Abiding in Christ

November 11, 2018

Greetings Family and Friends,

Jesus instructs us to abide in Him. Yesterday the Women’s Missionary Society considered this instruction and how we follow it in our daily lives. We considered together what it means to “abide.” Some biblical translations use the terms “remain” or “dwell.” For me, to abide in something means to live in it, to be at home in it, and yes, to stay there!

Below is the portion of scripture we considered together. It is the NRSV translation. The NRSV is said to be the closest attempt at preserving the original language in translation. I have embellished the text by replacing the word “abide” with “live” to better align the text to our context today.

John 15:4-11 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
4 Live in me as I live in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it lives in the vine, neither can you unless you live in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who live in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not live in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you live in me, and my words live in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become[a] my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; live in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will live in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and live in his love. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

For those of us who are blessed to have consistent shelter, a place we can call home, I invite to think about the way you relate to your home. If you do not currently have a consistent shelter, I invite you to consider the church as your home. There is a relationship that we have with our homes. To live there means to cultivate things there; to go back there at the end of each day with a level of expectation. Even if there is discomfort in your home, there is a sense that you belong there. Sometimes living in Christ will be challenging yet we are instructed to stay there, to dwell there, to keep coming back as temptations seek to lure us away.

Are you living in Christ? How is it working for you? Are you seeing fruit? How do you know? Is your joy complete?

From one branch to another,
Rev. Ineda P. Adesanya