You may remember back on Sunday, May 21, I preached on John 15. Trust me, I remember it well. Sometimes sermons hit home to the preacher with a force that makes it clear that God is in control. John 15 is one of the “I am” statements from Jesus. Jesus says, “I am the true vine.” He goes on to say, “He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit He prunes to make it bear more fruit.” (NRSV) You may recall in my sermon that I talked about the challenge that I’ve always had with the second part of that statement. Why would God prune back work that was bearing fruit? Of course, the answer is: so that even more, and better, work can be accomplished.

In my sermon, I mentioned that being removed or pruned feels and looks about the same as it happens. However, over time, it becomes clear which has happened to you. In the analogy that Jesus uses, the branch is cut, something is lost, and that would generate for humans a sense of personal loss…whether it is from pruning or removing. It is what happens next that makes it clear which has happened to you.

I felt a cut like one of these while in Dubuque. As you know, I’m working on my Doctorate of Ministry degree, and I’m now in my third, and last, year. This is the year that is focused on my final doctorate project. The goal of our meetings in Dubuque this year was to have our project proposals approved by our advisors, so we can begin work on them. I spent the last year wrestling with my project proposal, getting it to the point where I could present it for approval. I was scheduled to present my proposal Tuesday of the first week of our meetings.

The Monday evening prior to my presentation, I remembered there was one more book I wanted to look over because I thought it might be good to include in my Bibliography for my project. So, in my rented room that evening, I opened it up and began to read. Surprisingly, the author started their book with the same opening that I was planning to use. He then proceeded down a path that was eerily similar to what I had in mind. As I continued through the book, I realized that the first half of his book was almost exactly a duplicate of what I was planning to propose the next day. This was a big problem. Doctorate projects are supposed to be original and add something new to the world. I realized that my project had already been done. I felt a deep cut.

I walked to our gathering the next day surprisingly secure. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I knew that my project would be dramatically changed. I told the group that I’d just discovered that someone else had already done something close to what I had planned. They asked if I could find a way to add on to their work or even critique it in a way that added value. My heart told me that I couldn’t do that because, truly, what I was planning matched very closely to what they had already done. They then asked if I had a “Plan B”. Luckily, there was something else that has intrigued me. We discussed that completely different potential project and agreed that it could work. After spending a year tweaking a project proposal, I now had one day to put together a completely new proposal.

God was with me. Idea after idea came into my head, guiding me through this new project proposal. By 3:00pm on Wednesday, I had a draft of a new, complete proposal ready for a review by my advisors. We spent the next few days tweaking it and turning it into a sound proposal. It was then that it became very clear to me that I was being pruned, not cut off. It’s amazing to me that God gave me words for a sermon right before I left that directly spoke to what would happen to me. God’s words in the sermon were correct, when you’re pruned it feels as though you are cut off…but just for a little while. As I read through that book Monday evening, my heart sank. It became clear to me that I would not be doing what I’d aimed to do for a year. Surprisingly, however, I didn’t feel lost or abandoned. Quite the opposite happened to me. I laughed at how absurd this situation was and was filled with peace. I didn’t know what would happen, but I had a sense that it would be alright…and it was alright.

So, instead of working with the Ruling Elders of our Parish churches to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT’s) to our congregations, we will be doing something else entirely. I’ll be working with the entire congregations to learn more about the underlying story of Scripture. As you know, I’m a firm believer that Scripture is one coherent story, complete with a storyline structure that leads us down a path much like a Hollywood movie. In fact, I’ve done some work on this already, showing how the structure of Hollywood movies (utilizing 15 “beats”, or required set pieces) matches to the structure of Scripture. It’s important to me that we all grasp the story of Scripture, even more important than understanding the historical context or the details of the life of Christ, for example. It is the story that shows God’s love for us, and it is the story that teaches and gives us faith.

My project will be to increase our understanding of the story of Scripture. We’ll use 10 (or so) Wednesday evening worship services to show the story of Scripture, using the 15 beats found in Hollywood movies (and Scripture!). My prayer is that we all begin to see the entirety of Scripture as one large story, with a definite beginning and ending, with heroes, villains, hope, flaws, and all the other elements that Hollywood uses to attract our attention. I think that we’re also going to have a lot of fun with this project…certainly more fun that SWOT analyses would have been. I also think that we’re going to learn a lot more and have a deeper understanding for God’s love and role in our lives.

Being pruned hurts for a minute, but just for a minute. Soon, you begin to see how what has happened will result in ‘more fruit’. I’m excited about this new project, and I look forward to working with all of you to make it happen!