Scripture“The branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine” (John 15.4)Reflection:Was Jesus stating the obvious? Vines need lots of pruning if they are to bear a good crop, and pruned shoots never do get to produce fruit. “I” said Jesus “am the true vine”.It’s like the parable of the seeds – some seeds get started but… To live, and to live well, we need not just physical blood supply, we need a constant supply of fresh Spirit. If mains appliances are unplugged, they stop working; rechargeable batteries need a power source. The life and words of Jesus are a source of inspiration: the story of the Resurrection is not about the past, it’s a way of saying that the power for good that was shown in Jesus is very much alive and with us. Let’s not get cut off!David Harmsworth
Scripture11 ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.’ (John 10:11-18)ReflectionThe picture that Jesus paints is vivid. The wolf comes, the hired hand runs away, the sheep are snatched and scattered. We can feel the violence, the fear of the hired hand and the sheep, the destructive force of the wolf. Who is the wolf for you? Is it the devil? Is it your own fear? Is it outside forces over which we have no control? Whoever, or whatever is scaring you and sending you to flight, learn to listen instead to the voice of your good shepherd, Jesus Christ. He knows you, and he loves you. He has laid down his life for you, that’s how much he loves you! He lays down his life for his sheep, but he does so willingly, without compulsion or coercion. And this is how we recognise his love. It is free and freely given, and it sets us free. Free to give ourselves to love, to one another and to life itself. Revd Ylva
