John 15:5
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
The tributes that have been generously paid to Queen Elizabeth often make reference to her calmness and constancy. Through the many changes and challenges of life she maintained a remarkable equilibrium. We saw her as she faced national tragedy, but also much family heartache and this continued right up to the end of her life. I have no doubt that she would have attributed this attitude to life, to her Christian faith. She was able to remain strong and peaceful through thick and thin because her life was firmly connected to the Lord, the source of life. He was her vine, and she was one of the branches. She knew that she had to remain in him, because apart from him she could do nothing. For this reason, she maintained a steady rhythm of worship throughout her life. She knew that she couldn’t go it alone.
There are many reasons why it is good to reflect on Jesus’ words about the vine. The fact is that a vine only has one clear purpose. It isn’t beautiful and its wood doesn’t burn well. The reason you keep a vine is because you want grapes. You want fruitfulness. And that’s always God’s intention for us. He wants us to be the very best that we can be. Our calling is not to be a monarch and probably not to walk on a world stage and have the spotlights trained upon us. Our calling is to serve God where we are with the knowledge that, as we remain connected to him, we will be able to produce fruit of lasting value. I hear endless stories of people who are fruitful. In the last few days I have heard about people who are caring wonderfully for neighbours, others who have been offering helpful advice to people with debt problems, and yet others who have opened their homes to people fleeing from the Ukraine. To see love in action is always a blessing and is one of the fruits which I am sure was uppermost in Jesus’ mind.
We all need to praise God for the fruitfulness of Queen Elizabeth’s long life, but we should also spend a moment reflecting on the fruit that we are producing and how we can produce more of it. 
Prayer: Loving God, we give thanks for the remarkable fruitfulness of Queen Elizabeth’s long reign. Help us each day to stay closely connected to you, so that we too will have lives which produce much fruit, to the glory of your name. Amen

Released on 13 Sep 2022