Palm 80:7-19

My grandfather, August Glaubitz’ died in 1957.  Yearly, at his birthday in September the family gathered at the farm he homesteaded.  The memory that stands out is of a grape vine which had grown up into an apple tree and spread onto the roof of a granary/woodshed.  If it hadn’t froze yet, we might find some grapes to eat, along with some apples.

In the psalm, God brought a vine out of Egypt, cleared the ground and planted it.  It spread its branches over the mountains and mighty cedars, filling all the land and beyond.  But now the psalmist asks, “Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?”  Israel has been plundered.

The psalmist pleads that God would restore them, “let your face shine, that we may be saved!”

Jesus compares himself to the vine from which we, the branches, grow and bear fruit.  The problem for Israel is that it forgot God was their savior.  Now, they plead for God to look upon them and save.

At the end of the service on Sunday, we branches attached to Christ the vine, are sent on our way with the face of the Lord looking upon us, keeping us, and giving us peace.  Thus so, connected to Christ we spread out into our communities bearing fruit in our life.