Highbury
Congregational Church
Congregational Church
A place to
share Christian friendship,
explore Christian faith and
enter into Christian mission
share Christian friendship,
explore Christian faith and
enter into Christian mission
From Easter to Pentecost and beyond our Sunday morning services focusing on the Fruit of the Spirit
Sunday 7th May
Love
Sunday 21 May
Joy
Sunday 4 June
Pentecost
Peace
Sunday 18 June
News of CHIKS
In India with Sue Cole
Sunday 25 June
Parade
Sunday 2nd July
Baptism
Sunday 9th July
Patience
Sunday 16 July
Kindness
Sunday 13 Aug
Generosity
Sunday 20 Aug
Faithfulness
Sunday 27 Aug
Gentleness
Sunday 3rd Sept
Pyramid Rock
Holiday Club
Sunday 17 Sept
Self-Control
Sunday 24 Sept
Harvest
Sunday 7th May
Love
Sunday 21 May
Joy
Sunday 4 June
Pentecost
Peace
Sunday 18 June
News of CHIKS
In India with Sue Cole
Sunday 25 June
Parade
Sunday 2nd July
Baptism
Sunday 9th July
Patience
Sunday 16 July
Kindness
Sunday 13 Aug
Generosity
Sunday 20 Aug
Faithfulness
Sunday 27 Aug
Gentleness
Sunday 3rd Sept
Pyramid Rock
Holiday Club
Sunday 17 Sept
Self-
Sunday 24 Sept
Harvest
The Fruit of the Spirit - Love
John 15:1-8 and I John 3:18
John 15:1-
As Christian Aid Week approaches we are invited to join a gardener in the garden.
“I am the real vine and my father is the gardener. He breaks off every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it will be clean and bear more fruit. You have been made clean already by the teaching I have given you.
“Remain united to me, and I will remain united to you. A branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it can do so only if it remains in the vine. In the same way you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me. Whoever does not remain in me is thrown out like a branch and dries up; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, where they are burnt.
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, then you will ask for anything you wish, and you shall have it. My Father's glory is shown by your bearing much fruit; and in this way you become my disciples.” John 15:1-8
That’s not a bad bit of advice for would-be gardeners.
Branches bear Fruit
That’s not a bad bit of advice for would-
Branches bear Fruit
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when attached to the vine
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& pruned by the gardener
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that is the gardener’s glory
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But of course, Jesus isn’t simply giving topical tips for the garden!
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God is the gardener
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Jesus is the vine
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We are the branches
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And it is for us to bear fruit.
How easy it is to see the teaching of Jesus as a major challenge. The Good News of Jesus is that it is not simply a challenge. It really is good news.
We are fruitful as Christian people not because of the effort we put in on our own, not even because of the effort we put in with other people, but because we are put of something much bigger than ourselves. We are part of something that is living and that produces life within us.
We bear Fruit
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when attached to the vine
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& pruned by the gardener
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that is the gardener’s glory
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The key to living the Christian life in a way that is fruitful is to keep close to Jesus. There may be things that we need to examine, change and get rid of. Keep close to Jesus is the key. And then we begin to bear fruit.
Paul takes up this wonderful image of bearing fruit in Galatians 5. Over the next few weeks we are going to explore the fruit of the Spirit.
The Fruit of the Spirit is …
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Love
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Back to John for a definition of what love should be: “our love should not just be words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.” I John 3:18
Through Christian Aid we are bound together as a multitude of branches that are attached to the vine and that bear fruit. We do our part in our own locality, in the causes that we adopt and the money we raise. And we share in the work with others.
This is the story of one of those partners we have through Christian Aid.
Through Christian Aid we are bound together as a multitude of branches that are attached to the vine and that bear fruit. We do our part in our own locality, in the causes that we adopt and the money we raise. And we share in the work with others.
This is the story of one of those partners we have through Christian Aid.
There are 1.6 million people living with HIV and AIDS in Ethiopia, and more than one million children who have lost their parents to AIDS.
Two Christian Aid partners, the Organisation for Social Services for AIDS (OSSA) and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC), are training young people in Ethiopia to be counsellors so that they can support people who have been affected by HIV and AIDS.
Friewion Aregaw is one of these young counsellors. She was shocked by the way people were treating an elderly lady in her community when they discovered
she was living with HIV and AIDS.
She says: ‘This lady was abandoned. Everyone had left her and talked about her. I had no knowledge of HIV so I came to OSSA to ask them: “What is this virus?”’
OSSA started to teach Friewion about HIV and AIDS and gave her some counselling training. Because of what she learnt, Friewion decided to visit the lady.
‘Everyday I passed her house,’ Friewion says. ‘I saw that it was closed and dirty. I knew she was alone. I thought of that poor lady and it made me sad. This pushed me inside – even though I was frightened.’
After some time, the lady accepted Friewion’s support and Friewion visits her every day. She also now counsels a number of children who have lost their
parents because of AIDS, and runs awareness-raising workshops in the local prison.
Because of the support that Christian Aid has given OSSA and the EOC, young people such as Friewion are able to support people who suffer stigma and
discrimination because of HIV and AIDS.
Through her work Friewion says, ‘I have realized that I can change lives. I felt so proud inside when I realised I could do this.’
