Vacation in Italy 1-Vines and Tragedy

We had a short family vacation in Italy. It was good to leave life and ministry behind for a time and relax. A daily dose of relaxation and rejuvenation was just what the doctor ordered. During our "Holy Week" vacation, we set aside times to reflect on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This, along with wandering through vineyards in Tuscany, visiting famous cathedrals in Verona, Pisa, and Florence AND being relatively close to the major earthquake in L'Aquila has triggered some reflection.

VINES AND TRAGEDY
What do you do when tragedy strikes? This question occupied my mind on 2 levels...one on a national level, and one on a personal level. The earthquake in L'Aquila, Italy that killed 287 people and caused $7 billion in damage struck 189 miles from where we were vacationing. We passed convoys of rescue trucks bearing generators, drinking water, food, and blankets for the survivors. We watched worried Italians following the news of the rescue efforts. It is hard to be so close to a tragedy of this magnitude and not wonder "what if it had happened to us?". It could happen. Tragedy happens in this world. Besides the earthquake, we recently experienced a family crisis that left us disoriented and seeking answers from God. LIFE IS NOT EASY. Where does one turn in the face of tragedy and hardship?

We must look to the vine for answers.

The Tuscany area of Italy is famous for its' wines and vineyards. Everywhere you look, there are fields of grape vines, sometimes in the most unlikely places. It seems that if there is a square yard of mountainside available, there will be a few vines. Grape vines look like small trees. The "vine" stands straight out of the ground a yard and looks like a tree trunk. Smaller branches just out of the top of this "trunk" and even smaller branches grow off of these. The contrast between the size of the vine and the size of the branches is quite remarkable. The vine looks like a tree trunk with "twigs" sticking out of it.

In John 15:5, Jesus said, "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."

Jesus points to himself as the vine...the root...the stable force into which we are attached. He points to himself as the strength in our lives. He goes so far as to say that anything of value that flows from our lives will come from our personal connection with him. These are powerful words and if they are true (they are!), then we should heed them. We should search for what it means to "remain" in Christ and have him remain in me.

Where does one turn for strength, support, encouragement, direction, and fulfillment? To the person of Jesus Christ who lives and interacts with us daily.