Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Call to Unity
Rev. Baiju Markose
Lutheran School of
Theology, Chicago
I am the vine; you are the branches (v.5)
What a ‘green’ imagery! The image of a vine tree. The tree always triggers imaginations about life and its patterns. In a special way, the imagery represents the web of life. It reminds us that ‘life is possible only through connectivity.’ From the uncharted pattern of the roots to the flowering branches and the nerves of the leaves, it is interconnected and interwoven. The micro and macrocosm are obviously interwoven. Such deep sense of constant connectivity provides us new imaginations, new perspectives, and new initiatives.
Continuity
‘I am the vine and you are the branches,’ by
saying this Jesus proclaims a divine-human continuity. The main thrust of
John’s Gospel is exactly this argument which counters the neo-platonic idea of
gated divine-human realms. In the very beginning, John dismantles such a
fundamental separatism, between divine and human world, through the narration
of incarnation. Reclaiming our bodies and everyday life in this world as the
continuity of the divine is the real challenge today. Divine and human realm
are in constant continuity and in flux.
Connectivity
The image of the vine tree, obviously says
about the connectivity. We are mutually interconnected. Our lives are mutually
interwoven. From such a deep awareness of connectivity, we experience unity. In
other words, unity is intrinsic, not external. Unfortunately, we are
living in a disconnected world. Most often we tend to be separatist, gated, and
closed in the name of caste, color, gender, ethnicity etc. At this vantage
point, the primary and essential thing that we need to do is to enter into the
consciousness of connectivity. As Henry David Thoreau penned; “when I entered
into the unfenced Walden, I regained a deep sense of connectivity.”
Commitment
The word for ‘remain’ is worthy of meditating. hupomenei/paramonei- the
related Greek words for 'remain' means to abide, to sojourn, to stay behind,
etc. A ‘struggle’ is intended along with the action of remaining. Remaining, or
staying is not an unconscious or taken for granted action, but it is a
conscious choice. The word hupomonei, can also be translated as “endurance.” This
points to the creative struggle that Christians should keep in their life and
witness. By revisiting, re-meditating, re-claiming, our rootedness in Christ,
we produce new sprouts of life. And thereby new fruits!
PRAYER
Lord,
help us to enter into the unfenced pattern of love and life in You! Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: