Another Sad Stick Story

From the series Be the Branch

In verse 6 Jesus says, “ Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches
are gathered into a pile to be burned.” Our Mantra is “Be the Branch” but the alternative is to be the stick that gets
thrown in the burn pile. Jesus says if we are connected to him we will bear much fruit, but if we aren’t
connected then we can’t really do anything. The sad story of the stick is that although from a distance people
might be fooled, up close it becomes clear it is incapable of bearing real fruit. As a church we don’t want to
be a bunch of sticks with fake fruit that we have tied on. We are the branches. Our production is a byproduct
of our connection to the vine. If Jesus is our life source, then as branch’s our job is to stay connected to the
vine. If not, the result is a sad stick story that ends in the rubble of empty accomplishments.