For Christians Only

      O Star of Truth shining through clouds of doubt and fear, I ask but beneath your guidance, my pathway may appear. However long the journey, how soe’er hard it be, though I be lone and wary, lead on, I’ll still follow thee. Though loving friends forsake me, or plead with me in tears; though angry foes may threaten to shake my soul with fears. Still to my high allegiance, I must not faithless be. Through life or death forever, lead on… I’ll follow thee. Words to an old hymn that capture the resolve and commitment that are necessary for any relationship to endure. All lasting relationships call on us to trust and stay the course, to remain, and this from our own marital relationships. For better or worse, we say when we say our wedding vows, seldom knowing at the time what for better or worse means. Looking back however, we see that our journey together was filled with valleys and hills, with long stretches that made us wonder “is this all there is?” and with radical twists and turns that made us cry out, “what’s going on around here?” Our marital relationships are based on resolve and trust- all intimate relationships are- and although they're both tested now and then, we stay the course, we don’t quit, we surrender to the relationship without surrendering our soul… and we remain, which is what it means to “abide.”

      The Greek word for abide is “meno” and we encounter it in the New Testament over 100 times. Sometimes, it’s meaning is as simple as staying with for dinner or staying overnight, but sometimes "meno" carries a deeper meaning. For instance, when Jesus was suffering at Gethsemane, he asked his disciples “to remain” (abide) with him while he went to pray. Abide we me, he said, in my hour of need. Be present to me. Likewise, when Jesus encountered a man who was possessed with a demon living among the Geradenes, he said, this man doesn’t live in a home, but abides among the tombs. Some people, you know, do abide among the tombs. They remain there. Others remain in their sins and there are those who won't let go of their addictions. Some people are like McScrooge, they abide in their vaults, counting their money again and again. 

      We can abide in whatever we choose. It's up to us. But when Jesus said, "I am the vine, abide in me," he wasn't speaking to those who weren't interested in following him. He wasn't speaking to those who were opposed or apathetic to him. Nor was he speaking to those who little more than an idle curiosity about him, who sometimes thought about following him. He was beginning a farewell address to men and women who wanted to carry on, who wanted to bear fruit for him, who desired to please him, and he said, if you want to be fruitful, if you want to endure, abide in me and let me abide in you. 

      Love… is the stuff that relationships are made of …and relationships are the stuff that make our Christian journeys possible. We are called to love God with all of our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves, but we can’t do either one unless we are in relationship. We are commanded to love one another as Christ loves us… but we can’t do that unless we’re in  relationship with Christ and with His body. Strength for the journey comes from loving relationships and this is especially so with God. And so, we come face-to-face with John’s last I AM “ego eimi” statement, “I am the Vine. Abide in me and I in you (because) a branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in me.” Christians who want to be Christians need to abide in Christ. They need a relationship with Christ and his followers. They need to nurture that relationship in several ways and keep it at the top of their minds. 

      And so, how do we do it? How do we abide in Christian? Well, let me suggest the following ways. There are others, I'm sure, but 7 is a good Biblical number: 1) Decide to strengthen your relationship with Christ. Make it a priority. Choose to do it because it won't happen otherwise; 2) Talk to Him. Pray. Talk to him in the morning and at night, at mealtimes and throughout the day. You don't need a theological degree to share your praise, your joys and your concerns- so talk to God. If you aren’t talking, your relationship is in trouble; 3) Open your Bible. Learn God’s word and let it speak to you. Join a group, have someone explain it to you, start a daily devotion. Allow the word of God to affirm, direct, challenge, and sometimes correct you. Listen as you read and your relationship with God will grow;  4) join a church because it is the body of Christ. Being a Christian is a community affair. There are other people on the road too. We walk with them, they walk with us, and together we serve and grow in our relationship with Christ. They may be short or tall, black or white, talkative or reserved, burdened with issues or free from worry, charming and witty or not so much, sincere or insincere… but they are our brothers and sisters in Christ; 4) increase your God-consciousness. Be a practicing Christian. Consciously look for ways, people and events in which God is speaking to you. Sharpen your vision and your hearing, soften your heart and open your mind... so that you will see and experience Christ in others; 5) start each day with a gratitude list and end each day with an honest assessment. How did I live as a Christian today? Did I bear fruits of kindness and gentleness? Did I witness to anyone in word or deed?  6) Forgive as if there is no tomorrow. Forgive until you feel a bit silly about because forgiving is the most Christian thing that you can do; and 7) don’t quit. Abide! Don’t let your doubts get the best of you. Don’t let your pride or a bad church experience get in your way. Don’t give in to the tempters who call your name along the way, and when the going gets tough, remember your baptism, as Martin Luther used to say.

      Make a decision to be a Christian, nurture your relationship with Christ and his followers, and stick with it. Abide. Do this and you will bear fruit. Let this be your creed: I am a Christian. I march to a different drummer. I’ve embraced a new identity and a greater truth. I measure success in a different way now and I see others in a new light. I have decided in live in Christ and to love those whom He puts in my life. I invest at least as much effort in my relationship with Christ as I do with other relationships that are important to me. I talk to Christ and listen too, I read His word and let it speak to me, I hang out with his people and take part in his community. I live as a Christian in all phases of my life and I let my light shine. These things I do to glorify God and I won’t change course for anything in the world… because He is the truth and, in Him, I am free. Amen!