“No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing”.
John 15: 4-5
When I got home the other day, I flipped the light switch on to the den. Nothing. I tried manually turning the switch on to the lamp. Click, click. Still nothing. “Must be a bad bulb,” I thought. So I went to the laundry room, retrieved the last bulb in the box, unscrewed the old one, popped in the new one, turned the switch, and PRESTO…nothing. Flipped the light switch on the wall only to be left still standing in the dark like a dummy.
Then and only then did I think to look behind the couch to discover that the cat dislodged the lamp cord from the outlet. Shouldn’t that have been the first thing I checked? After feeling like a fool for about four seconds, I reconnected the cord to the outlet and then turned to look and see if there were any Steele spectators who would flee the scene and then blab about my boneheadedness. Nobody saw, but alas, I’m telling the entire Ohio Valley, so…the cat’s out of the bag.
Funny, isn’t it, that so much can be intact; a lot can be in place, and yet a purpose can be lost when there’s no connection to power? A lamp can’t bear light on its own and we cannot function, much less bear the fruit we’re capable of when we’re disconnected. The words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of John are just as relevant today as when they were first proclaimed. The truth is the truth: Apart from a steadfast, consistent, committed, and communal connection to Christ, the light bulb is a long way from coming on.
Here me: Your life, your Christian walk won’t work in isolation. It wasn’t designed to work that way. Contained within this post is pertinent information about ways you and your family can get connected in a class or small group starting in September. That’s right: September 12th marks the date that our small groups, Sunday school classes, and kids programming will kickoff! Concurrently, our 8:30 am chapel service and 11 am worship (which will feature the return of our chancel choir) are slated to resume on that date as well.
Mark your calendars, but more importantly, take spiritual stock! The human heart craves community. Followers of Christ cannot carry on in vital ways bereft of a connection. So, consider this to be less an invitation and more a lifeline. Don’t be satisfied with stagnancy. Come, contribute, ask, struggle, be present, participate, put your hand in the pile, connect with this faith family and the power of God’s word and experience the ways you’ll see the world in a different kind of light.
Click here to visit our “Faith Growth” page and find out how you can deepen your own journey of faith. We very much look forward to seeing you and sojourning with you!
In Christ,
Pastor Jake
Update! Due to the rise in infection rates of the COVID 19 Delta variant, the return to our traditional 8:30 am & 11:00 am worship schedule (previously slated for Sept. 12th) as well as the return of our chancel choir has been postponed until November 1st. The return of Sunday School and small groups are currently in discussion. We will keep you posted! Click here for CUMC’s updated worship memo to learn more.