Rosemary Brown is a highly respected minister in Tennessee. She has been featured a number of times on The Protestant Hour National Radio Broadcast. She tells a story about a little girl in her church named Mickey. Mickey is four years old. She is a precious, adorable, out-going little girl who loves to sing.

One Sunday morning, Mickey ran down to the front of the Sanctuary just before the start of the morning worship service and with great excitement, she said: “Miss Rosemary Brown, can I sing a song this morning?” Not wanting to say “no”… or to be a stumbling-block to this vivacious little girl, Rosemary said: “Of course you can.” Then, Rosemary announced to the congregation that four-year-old Mickey would sing the call to worship to start the service.

Rosemary Brown picked up Mickey and stood Mickey on the front pew. She turned her around to face the now expectant and smiling group of people in church that day… and Mickey sang:

“Jesus wuvs me dis I know for da Bible tells me so. Yes, Jesus wuvs me.” And then, Mickey threw her hands straight up in the air (like she had just scored a touchdown) and with a triumphant voice she said: “And, dat’s dat!” And then Mickey sat down. (Rosemary Brown, Protestant Hour Sermon, “The Apple of My Eye,” 3-14-05 -p.3)

Mickey was right on target, wasn’t she? What more do we need to know? Jesus loves us and that’s that. When we are scared or confused or lonely. When we have to make a hard decision or face a tough challenge. When we feel rejected or cast aside by someone. When we lose a loved one or face our own death… What more do we need to know? Jesus loves and that’s that!

But, the problem is that sometimes we forget, that sometimes we turn away from Christ, and look for love and happiness and meaning and excitement and fulfillment in other places… and we come up empty, we come up frustrated, we come up disillusioned.

Have you heard the story about the man who ordered a tree house over the internet? When the box arrived, it had printed on the top the words that have become every parent’s nightmare: “Some assembly required.”

The man began to assemble the tree house (but would you believe it?) as he laid out all the parts on the floor and began reading the instructions, he realized (to his dismay) that the instructions were indeed for a tree house… but the parts were for a sail boat!!

The next day, he sent an angry e-mail message to the company complaining about the mix-up. Back came the reply:

“We are truly sorry for the error and the mix-up and the inconvenience. However, it might make you feel better to consider the fascinating possibility that somewhere today there is a man out on a lake trying to sail your tree house.”

The point is clear: To put something together, you have to have the right parts and the right instructions. This is where faith comes in.
- The only way you can put your life together is through faith.
- Faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. That’s what makes it work.
- That’s the way to assemble your life.
- Root it in Jesus Christ; tie it to Jesus Christ; ground it in Jesus Christ.

Max Lucado in his book, When God Whispers Your Name, puts it dramatically and graphically like this. He says:

“Take a fish and place him on a beach. Watch his gills gasp and scales dry. Is he happy? No! How do you make him happy? Do you cover him with a mountain of cash? Do you get him a beach chair and sunglasses? Do you bring him a Playfish magazine and a martini? Do you wardrobe him in double-breasted fins and people-skinned shoes? Of course not! So, how do you make him happy? You put him back in his element. That’s what you do. You put him back in the water. He will never be happy on the beach because he was not made for the beach.

Indeed so and the same is true for you and me. We will never be happy living apart from the One who made us and saved us. Just like a fish was made to live in water… we were made to live in close fellowship with our Lord… and nothing can take the place of that.”

That’s what this passage in John 15 is all about. Just a few days before the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus said to His disciples, “I am the vine, you are the branches.”

In other words, “Stay connected to me and you will live and thrive and bear fruit. Apart from me, you will wither and die.”

The Apostle Paul spoke about that in his writings. Let me paraphrase him like this:

“I gave you a good foundation, Jesus Christ. You build on Jesus Christ. If you build with gold and silver or straw, it will fade. You must build your life on Jesus Christ. Stay connected to Him.” “Staying connected to Christ,”… it is so crucial for us as Christians. Let me show you what I mean with three thoughts.

I. FIRST OF ALL, STAY CONNECTED TO CHRIST’S SERVANT MENTALITY.

Serving others, loving others, reaching out to others, helping others… this was (without question) the approach (the life-style) Jesus chose.

In his book, Living on Tiptoe, Cecil Myers reminds us of a time when a group of educators in our country wanted to honor Albert Schweitzer… and they brought him to America.

The University of Chicago planned to give him an honorary degree. When Albert Schweitzer’s train arrived, the university leaders ran to greet him warmly and they told him of their joy in having him here in America.

But then as they turned to leave the train station, suddenly Albert Schweitzer was gone. He just disappeared, vanished, slipped away. They looked everywhere for him. Finally, they found him. He was carrying a suitcase for an elderly woman. He saw that she was having trouble and rushed over to help her.

You see, it was so much a part of his life to be a servant for others that it was as natural as breathing for him (when he got off the train) to begin immediately to look for somebody to help. That was his approach to life… and he had learned that from the Bible… he had learned that in Church… he had learned that from Jesus. Albert Schweitzer loved to help other people because he was strongly connected to Christ and His servant mentality.

The university officials said later that when they saw Dr. Schweitzer helping that woman with her suitcase… they were wishing like everything that they could find somebody they could help… somebody whose suitcase they could carry.

Put that over against this. Some years ago, Mother Teresa was asked by a reporter one day, “What is your biggest problem?” Without a moment of hesitation, Mother Teresa answered with one word: “Professionalism.” She said:

“Here are these servants of Jesus who care for the poorest of the poor. I have one who just went off and came back with her medical degree. Others have come back with registered nurse degrees. Another with a master’s in social work… and when they came back with their degrees… their first question always is, ‘Where is my office?’ Then she said, ‘But you know what I do? I send them over to the House of the Dying where they simply hold the hands of dying people for six months and after that, they’re ready to be servants again.’”

(Victor D. Pentz, “Take This Job and Love It” Protestant Hour Sermon, 3/14/2005, p.3)

This was the greatness of Mother Teresa… her unflinching commitment to stay connected to Christ’s Servant Mentality.

That’s your calling and mine as Christians… not to be “prima donnas,” but to be Christ-like servants. Servants, strongly and unwaveringly connected to Christ’s Servant Mentality.

Some years ago, I was walking up to the building where our Texas Annual Conference was being held. A young woman was just behind me. I held the door open for her. She was offended by that and she said: “You didn’t have to hold the door open for me because I’m a woman.” And I said: “I didn’t hold the door open for you because you are a woman. I held the door open for you because you are a person. I learned in Sunday School long ago to be a courteous and polite servant to everybody. If you had been a man, I would have held the door open for you.” And she said, “Cool!”

Well, it is “cool” when we stay connected to Christ’s Servant Mentality when we get up in the morning and go through the day looking constantly (natural as breathing) for ways we can be Christ-like servants.

II. SECOND, STAY CONNECTED TO CHRIST’S GREAT PROMISE.

After the resurrection, Christ reassured and encouraged the disciples and told them to take up His ministry… and then He gave them His great promise: “Lo, I am with you always.”

That promise “Christ’s presence always with them” is what kept the early disciples going. It gave them strength and assurance and hope and courage and comfort and inspiration. That’s exactly what it does for us… so we need to stay strongly and unwaveringly connected to Christ’s great promise: “I will not leave you alone. I am with you always.”

The Apostle Paul later put it like this: “Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”

Her name is Jan Lancaster. She lives in Michigan. Suddenly, there was an economic recession and Jan’s husband lost the job he had held for eighteen years. Without income, Jan and her husband soon lost their home.

Jan became angry with God. They didn’t deserve this. Why did God allow this to happen to them? Jan became so depressed and disillusioned that it took its toll and had an impact on her relationship with God. But, even in the depths of despair, Jan still had faith that somehow God would help her family turn their lives around… and that somehow God would help them find another home. But Jan was impatient. She wanted to see evidence of God’s concern immediately.

A few years later, Jan and her husband and their 19 year-old daughter moved into a new home. As Jan was lining the kitchen shelves with paper… she became frustrated because she could not get the paper to sty flat. She started again, folding and smoothing down one small section at a time. This method worked very well and suddenly right there in her new kitchen, Jan was struck by a powerful insight.

“Suddenly, it was clear to me,” she said, “that this was very much how the Lord had brought us through the last three years… one small step at a time… teaching and leading us day by day.”

There in the kitchen Jan began to cry. She thanked God for bringing them through those difficult times… through that time of struggle, she had grown closer than ever to both her husband and her daughter. “Most important,” Jan said, “I could see that no matter what happens in my life, what is added on or taken away… Christ will be there with me.” (Jan Lancaster, “Angry at God” Upper Room, March/April 1993, p.9)

“Lo, I am with you always” that is the great promise of Christ to us… and it is crucial that we as Christians stay strongly connected… First – to Christ’s Servant Mentality and Second – to Christ’s Great Promise to always be with us.

III. THIRD AND FINALLY, STAY CONNECTED TO CHRIST’S AMAZING GRACE.

Remember the old story about the minister who dreamed that he had died and was trying to get into heaven? When he approached the gates, St. Peter told him he needed 100 points to get in.

Proudly, the minister said: “Well, I was a minister for 43 years.” “That’s fine,” said St. Peter. “That’s worth one point.” “One point? Is that all?” cried the minister. “Just one point for 43 years of service?” “Yes, that’s correct,” answered St. Peter. “Well, I visited shut-ins.” “One point.” “I worked with young people,” “One point.” “I developed a number of fine Scout programs.” “One more point, that makes four points… You need 96 more.” “Oh, no!” said the minister in a panic. “I feel so helpless, so inadequate. Except for the grace of God, I don’t have a chance!” “Grace of God – 96 points! Come on in!”

Now, the minister’s dream has some bad theology and some good theology in it. The bad theology is that we don’t work our way into heaven, by earning points. We do good works not in order to gain heaven, but in gratitude for what God has already done for us in Christ. The Good theology here is that our only hope is the grace of God,… the amazing grace of God in Jesus Christ. Like the minister said: “Except for the grace of God, we don’t have a chance.”

But, the good news is we have God’s grace… We have God’s grace because “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish.

So, the point is clear… If we are to stay alive and well, if we are to thrive and produce good fruit in this world, if we are to remain spiritually healthy and whole… then here’s the formula in John 15… stay connected to the true vine… stay connected to Christ’s servant mentality, stay connected to Christ’s great promise to always be with us and stay connected to Christ’s amazing grace remembering always that Jesus loves us… and that’s that!