A: One man was born in Africa, one man was born in America.
Q: What is the difference between a believer on one side of the world, and one on the other?
A: One believer is one one side of the world, and one believer is on the other.
Q: What is the difference between one branch that is connected to the Vine and another?
A: Nothing.
This struck me the other day as extremely profound. John 15: One Vine, many branches. I think of the grapevines that we have at home - a huge vine with so many branches and delicious grapes that my dad makes into a SWEET grape pie (yes, grape PIE!). One Vine. Many branches. And I picture the grapevines in my head: and I think, "Gee, I really like picking the grapes from the side closest to our house, rather than the ones on the side that faces the neighbors." (Yeah, I have this weird neighbor-phobia thing I inherited when I was little and the neighbor kids threw rocks at my sister and I.) But are the grapes on the side next to my house any better than the ones on the other side? Well, no - so long as the grapes on the other side didn't get squished by flying rocks. Some grapes grow in the shade. Some grow on the top of the vine - some grow on the bottom. Some grow next to thorns. Some grow next to the lilac bush. But all the branches are connected to the same vine. The same Vine. The SAME VINE. One Vine. Have I said it enough? do you get it yet?
What vine? oh, that's right - the same one!
And so I propose to you that in the body of Christ, cultures of this world are about as worthless as a speck of dust in my nose. Are you following me? Grab the tissue box and let's go: (when I was in Geometry my mom said that "proofs" would help my logic skills - and now, I think, I still don't care why that triangle is that way because of the square.... a2'd + b2'd = blah blah. So here is some non-geometry related logic for you.)
If the branch that grows next to the thorn bush is connected to the grapevine, it's still going to grow grapes.
If the branch that grows next to the lilac bush is connected to the grapevine, it's still going to grow grapes.
A fig tree can't produce olives, and an olive tree can't produce figs.
So if the branch by the thorns grows grapes....
And the branch by the lilacs grows grapes...
Don't you think it's safe to assume that they are both the same kind of branch? Quite possibly connected to the same vine? OH. Whhhaaaaa?
I have become a fairly accurate people watcher and people predictor. I could pretty accurately tell you five things about a persons house or personality just by the kind of air freshener they have in their car. I have watched and watched and figured out and made lists and done ethnographies and made predictions and watched them come true. Yet in all my thoughts and processes and lists - one conclusion is the only necessary one. One Vine, many branches. So many times on the drive home I try to make a mental list of the things I think I have in common and can easily talk about with the host - and sometimes I can think of absolutely nothing save our faith. Is that bad? No.
One Vine. Many branches.
Romans 12 puts this into perspective, combining in perfect words the struggle I've had living on a multi-"cultural" bus: "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual act of worship. Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself higher than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and are individually members of one another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness."
In Haiti culture shock hit me hard, and in that I had a choice of how to react.
Option One:
Freak out. Take in all the things around me and freak out because I didn't understand them. Then, block them out. Accept the fact that I didn't understand them and tick them off as wrong because as far as I saw past my nose, they were wrong. Then freak out some more, for like, four more months, then fly home and be done.
Option Two:
Freak out. Take in all the things around me and freak out because I didn't understand them. Then, make lists. I made lists in my head of things that I saw in the culture that I did and didn't like. Then I had to take ALL of them and put them through the Bible test. Did what I saw line up with the way God intends us to act and live? If so, who was I to argue with it or dislike it? One Vine, many branches. I could go through and give you examples but I'd rather just get to the point.
Living on a bus with people from four countries can clearly create some worldly culture confusion - even strong disagreements. Recognizing that we still live in this world and we are by nationality Ugandans, Kenyans, Canadians and Americans, we are different. If branches could talk, I'll bet the ones growing on the top of the vine would say different things than the ones growing on the bottom - but only because of their surroundings. Be in this world - not of it. How many vines? Oh right - just One.
Christ gives us unity in the very way that the Church is set up - disunity comes when we get stuck on our surroundings - the way I do things vs. the way you do things. Be in this world not of it, remember? Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world. One Vine. We are many branches, all connected, working together, raising these children - striving for unity and we are only able to find it when we look to our roots that can't be found in the patterns of this world.
How many vines?
One.
