The image of the vine and its branches is a simple yet powerful one. The vine is the source of life for the branches, and while not drawing attention to itself, the purpose of the vine is extremely important. It is the source of life and growth for all that cling to it. Jesus, calling himself the vine, seeks to provide the nourishment of wisdom, knowledge, peace, and love to God's children. By accepting this intimate invitation, we can receive the nourishment we need to bear fruit, the ultimate call from God to humanity.

One might ask, what does it mean to bear fruit and how long does it take to happen? More likely than not, it happens gradually through the joys, sorrows, inspirations, and challenges of a life journey. During these times, how can people stay connected to the vine to receive nourishment and work to bear the fruit of the good news? Jesus' answer is found in John 15:7, "abide in me." Do people understand what it means to abide in Jesus? If they do understand, why don't more people accept the invitation to abide? Do they find it overwhelming? Do they feel alone or unworthy?

In the invitation to "come and see," offered by Jesus in the Gospel of John 1:39, two newly baptized disciples, found the invitation enticing because in Jesus, the disciples saw the evidence of the intimacy between himself and God, an intimacy born at the beginning of time. Christians need the courage to accept the invitation themselves to "come and see" by abiding with Jesus.

To answer these questions, I invited leaders in my congregation to join me in a six-part study of discernment, scripture analysis and personal reflection, to see how this group of people could grow on the vine as individuals and as a group and how they could learn to develop a compelling invitation for others to come and see.