Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for May 3, 2015

“Christ the True Vine,” Orthodox icon, Athens, 16th century.

This sweet, funny story carried a powerful message to the young church a few generations after Jesus: This church is open to all, no matter who you are; joining the community through baptism is as easy as asking for it. Even an Ethiopian – a foreigner from a strange land and a eunuch as well, barred from Judaism because his physical condition renders him biblically unclean – is welcome as an equal. So with mutual joy, just like that, Philip baptizes him as one of us.

Psalm: Psalm 22:24-30

A traditional hymn of praise, today’s Psalm carries a message that resonates with Philip’s warm welcome to the Ethiopian eunuch: God is the ruler of all nations, all the world, those already born and all those yet to come. We live for God, we serve God, we praise God, and we fulfill our vow to God by making sure that the poor are cared for and the hungry are fed.

Second Reading: 1 John 4:7-21

These verses echo and expand upon John the Evangelist’s memorable words, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you … love one another as I have loved you,” which, by the way, we will hear in next week’s Gospel. It is tempting to bask in the warm assurance that God loves us, but note well that we are called to action too: “Love one another” is not just a suggestion: It is half of a covenant. If we can’t love our brothers and sisters, how can we make room in our hearts for God?

Gospel: John 15:1-8

In John’s account of Jesus’ extended farewell to his disciples at the Last Supper, Jesus uses the vineyard as an extended metaphor. Describing vineyard practice that continues to this day, Jesus imagines God cutting out weak branches in order to make the vine strong and productive. If we do not abide in God as God abides in us, we risk being pruned and discarded like the weak vines. Abide in God through Jesus, though – live in God like a sturdy branch on a nurturing vine – and we will be strong and fruitful.