Jesus said to his disciples: I am the vine, and you are the branches.  If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit.  But you cannot do anything without me.
-John 15:5
 
Though it may be a cliché, it is so true: the Christian faith is about relationships-to each other and to God.  That is the heart of what we are about, as we gather for worship or Bible study or mission or any of the wonderful, life-giving things we do as a church.  We do it together!  Jesus affirmed that point in his final self-describing metaphor in the gospel of John.  Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches.  We connect with the vine, we produce fruit, we are pruned, and we are dependent upon God, our gardener.
 
This theme will be fleshed out this Sunday in worship, which will be Youth Sunday, when our young people lead in every aspect of our service.  It is safe to say that this Sunday is unlike any other.  Something may happen that is not even printed in the bulletin!  I invite you to use this opportunity to invite outsiders to worship this morning.  What a wonderful asset and blessing our young people are to this church!

Prayer for Today 
 
O God, we give you thanks for Youth Sunday, and we pray for something to happen in worship that is transcendent.  May your Spirit be felt throughout the congregation, such that our lives are impacted way past noon.  Amen.