The Long and the Short of It

The Long and the Short of It

Scripture: John 15:9-17

May 10, 2015

Midweek Questions

How do you live in “long obedience in the same direction” to God?
What kind of fruit are you bearing?

SERMON SUMMARY

Jesus shaped his disciples much like a loving parent seeks to shape her or his children, showing the Way by sharing expectations for the short term as well as keeping an eye on the long-term result. In his “farewell address” to the disciples, Jesus shared his expectations: love one another and love others, and bear fruit that will last.

A Guide for Daily Reading and Meditation

A Prayer for Every Day: Creator of friendships and families, whose love lifts us from mindless servitude to caring community, we thank you for the guidance of your commandments and the promise of joy in Jesus Christ. We seek to love as we have been loved, to risk life itself for the sake of our sisters and brothers, and to bear fruit that will last. Grant us the strength and courage we need. Amen.[1]

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MONDAY

ReadJohn 15:9-17 (NRSV)[2]

9As the Father has loved me, so I have 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 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. 12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17 I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

Imagine yourself to be one of the disciples at the last meal you will have with Jesus. Imagine that he is speaking these words to you. What questions do you want to ask him? Remember that you know him well, so imagine what fruit he expect you to bear – not the fruit he expects the disciples to bear as a group, but you personally. Write down the fruit that comes to mind.
Now reflect on the fruit you have borne in your life. Be specific.
What do you need to do?

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TUESDAY

Re-read this week’s scripture lesson 2 times today:

As you read the first time, note words or phrases that jump out at you today. What is the significance of those words/phrases for you?
The second time you read, write down what you think God is saying to you today about your practice of your faith.
Talk about #2 with someone that you trust.

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WEDNESDAY

Ralph Milton wrote the following on his blog in 2009, a comment on this week’s gospel lesson:

John 15:9-17 – Again, words like “command” need a bit of poking at. That phase does not mean “You are my friends if you do exactly what I tell you without quibbling.” That kind of demand doesn’t reflect love.

I am a very fortunate person in that I have a number of friends. I wouldn’t say that to them, nor would they say it to me. And yet our mutual yearning, desire, is to respond to the other’s needs. That’s part of the friendship, and we try to respond to, or at the very least, respect those needs.

Jesus doesn’t want our mindless flattery – a litany of praises – constantly telling Jesus how wonderful he is and what awful scum we are. Yet, that’s the content of many prayers and praise songs. That’s not love. That’s mindless dependence.

Jesus wants our friendship, and doing what he commands means caring what he cares for. Not blindly, but intelligently and freely. Loving what he loves. Working for justice for the rest of the human flock God loves so much.[3]

Rev. Milton has addressed a challenging aspect of a very familiar scripture. Scripture has been written and translated again and again, and sometimes the language struggles to express the original meaning. That sometimes leads to faulty interpretation if we always understand what we have read literally. Rev. Milton has done a credible job of interpreting this passage’s intent. What he wrote makes sense in the context of the wider story of Jesus’ life and ministry. What do you think?

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THURSDAY

This week’s gospel lesson is tied to last week’s (which we did not read). Last week’s story is when Jesus tells the disciples that he is the Vine and they are the branches. (John 15:1-8) In the version of John 15 that I read, there isn’t even a paragraph break between last week’s story and this week’s. It is all of one piece.

Today, spend some time sketching what it means to be so intimately connected with God. The texts clearly show that the more we are connected to the Vine, the more we will be able to bear fruit that will last. Sketch the vine and some fruit. Be as abstract or as literal as you want to be. Ask yourself as you sketch: what kind of fruit is God calling me to bear?

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FRIDAY

On Sunday, the praise band sang Word of God Speak by Mercy Me for the pre-service music. It is a beautiful prayer, seeking God in the scriptures – one way to abide. The words are below, and I encourage you to go to this url ( to listen and then sing along – praying this text over and over, for at least a week.

The story behind this song is very telling and adds to the meaning:

Four o’clock in the morning is a good time for Bart Millard. The outgoing lead vocalist for Mercy Me and award-winning songwriter does a lot of good work in the wee hours—even if he doesn’t always remember it.

Being on the road means a lot of late nights for the guys in the band—loading up gear after performing for several hours and greeting fans for several hours after that, finding the closest all-night greasy spoon or fast-food drive-thru, and then settling in to get some sleep.

For Mercy Me, that endless cycle was made even more complicated by the fact that they were touring in support of the huge hit single “I Can Only Imagine,” and were booked solid for months. Meanwhile, it was time to start working on the follow-up project to Almost There—and there was just no time in their crazy schedules to write songs or hit the studio.

So producer Pete Kipley joined the band on the road. Wherever their travels took them, Pete and the band would find time to work on the new album. In between morning and evening services at church camps in places like New Mexico and Georgia, the band would head back to that week’s temporary home for musical inspiration.

Not that inspiration always came. Or did it? One night, Bart hit the sack thinking about how burned out he was. Traveling and making a record was exhausting.

“I went to bed just really frustrated,” he recalls. “It started feeling like everything I was saying was the same. I just thought, I have nothing else to say. So I went to bed with that on my mind.”

About 3 or 4 in the morning, Bart suddenly woke up. Grabbing his journal, he began to write:

I’m finding myself at a loss for words

And the funny thing is, it’s okay

The last thing I need is to be heard

But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak

Would you pour down like rain

Washing my eyes to see

Your majesty

And then he tucked away his journal and went back to sleep.

A few weeks later in Nashville, Mercy Me was finally putting the finishing touches on their new album, Spoken For. Rummaging through his things, Bart pulled out a journal and began to read. It’s vaguely familiar, he thinks, and it is my handwriting. These lyrics are amazing! And then the dreamlike moment came back to him—and soon became the beginning to one of Mercy Me’s most popular songs.

“We never stopped while making that record,” says Bart. “We’re in the studio, and at four in the morning, our producer says, I wish we could get one more song on this record. I wish we had more time. So I said, I’ve got an idea, and showed him the lyrics.”

In the early morning hours at the studio, the two hashed out the music and finished the lyrics to Word of God Speak in about 30 minutes. They recorded the piano that night, and the next morning arranged for someone to come in and add the strings. The whole song was complete in less than 48 hours.

It was important to Bart that the song remain stripped down—just a simple piano and vocal song without the band, even though he knew that adding full production could make the song a huge radio hit. (read more at [4]

What does this song-prayer say to you or say for you? How does it help you connect with God – to abide?

Word of God Speak

Performed by Mercy Me; Written by Peter C. Kipley and Bart Millard

Lyrics © and published byWarner/Chappell Music, Inc.

CCLI License #1011499

I'm finding myself at a loss for words

And the funny thing is it's okay

The last thing I need is to be heard

But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak

Would You pour down like rain

Washing my eyes to see

Your majesty

To be still and know

That You're in this place

Please let me stay and rest

In Your holiness

Word of God speak

I'm finding myself in the midst of You

Beyond the music, beyond the noise

All that I need is to be with You

And in the quiet hear Your voice

Word of God speak

Would You pour down like rain

Washing my eyes to see

Your majesty

To be still and know

That You're in this place

Please let me stay and rest

In Your holiness

Word of God speak

Would You pour down like rain

Washing my eyes to see

Your majesty

To be still and know

That You're in this place

Please let me stay and rest

In Your holiness

Word of God speak

I'm finding myself at a loss for words

And the funny thing is it's okay

~ Rev. Vivian McCarthy, Pastor

Reisterstown UMC

May 10, 2015

[2]New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[3] From Rumors, by Ralph Milton found at

[4] By Melissa Hambrick as posted on Crosswalk.com at