"I am the vine; you are the branches."

photo: T C Frierson

Jesus said,

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the Gardener. . .
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. . .
I am the vine; you are the branches.
If a man remains in me and I in him,
he will bear much fruit;
apart from me you can do nothing. . .
This is to my Father's glory,
that you bear much fruit,
showing yourselves to be my disciples."

John 15, selected verses, NIV

     It was 7:45 A.M., half an hour before the early worship service would begin. The afternoon before, my wife had arranged a flower arrangement and placed it on the piano in the chapel. Now she wanted to remove any drooping flowers and take a photograph of the arrangement before anyone else arrived.  It was a crisp mid-winter morning as we walked to the front door of the church. The rising sun cast the shadow of an ancient oak tree onto the large wooden doors to the Narthex. The bare branches of the gnarly old tree caused the shadow to resemble a mature vine of many branches.  The words of Jesus in John 15 came immediately to mind: "I am the vine; you are the branches." Thanks to my wife's mission, I was at the right place at just the right time with my camera to capture this rare image of one of God's vineyards bathed in the golden glory of the rising sun.
     T. Cartter Frierson, October 6, 1999