Sermon Recap

This week, Pastor Jon opened John 15:1–17, where Jesus declares "I am the true vine," and asked a question most of us are quietly carrying: is it possible to pour yourself out without burning out? Jesus' answer is yes, but only if we stay connected to him as the source. Pastor Jon unpacked the weight of this claim by rooting it in its Old Testament context. Israel had long been called God's vine, but proved unfaithful. Jesus arrives as the true and faithful vine, shifting the basis of belonging with God from ethnic identity and Torah obedience to spiritual union with Christ himself. Everything Israel was meant to be — fruitful, blessed, a light to the world — is now found in Him.

The heart of the message was a call to abide, which Pastor Jon defined simply as receiving and responding to Christ's love. He pushed back on two common distortions — thinking that more religious activity equals more spiritual life, and chasing experiences over cultivating genuine connection with Jesus. Drawing on the transformation of John the Beloved from "Son of Thunder" to the apostle of love, Jon showed that becoming a person of love isn't the result of trying harder, but of remaining close to the heart of Jesus until his love becomes the operating system of your life. Practically, abiding means letting his words reshape your inner narrative, praying from a place of security rather than striving, obeying out of love rather than obligation, and giving that love away to others.