"I am the vine, you are the branches...abide in me as I in you"

Scripture: Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:24-30; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8

From unbelief, disbelief, despair, doubt, hope to an abiding presence, we experience the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd who knows and calls us by name. Last week we began a discussion of John's mention of the word "abide."  We continue that discussion in greater depth this week with another passage from 1 John, and Jesus' "I am the vine, you are the branches" teaching in the Upper Room before his betrayal, another of the "I am" sayings in the gospel of John. 


What is it to "abide" in Christ, and him in us? How does this take place? What is the relationship of "love" with "abiding" in God, and God in us? How is this part of the resurrection experience? What meaning do these "abiding love" passages have for us in our daily lives? Consider “Abide is a wonderful verb” by Katie Munnik, “Abide in me . . .” by F. Dean Lueking, and “A Message So Good as to Border on Folly” by The Very Rev. Stephen E. Carlsen