Abide in me as I abide in you.
Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself
unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you unless you abide in me. 

I am the vine, you are the branches.
Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit,
because apart from me you can do nothing… 

I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you,
and that your joy may be complete.

– John 15: 4,5,11

It’s the season for cheering for our teams… Go Vikings! Go Chiefs! Go Packers! (er…sorry about that game last Sunday). Go Buccaneers? Conversations are filled with comments like “we beat them” or “I’m really nervous about the coming game.” It’s pretty common for “me” and “we” to get intermixed. Here is more on this.

Envision a three-ring target. Each ring has a meaning-- a “story” attached to it. Each story/ring represents part of our identity. There is MY story (center), OUR story (middle ring), THE story (encircling everything). 

• MY story is what makes me unique: experiences, birthplace, talents, interests, etc. It is the part of us that we know best, but it is also fragile so we connect with something larger—OUR story. 
• OUR story is the teams, the nationality, the ethnic or religious group, or the political party that we identify with. This story gives us more stability. “I am a Lutheran!” “I am a Vikings fan!” “I am an Olson!” We subsume our individual identities into the larger one. These identities can give us meaning and purpose—and often a lot of fun. (There are certainly downsides to losing our individuality in the larger group…for another discussion.)
• THE story encompasses them all. It is the Creator’s story, an infinite story beyond earthly identities. It is more than religion. Rather than saying “I am a Lutheran,” it says “I am a Child of God.” It affirms truths like forgiveness, love, kindness.

(My thanks to Father Richard Rohr for helping me to understand this story idea)

Spiritual maturity encompasses all 3 realms. It is knowing that I am lovable and capable and part of a larger movement in the world—God’s movement, the Spirit’s movement. It is more than belonging to a group but living with an eternal perspective. It is seeing others as members of different groups but all embraced by a larger Force—that of unending love.

Jesus told his followers that we are like branches attached to him—the vine. His grace is essential for experiencing the joy that God intended for us. Of course we are individuals, but through Baptism we have been tied to the larger story of Jesus...the power of the Holy Spirit at work. For sure, we cheer for our teams and have fun with competition. But we know that everyone we see is embraced by THE story, the story that holds everything.  

– Rolf Olson, Visitation Pastor

Prayer

Eternal, embracing God, your world is so much bigger than ours, yet you choose to pay attention to each one of us. We are tied to you, embraced by you, nourished by you. Thank you for the fun of friendly competition but keep us mindful of the common embrace that we share—yours. Amen.