Lent III: I Am the True Vine

'Of course, ‘body ‘and ‘vine’ are both metaphors, used to help us imagine a truth, the depth of dependency on each other in Christ, that we would otherwise find impossible to grasp.  Precisely how we are one body, branches of the one true vine, is deeply mysterious to us, but it is like this; like a body, like a vine.  Baptism and Holy Communion enact this spiritual truth, not just as an idea, but as something practical, physical; to do with bodies and not just our minds.'

Listen to a reflection for the Third Sunday of Lent by the Reverend Mark Birch, Canon Rector at the Abbey. 

Each week during Lent, the lectionary explores the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth from the perspective of the Gospel of John. One of the ways that John’s gospel identifies what Jesus is like is through his ‘I Am’ statements. From ‘I am the bread of life’ to ‘I am the Good Shepherd’, these seven statements help us learn who Jesus is, and what it means to follow Him as disciples. Our reflections will explore these statements throughout the forty days of this season.