scripture and prayer reflection
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Lyrics
I will wait to see the day
Of your vine
Of your vine
Will you take into the hands of thine
This heart of mine
This heart of mine
There is a vineyard of the Lord
There is a vineyard for us all
With all our troubles left behind the door
We drink first light until the dawn
There is love
There is love
In the Lord
There is a forest built without the thorns
There is a vineyard for us all
We are all pillars in the store rooms of
His love and his mercy
There is love
There is love
In the Lord
Oh my soul, oh my soul
Will drink you in, will drink you in
So tell me Lord, tell me Lord
Will you let me drink you in?
There is a vineyard of the Lord
There is a vineyard for us all
He's burning up the clouds without remorse
Yeah they burn with his coming
There is love
There is love
In the Lord
John 15:1-17
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
Reflection
Grounding our identity in Christ can sound like a very abstract concept. What does it mean to find our identity in another person? It can at times become a sort of catchphrase we use without realizing we haven’t necessarily thought through what we mean by it. Oftentimes when thinking about identity in Christ, it’s easy to slip into talking about it in terms of something along the lines of “My identity is in Christ, therefore I should (or shouldn’t) feel/do/be __________.” Depending on the situation, different things fill in the blank:
“My identity is in Christ, therefore I should be totally fine with this challenging and difficult situation.”
“My identity is in Christ, therefore I shouldn’t feel so insecure.”
“My identity is in Christ, therefore I should do more, be better.”
“My identity is in Christ, therefore I shouldn’t feel like I need this thing that I’m longing for.”
But the problem with all of these ideas is that they are really all focused on ourselves. I should be better, do better, feel better. It’s easy to divorce an abstract and catchphrase idea of identity in Christ from interacting with Christ Himself. Rather than turning to Christ and asking Him to ground our identity, we often hunker down and try to muscle our way through it on our own, as though if we just repeat “My identity is in Christ!” enough times to ourselves, that that will solve the problem.
But it’s not really about forcing ourselves to believe through repeating some sort of mantra, or by trying hard enough on our own. It’s about actually being with Christ. Jesus is our vine, the true source of life. The songwriter uses the image of drinking the Lord in, soaking in the nutrients of the true vine and drawing life from Him — abiding in Him. Our identity is grounded when we understand and experience the reality of who we are to Him, who He sees us to be. When He looks at us, He sees beloved children and friends. What He feels for us is love.
And that is how our identity is grounded in Christ. It’s in spending time with Him, soaking in the fact that in the deepest, most core part of our beings, we are loved by God. That is what defines us. That is what changes everything.
Take some time to reflect on your own life. Have there been times where “identity in Christ” has become an abstract or catchphrase idea? Have there been times that you’ve tried to ground your identity in Him through your own will power, by trying to somehow make yourself believe it? Why do you think it feels so easy to slip into trying to ground our identity in our own power? What would it look like to re-involve Christ in the grounding process? To spend time soaking in His love for you? Talk with God about what comes up.
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