Abiding in Christ
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this lesson is to emphasize the knowledge of Christ on a personal level as shown in the Gospel of St. John. More specifically, the practice of abiding in Christ and living out His word daily.
Review - 7 Minutes
Start the lesson by reading the third hour Gospel in the Agpeya (John 14:26 - 15:4), as this will set the foundation for the theme of the lesson going forward.
Ask the youth what it means when Christ says "Abide in Me and I in you" and discuss their answers.
Introduction - 10 Minutes
The Orthodox Church puts a large emphasis on the idea of "synergy" between us and God.Both parties must be working cooperatively in order for there to be a spiritual connection between man and God. God's arms are always open to us, it is up to us to latch onto Him and abide in Him.
The foundation of this was the Lord's statement, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. (John 5:17) Christ uses this analogy to explain two important aspects of the Christian life:
- "Abide in Me" - Christ tells His disciples to "abide in Me" meaning to be in a constant relationship with Him.
- Christ mentions this action first because God's work for us is already complete, we are the ones who have to take action and go towards Him.
- "And I in you" - when we accept God's love and let His will be done in our lives.
Union and Communion with Christ / Faith and Works - 15 Minutes
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15: 5)
Without the vine, the branch has no life. Just as without Christ, there is no life on Earth. If we take this as our starting point, then there is a certain appreciation and amount of love towards Him that we must have. Then, because of the immense love we have towards Christ, we push ourselves to build a relationship with Him.Just as a baby instinctively knows their mother and runs towards them; We must do the same with Christ because we know that He is our life source.
Christ speaks to His disciples here in a group setting, saying "you are the branches" This tells us that not only are we all from the same vine, but we are in union with each other. We all share the same image and likeness of Christ.
The analogy of a vine and its branches is the perfect model of what the church is supposed to look like. In the liturgy, we pray as one congregation, hence why the liturgy is called "the work of the people. "It is not the work of the priest or the work of the deacons, but the entire congregation chanting and praising in one voice.
This love is also meant to be shared through good works.If a person says they are a Christian, but their actions do not reflect their beliefs, then it is difficult to believe them.
This is what St. Paul means when he exclaims that "faith alone" is what saves. True faith produces good works. St. James says that even the demons know there is one God. Our faith should not be just knowing God, but striving in our spiritual life to share in the virtues of Christ, causing us to do good works . Especially when someone outside the faith is looking into Christianity and its followers don't reflect Christ's virtues
We are called to "love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15: 12-13). This commandment coming directly from Christ implies that we must take action when it comes to loving one another. Christ showed us the greatest act of love, dying on the cross for us. Of course, we don't literally have to die for our friends, but we must carry the same amount of love for each other. This amount of love is what leads us to doing good works for each other and for strangers
Discussion/Application - 10 Minutes
- Ask the youth how acts of love can be shown? Remind them why it is important to show love and not just talk about loving each other.
- Do they serve in any capacity, or have been served and felt the love of the people around them?
- What other "good works" can be done to show God's love to others?
- Gauge the youth's interest in serving within their local community, try to plan an outing dedicated to service.
Comments:
- This lesson is built to explain to the youth the importance of having a relationship with Christ.
- Not only does their personal relationship matter, but a relationship with their peers and the church's community.
SERVANT RESOURCES
- Orthodox Study Bible, Commentary on John 15