"I am the true vine"

I love talking about vines because they produce wine! As a wine lover I know how much tender care is lavished on grape vines to achieve a good product. Vines are grown commercially on a grand scale all over the world. No longer are the best wines to be found only in France for growers in many other countries have learned how to grow grapes to make wine. In the UK we are fortunate in having access to just about every type of wine available. Our climate is a difficult one in which one can grow vines capable of producing a good wine.

However, this is not to say that there are no decent wines made from UK grapes. I know of two vineyards I have visited in the UK where you can find good wine. One is by the River Dart and the other is here in Anglesey 15 minutes from where I live. From each of these establishments I have purchased good wine, worthy of mention. In each case the owners have lavished great attention on their vines in order to achieve excellence.

I was talking yesterday to the owner of our local vineyard and I asked him about his vines and how far back they were pruned. The answer was that they were pruned back to the third bud. Jesus spoke about this when he referred to pruning in order to encourage new growth. Each year this process has to be completed correctly to ensure that the new growth is strong and plentiful. The wine being nurtured starts its life in the vine itself. We are called on to graft ourselves onto Jesus, the "true vine". Just like every garden in this world it is a matter of constantly working to see that the best standards are maintained.

This year I have found that extra bit of effort and stuck to the job of weeding my gardens, front and rear. Only today have I completed that task but it is important that I keep on top of the garden or it will defeat me eventually. Along with this I have built extra staging for my greenhouse to maximise the number of plants grown. I hope that eventually I will see the glory of all those plants coming to flower in the garden. The whole process has been undertaken with the harvest in mind. What a kick I get out of seeing tiny sprouts emerging in the seed trays. This reminds me that it is like working in God's vineyard. here too is joy and happiness to see the results of attentive work among the plants.

To see a seed coming through as a plant is to be reminded of the Resurrection of Jesus. It is all about "new life." The seed appears to be something dry and without life but, given the correct treatment by the gardener, it responds by coming to life as a lovely plant. Some of the seeds I have planted are microscopic and yet they bring forth such abundant flowers as they reach their zenith.

The work we do in the vineyard is crucial to the success of God's work in today's world. In a sense there are two separate ways of thinking about what we do. Firstly, we are called to graft ourselves on to Jesus, the true vine. This is absolutely essential. It is in this passage that Jesus refers to us as his friends. No longer are we the slaves of God as were the Old Testament prophets and leaders. Now we have become elevated to the status of being friends of Jesus. The late Professor William Barclay, in his Daily Study Bible, speaks about the Roman emperors who also had people referred to as friends. They even had access to Caesar's bedroom at the beginning of a day. They were closer to Caesar than any of his generals and other politicians. In like manner we are closer to Jesus than anyone else. we are so close we are grafted on to him.

There is also the reference to our work in the vineyard. It is vital that we carefully examine the nature and purpose of that work. By doing so we shall discover the way forward is all about TLC - Tender Loving Care. Thus we are not only friends of Jesus but friends of each other. We become trustworthy comrades in arms as we work together to get the message of Jesus across to the world in which we live and work. Loving one another is an important part of going forward in the name of Jesus. we are vital to the cause and we need to see that Jesus has no hands but ours and no feet but ours. Trusting in him and his judgement, we shall achieve great things. This will not be for us but for God, our creator and friend.

It's great to be a Christian because we are involved with the greatest figure in all history. We really are members of the A team! But what we now need most is courage. It is courage that will lead to our picking up our tools to work for Jesus. We need to make that start and make progress as we meet people from all manner of places in our daily life. It's hard work but it's rewarding work to be God's gardener!