecting grace in favor of violence, corruption, and yes division. But instead we are to be focused on our Wesleyan way of bearing fruit for the kingdom of God.

In the Mediterranean world at that time, this growing and this pruning that Jesus refers to was commonly understood by the people then. They did not need to Google or AI the meaning of vineyard, vine, branches, vine grower. And what all this pruning meant.

Today we live so far off from the land. This agrarian knowledge might not be so common for us. Today we sometimes forget that the juice in holy communion comes from the vine. We also forget that chicken nuggets come from a chicken. The people then though lived closer to the land and understood that each branch is dependent on the vine for their continued life.

To be connected to the vine meant to be connected to one another. Without the vine, the branches will not grow. Jesus uses this imagery to convey that disciples are dependent on Jesus for their very life. And can do nothing without him. Cannot produce any fruit. Cannot survive. Cannot experience the abundant life that Jesus just talks about earlier in John. And cannot provide the substance of life for others.

Without the vine, the community withers and dies as well. Without the vine, the branches dry up and they die. With the vine, connected to the vine, the branches flourish. Take over the yard. Produce some beautiful apples. And feed an entire city.

In this text, in verse 9, this whole text is so profound in so many ways. And we're going to spend a lot of time this weekend studying this text. But when we look closely in this text, Jesus says, "As the Father has loved me, so I love you. Abide in my love."

Let's think about that just for a moment. To be connected to the vine is to be loved the same way that God loves Jesus. We are loved in the same way. The indwelling of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The love in the Trinity. The love in this Trinitarian essence.

This love that God has for Jesus is the same love that Jesus has for us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Whom the Father sends in Christ's name as Jesus just promised in chapter 14. This love. This love evident from the beginning of all creation. This love made covenant to be our sovereign God.

This love who spoke to us through the prophets. This love manifested in the word from the angel Gabriel to Mary. The love of the incarnation of Christ on Christmas morning. His baptism in the river Jordan. This love shown in Christ healing from one person after another. The love for the release of captives and recovering of sight to the blind.

This love that heals the sick. Feeds the hungry. Redeems the sick. Heals the sinner. This love given in the teachings of Christ in the temple, in the city, and on the mountainside. This love in the upper room and on the cross. This love manifested in the resurrection on Easter morning. This love in the ascension of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit present with us today.

That's the love that God loves Jesus. And that is the same love that Jesus loves you and me and the whole world. You are loved the same way that God loves Jesus. I am loved the same way that God loves Jesus. All people of God, that includes the whole world. All people are loved the same way that God loves Jesus.

Turn to your neighbor and say, "Wow." Now say to your neighbor, "You are loved the same way that God loves Jesus." Now say, "You need to think about that."

We are not Jesus. We are not the vine. We are the branches. We are made for relationships, abiding in this Trinitarian love. Abiding with each other so that we can reflect this Trinitarian love. This love to and for the world.

Jesus says, "Abide in me and I abide in you." And when we abide in Christ, this love does not leave us alone. It moves in us, moves through us, and changes us and changes the world.

Many years ago, I was standing at the door of the church I was serving at that time, shaking hands at the end of the service. And I noticed an older man standing in line down a few people. He was standing there with his arms crossed. He was clenching his Bible. He was frowning. And I realized he was probably not going to invite me to lunch that day.

He came to me. He pointed his finger right in my face, holding up his Bible. And he said, "You always preach about love. I have never heard a sermon from you that is not about love." I looked at him and I said, "Yes, sir, I know."

And he got a little more angry. He said, "Even when you talk about sin, which you never do." And I thought, "Yes, I do." So that's not true. But he says, "When you talk about sin, you always talk about love." And I said, "Yes, sir. I understand. I do. Thank you for saying that."

Then he got more angry. He said, "The Bible talks about judgment and accountability. But you preach a message of accepting everyone and letting anyone into the kingdom of God." I said, "Sir, that's just so very kind of you to say that."

He muttered something about wishing for the old days and how the Methodist church had lowered its standards. And he did this gesture thing. And he muttered something. And he used the word liberal. I sighed. No, I groaned out loud. And I wanted to correct him and say, "The word you're looking for is not liberal. It's not about being progressive, centrist, or conservative. These are labels that we put on each other. These are not labels that God uses."

I wanted to say, "The word you're looking for is liberty. It is this love that sets at liberty those who are oppressed." There's a huge theological difference in that. Just as the Israelites were freed from oppression, Jesus delivers us from the constraints of the standards of the world and frees us to be a new creation.

The word is freedom. Free indeed in Jesus Christ. The word is abundant, given an abundant life. The word is generous grace, more than we all deserve, more than we can comprehend. The word is beloved. The word is redemption. The word is salvation. The word is being a new creation. Free in Christ to grow in the likeness of Christ. The word is love.

I wanted to say that that morning. But I didn't. Instead, I said, "Sir, I appreciate you." And at that point, he turned on his heel and he stormed off. And I called after him. I said, "I just want you to know that God loves you so very much. And so do I."

And I asked him, I said, "Can I come by and see you sometime this week?" And he threw up his hand and he kept walking. But I did. I went to visit him. In a few days, I went by his house. I rang the doorbell. And he did not come to the door, although his car and his wife's car were in the driveway.

So I stood there and I rang the doorbell again. No answer. Rang the doorbell again and checked my email. Rang the doorbell again. Played a game of Candy Crush. He finally opened the door slightly and he said, "What do you want?" I said, "I just want to have a conversation."

So we had a short conversation on his porch. And we agreed that we understood the gospel, the life and teachings, the gift of Christ on the cross in a different theological way. He was not a bad person and neither am I. We just understood things very differently. He is more of a chapter 3 person, chapter 3 of Genesis. I am more of a chapter 1 person, seeing all people in the Imago Dei.

And I tried to explain, as Wesley said, even though we might not think alike, can we not love alike? Yes. He cut me off and he said, "I won't be back to your church." And I corrected him and I said, "Not my church. It's God's church."

And then I said, "The door is always open to you. And just know, if I can ever be of any pastoral assistance in any way, know that I am here for you." I said pastoral because I did not want him to think that I would come over and like cook a meal or something. Or do the laundry. Or vacuum. Or babysit the grandkids.

Do you know how many times women clergy get asked to babysit? Oh, whoops, sorry. Sorry. Sorry, not sorry. Then he said, "I have to say that you seem like a very nice person." I said, "I try to be a nice person, but you're pushing me today."

No, I didn't say that. I said, "I try to be a nice person because I want to live out my life in love for God and one another. As Christ commands us to do. As Christ commands us in this scripture for our weekend, commands us to do."

I said, "I believe that Jesus calls us to be kind and compassionate and forgiving. As Christ has forgiven us. As Paul writes in Ephesians." I said, "I believe it so much that I even have it tatted on my arm." To which he went, "Uh-huh."

I walked down the steps back to my car. Waved goodbyes. I pulled out of the driveway. And I prayed. I prayed for him and for his family. I asked God to bless him and his family. I asked God to open his heart. I asked God to heal him of whatever it is that was causing his rage. Because there was evidently some brokenness in his life. There's a reason that he's so angry.

I prayed for him. And I prayed for me. I prayed that God would continue to open my heart to see others as Christ sees them. That God would open my heart to see him. To truly love him as Christ loves me. As God loves Jesus. To be loved in the same way.

For hopefully we are not the same Christian today that we were yesterday. We are not the same Christian today that we were when we gathered here for annual conference last year. That we are always growing in the vine and growing with one another.

And when we leave this beautiful place here at Lake Junaluska on Sunday this weekend, hopefully we will not be the same Christian we are this morning. That we will be so connected to the vine that we will continue to grow every single day.

I prayed for growth for him and for myself. I prayed that we could love alike even though we do not think alike. I prayed that I could have the strength to truly love him. As Jesus loves me. As God loves Jesus. And for the spirit to work in me to do so. But I found it hard.

I also prayed that his anger and his hatefulness would not be used to harm others. For you see the message of love for all people. The gospel of love. The gospel of belonging. The gospel of affirmation for everyone. Including those who do not think alike. The gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to upset some people.

There are some that will not take kindly to this message of this abiding, welcoming, generous, overwhelming love for all people. Which is clearly in the gospel of Jesus Christ. For we are all one in Christ Jesus. Some people will get so upset that they will call us names. Just as in the beginning of this great movement. They might just call us Methodists.

The message of love for all people also has the power to transform. When we connect to the vine and we work together as one body. We can and will be the prophetic voice in today's world. Drowning out the noise of hate. The noise of chaos. For the message of love and abiding.

This love has the power to overturn injustice. It has the power to heal those who have been picked on. It has the power to heal those who have been excluded and robbed of their sacred worth. I love how Bishop Carter has phrased our inclusiveness. And that it is time to stop picking on certain people on the playground. Praise be to God.

Now the United Methodist Church following this historic general conference. We can now focus all that energy spent on being divided. We can now focus on connecting to the vine. Abiding in Christ with each other and for the world.

Paul Chilcote writes in his book, "Multiplying Love." He asks what if the United Methodist Church now, post disaffiliation and I'll add post general conference 2024. What if the United Methodist Church can now be the most inclusive loving church in the world?

I ask the question today. What if we? What if we the people of the Western North Carolina Conference? What if we were so connected to the vine? What if we were the most affirming loving people in this part of the state? And we spread this love throughout the world in our connection with God and one another. How would that be?

When we are close to the vine we understand what God requires of us. And together we can love, mercy, do kindness and walk humbly with our God. We have a clearness about what is of God and what is not. When we abide in the vine we give up the desire for honor and accolades. And we sit at the lowest place of the table and maybe we even give up our seats.

If we interpret this text for this weekend, when it speaks of this pruning. If we interpret it in the communal context in which it was written. Speaking to all people who have the choice to honor or dishonor God. And we look at it in this communal context. What if the branch that is pruned is not people? But the branch that is pruned is the branch in each of us that dishonors the beloved community of God.

This pruning activity is a pruning of our own hearts. The pruning of our church's well-intentioned but misguided priorities. It is the pruning of hunger, violence, and oppression in our communities. Maybe it's time we prune ourselves of the hurt and the harm that we've done to one another these past few years. And we allow the vine to grow in this new day.

To be the church of joyful love where we can all worship and serve together. If we prune ourselves of anxiety for the future. And we stand on the solid ground of hope in Jesus Christ. Maybe it's time we prune ourselves of polarization. Pruned of being on the left, on the right, in the center. Because that does not define us.

What defines us is our connection to the vine. What defines us is our connection to Jesus Christ. Maybe it's time we prune ourselves of racism, phobias, and all isms. What if we pruned ourselves and laid aside the temptation of sin to judge people who are different than ourselves. Who think differently than we do.

What if we pruned ourselves of the language of us and them. And we grew into the vine of we and ours. If we pruned ourselves of resentment and regret. And we pruned ourselves of cheap forgiveness and cheap grace. What if we pruned ourselves and our churches of "we have never done it that way before."

What if we stopped the foolishness of showing up at church to check a box of being a good person. And we stepped, as the Wesley brothers taught us. We stepped into and lived out the radical authentic love of Jesus Christ. Spreading the scriptural holiness across the land.

And we focus on the mission of Jesus Christ to make disciples of all nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Because people are loved by Jesus like God loves Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Wow. Turn to your neighbor and say, "Wow." This is such good news. Now turn to your neighbor and say, "God loves you just as you are." Now turn to your neighbor and say, "But God loves you too much to leave you that way."

Okay one more. And now say to your neighbor, "You need to be pruned." Just as our salvation is a lifelong process. So is this pruning that God calls us to do. One of our guiding principles as good Methodists is there's no personal holiness without social holiness.

And as Dr. Wainwright said in class years ago, you cannot say yes to Jesus and say no to service. When we turn this around and we say there's no social holiness without personal holiness. We cannot fully love our neighbor if we do not connect to the vine.

So you are invited to this table today. To connect to the vine. To receive his goodness and his love and his presence. Come and abide. So that we can spread like a vinca vine and cover the whole yard. We can produce an abundance of apples from an orchard. And we can bear so much fruit and vegetables for the whole city.

And we spread this fruit-bearing love into the world. This table is now truly open. After general conference, this table is truly open to all people. This table is open to the broken and the unbroken. The joyful and grief-stricken. Weak and strong. Young and older. Extrovert, introvert. Black, white, indigenous. Hispanic, Asian, Persian. Republican. Democrat. Independent. And those that just do not care about politics.

This table is open. It is open to the rich and the poor. White collar. Blue collar. Clergy collar. No collar. This table is open to male and female. Non-binary. City proper and country fried. Vegetarian. Meat lover. Gay. Straight. Preppy. Hippy. Educated. Uneducated. Genius. Literate or illiterate. Sweet, nice, sassy, grumpy, or mean as a snake.

Pierced, tattooed, or just as God has made you. This table is open for you today. Come to this table today and know that you are loved. You are loved by Jesus just like God loves Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Wow. What a gift. What a gift. And let us abide together in Christ with each other and for the world. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

All right, all right.

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "Jesus uses this imagery to convey that disciples are dependent on Jesus for their very life. And can do nothing without him. Cannot produce any fruit. Cannot survive. Cannot experience the abundant life that Jesus just talks about earlier in John. And cannot provide the substance of life for others. Without the vine the community withers and dies as well. Without the vine. The branches dry up and they die. With the vine. Connected to the vine. The branches flourish. Take over the yard. Produce some beautiful apples. And feed an entire city." [35:01](41 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "To be connected to the vine is to be loved the same way that God loves Jesus. We are loved in the same way. The indwelling of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The love in the Trinity. The love in this Trinitarian essence. This love that God has for Jesus is the same love that Jesus has for us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Whom the Father sends in Christ's name as Jesus just promised in chapter 14." [35:38](35 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "The word is freedom. Free indeed in Jesus Christ. The word is abundant, given an abundant life. The word is generous grace, more than we all deserve, more than we can comprehend. The word is beloved. The word is redemption. The word is salvation. The word is being a new creation. Free in Christ to grow in the likeness of Christ. The word is love." [42:34](39 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "The message of love for all people. The gospel of love. The gospel of belonging. The gospel of affirmation for everyone. Including those who do not think alike. The gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to upset some people. There are some that will not take kindly to this message of this abiding, welcoming, generous, overwhelming love for all people. Which is clearly in the gospel of Jesus Christ. For we are all one in Christ Jesus." [48:50](32 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5. "This table is now truly open. After general conference. This table is truly open to all people. This table is open to the broken and the unbroken. The joyful and grief stricken. Weak and strong. Young and older. Extrovert, introvert. Black, white, indigenous. Hispanic, Asian, Persian. Republican. Democrat. Independent. And those that just do not care about politics." [58:32](33 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




### Quotes for Members

1. "When we are close to the vine we understand what God requires of us. And together we can love, mercy, do kindness and walk humbly with our God. We have a clearness about what is of God and what is not. When we abide in the vine we give up the desire for honor and accolades. And we sit at the lowest place of the table and maybe we even give up our seats." [52:25](29 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "What if the branch that is pruned is not people. But the branch that is pruned is the branch in each of us that dishonors the beloved community of God. This pruning activity is a pruning of our own hearts. The pruning of our church's well intentioned but misguided priorities. It is the pruning of hunger, violence and oppression in our communities. Maybe it's time we prune ourselves of the hurt and the harm that we've done to one another these past few years." [53:44](39 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "For hopefully we are not the same Christian today that we were yesterday. We are not the same Christian today that we were when we gathered here for annual conference last year. That we are always growing in the vine and growing with one another. And when we leave this beautiful place here. At Lake Junaluska on Sunday this weekend. Hopefully we will not be the same Christian we are this morning. That we will be so connected to the vine. That we will continue to grow every single day." [47:42](43 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "What if we pruned ourselves and laid aside the temptation of sin to judge people who are different than ourselves. Who think differently than we do. What if we pruned ourselves of the language of us and them. And we grew into the vine of we and ours. if we pruned ourselves of resentment and regret. And we pruned ourselves of cheap forgiveness and cheap grace. What if we pruned ourselves and our churches of we have never done it that way before." [55:06](42 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5. "One of our guiding principles as good Methodists is there's no personal holiness without social holiness. And as Dr. Wainwright said in class years ago you cannot say yes to Jesus and say no to service. When we turn this around there is no. And when we turn it around and we say there's no social holiness without personal holiness. We cannot fully love our neighbor if we do not connect to the vine. So you are invited to this table today. To connect to the vine. To receive his goodness and his love and his presence. Come and abide." [56:46](38 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)